wuhan - coronavirus

[Ausmumof3]

145 new cases in South Korea 

[Ausmumof3]

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/03/study-reveals-sharp-increase-covid-19-kids-shenzhen
 

study on an increase in the number of children being detected.  I think to summarise because children don’t become seriously ill they are less likely to have been tested in the early stages of the outbreak.  However they could still be significant in the spread of the outbreak.

the article also mentions concern over the high number of false negatives with nasal swab tests.

Edited March 5, 2020 by Ausmumof3

[Arcadia]

3 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/03/study-reveals-sharp-increase-covid-19-kids-shenzhen
 

study on an increase in the number of children being detected.  I think to summarise because children don’t become seriously ill they are less likely to have been tested in the early stages of the outbreak.  However they could still be significant in the spread of the outbreak.

The part on high false negative  is worrying 

“On testing blood samples, the researchers observed normal or slightly decreased counts of leucocytes and lymphocytes and identified mildly decreased eosinophil counts in four of the patients. Four days later, follow-up testing revealed that the low eosinophil counts remained abnormal and had dropped even further. "The decrease of eosinophil count may be helpful for the early diagnosis of the disease," they wrote, calling for further study of the phenomenon.

They also commented on the high false-negative rate in the oropharyngeal swabs used to diagnose and confirm COVID-19 infection and called for an alternative technique to be developed as soon as possible.”

[Ausmumof3]

1st case in New Jersey

[Ausmumof3]

Just now, Arcadia said:

The part on high false negative  is worrying 

“On testing blood samples, the researchers observed normal or slightly decreased counts of leucocytes and lymphocytes and identified mildly decreased eosinophil counts in four of the patients. Four days later, follow-up testing revealed that the low eosinophil counts remained abnormal and had dropped even further. "The decrease of eosinophil count may be helpful for the early diagnosis of the disease," they wrote, calling for further study of the phenomenon.

They also commented on the high false-negative rate in the oropharyngeal swabs used to diagnose and confirm COVID-19 infection and called for an alternative technique to be developed as soon as possible.”

It seems like for some patients the disease goes quickly into the lungs rather than producing sinus type symptoms.  Would that explain potentially why nasal swab isn’t always successful for detecting?

[Ausmumof3]

Students from a childcare centre in NSW will be monitored for coronavirus after they visitors the affected nursing home on 24th of Feb

https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/macquarie-park-childcare-facility-closed-due-to-staff-being-tested-for-coronavirus-c-730692.amp?__twitter_impression=true
 

Maybe they took it into the nursing home?  

[Ausmumof3]

A qantas worker was stood down after raising safety concerns due to coronavirus.  I guess without knowing specifics it’s hard to know what to think

https://www.9news.com.au/national/qantas-staffer-stood-down-after-raising-coronavirus-fears/a4c71b5a-258e-45a7-8648-95dc84bcb451

[Pen]

35 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

It seems like for some patients the disease goes quickly into the lungs rather than producing sinus type symptoms.  Would that explain potentially why nasal swab isn’t always successful for detecting?

 

I don’t know answer— interesting idea.  (Very possibly correct.)

my understanding is that for *most* patients this coronavirus is a lower respiratory infection (lungs area), not an upper respiratory infection 

not a stuffy nose that turns into pneumonia, but a virus that tends to attack the ACE-2 system and receptors in the lungs from the start

in mild cases it may have just a short time of cough or no symptoms noticed at all

in more severe cases pneumonia develops

I have not seen mention of sinuses affected as being a typical early symptom at all

and maybe not typical symptom at any point...so could be something like that if we had different better ways of testing it would turn out that there are lots of cases that haven’t been accurately identified because current testing method misses them

Edited March 5, 2020 by Pen

[Pen]

7 minutes ago, kand said:

My guess is chances are high this was community acquired, and not in the line of work, and it just happened to be caught because her job allowed her to qualify for testing. Most of the likely hundreds of US (or even just CA) people infected right now can’t get tested and continue to pass it on because in the absence of testing, it feels overboard to keep your entire family quarantined and home from school and work based on what you assume is probably cold or flu symptoms in yourself.  We’ve got to get the testing going here. 

 

Or? That PPE wasn’t used right?  Or wasn’t enough PPE?

It’s pretty good even against Ebola if sufficiently careful use of very heavy duty full person PPE. 

[Pen]

4 minutes ago, Plum said:

Dr. Bruce Aylward, Assistant Director of the General World Health Organization and part of the team that went to Wuhan. He mentioned on the Channel 4 news broadcast (BBC) on YouTube that many kids has been out of school in Wuhan at the start of the outbreak and therefore may not have been exposed as much as others. Once the infection spread, they kept the schools closed and that could be why kids numbers were so low. Let’s hope that’s not the case. 

and this one talks about Vitamin D, which you ladies have been talking about. 
 

 

 

I can’t actually use your link— could be same for others when I have tried to post links like this?

is it?

but I can find them on my own

[Arcadia]

57 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

145 new cases in South Korea 

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/covid19-south-korea-new-cases-deaths-coronavirus-12503880

“SEOUL: South Korea reported 438 new coronavirus infections on Thursday (Mar 5), bringing the country's total to 5,766, according to local media. 

The Korea Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention also said three more deaths from the disease were reported, bringing the total to 35.”

https://www.cdc.go.kr/board/board.es?mid=a30402000000&bid=0030
“As of 0:00, 5 March, 2020, a total of 5,766 cases have been confirmed with 88 cases already discharged from isolation”

[Arcadia]

3 minutes ago, Pen said:

 

I can’t actually use your link— could be same for others when I have tried to post links like this?

is it?

but I can find them on my own

I click on the share icon on the YouTube videos Plum posted and copy the link to watch.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8TIYySGXvWA&feature=youtu.be

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=gmqgGwT6bw0

 

[Dicentra]

5 hours ago, Pen said:

 

Thanks. Looks potentially helpful here too. 

I have no reason to think it would not work.

The soap dislodges oily dirt and skin oils sending debris including virus down drain in water.  It was a homeschool science unit — How soap worked. I don’t recall details but one end of chain of molecules was fats soluble and the other water soluble or something like that.  I’ll tag Dicentra as a chemistry maven in case of possible better explanation @Dicentra

As long as the soap still makes soap suds (gets bubbly when you rub your hands together), it should still be just fine to break up skin oils and get the oil and debris off your skin.  If it's so dilute that it no longer makes bubbles, then that's probably too dilute to break up the grease.  You'd be amazed, though, at how little soap it actually takes to get your hands (or anything else, for that matter) clean.  Most people use WAY too much soap - hand soap, shampoo, laundry soap, dish soap, etc.  You need less than half the "recommended" amounts of most soap products unless you have REALLY dirty or greasy skin/hair/clothes/dishes, etc. 🙂  And yes - soap molecules have two ends: a polar hydrophilic ("water loving") end and a long nonpolar hydrophobic ("water fearing") tail.  Soap is the go-between peace-maker to help water (polar like the soap heads) and grease (nonpolar like the soap tails) to co-exist.  This is because in chemistry, polar things get along with other polar things, nonpolar things get along with other nonpolar things, but polar and nonpolar do NOT get along. 😉  The long hydrophobic tails of the soap molecules tend to orient themselves towards a droplet of oil or grease and form a little round "fence" around the droplet with their hydrophobic tails pointing in towards the oil and their hydrophilic heads pointing out towards the water.  The little soap-fenced oil droplet is called a micelle.  The micelle allows the oil droplet to be soluble in water because the nonpolar oil (which would NOT get along with the polar water) is now surrounded by the peace-maker soap fence whose polar heads convince the water that the oil droplet is a-ok. 😉 🙂  The micelle droplet can then dissolve in water and be washed away.  Voila!  Oil and water CAN mix (with a little help from soap 😉 ).

Here's a drawing of a soap micelle in case anyone has actually read this far and is interested... 😜

[Dicentra]

And I saw this earlier - thought some folks might find it helpful.  Basically - soap and water handwashing is going to be the best.  Hand sanitizer is ok if you don't have immediate access to soap and water but it isn't going to be as effective as soap/water handwashing.  Wash for as long as it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" or the alphabet song. 🙂

[Arcadia]

@Pen @Ausmumof3 @TravelingChris

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04264533
“Vitamin C Infusion for the Treatment of Severe 2019-nCoV Infected Pneumonia 

Last Update Posted  : February 11, 2020

Detailed Description:

At the end of 2019, patients with unexplained pneumonia appeared in Wuhan, China. At 21:00 on January 7, 2020, a new coronavirus was detected in the laboratory, and the detection of pathogenic nucleic acids was completed at 20:00 on January 10. Subsequently, the World Health Organization officially named the new coronavirus that caused the pneumonia epidemic in Wuhan as 2019 new coronavirus (2019-nCoV), and the pneumonia was named severe acute respiratory infection (SARI). Up to February 4, 2020, over 20000 cases have been diagnosed in China, 406 of which have died, and 154 cases have been discovered in other countries around the world. Most of the deaths were elderly patients or patients with severe underlying diseases. SARI has caused global concern and emergency.

Statistics of the 41 patients with SARI published in JAMA initially showed that 13 patients were transferred into the ICU, of which 11 (85%) had ARDS and 3 (23%) had shock. Of these, 10 (77%) required mechanical ventilation support, and 2 (15%) required ECMO support. Of the above 13 patients, 5 (38%) eventually died and 7 (38%) were transferred out of the ICU. Viral pneumonia is a dangerous condition with a poor clinical prognosis. For most viral infections, there is a lack of effective targeted antiviral drugs, and symptomatic supportive treatment is still the current main treatment.

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, has antioxidant properties. When sepsis happens, the cytokine surge caused by sepsis is activated, and neutrophils in the lungs accumulate in the lungs, destroying alveolar capillaries. Early clinical studies have shown that vitamin C can effectively prevent this process. In addition, vitamin C can help to eliminate alveolar fluid by preventing the activation and accumulation of neutrophils, and reducing alveolar epithelial water channel damage. At the same time, vitamin C can prevent the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps, which is a biological event of vascular injury caused by neutrophil activation. Vitamins can effectively shorten the duration of the common cold. In extreme conditions (athletes, skiers, art workers, military exercises), it can effectively prevent the common cold. And whether vitamin C also has a certain protective effect on influenza patients, only few studies have shown that vitamin C deficiency is related to the increased risk and severity of influenza infections. In a controlled but non-randomized trial, 85% of the 252 students treated experienced a reduction in symptoms in the high-dose vitamin C group (1g / h at the beginning of symptoms for 6h, followed by 3 * 1g / day). Among patients with sepsis and ARDS, patients in the high-dose vitamin group did not show a better prognosis and other clinical outcomes. There are still some confounding factors in the existing research, and the conclusions are different.

Therefore, during the current epidemic of SARI, it is necessary to study the clinical efficacy and safety of vitamin C for viral pneumonia through randomized controlled trials.”

[Arcadia]

@mathnerd

https://abc7news.com/health/newsom-slams-price-gouging-amid-coronavirus-fears/5986293/
“Governor Gavin Newsom this afternoon declared a statewide emergency and also had some strong words about businesses looking to take advantage of public fears.

"As you may have noted, we are seeing literally small hand sanitizers like this going for as much as $17. I've seen some online for even more. That's unconscionable, that's usurious and we need to go after those who are price gouging not just for hand sanitizers but medical supplies and other equipment," Newsom said.

Attorney General Xavier Becerra issued a price-gouging alert, reminding Californians of laws protecting the practice especially when it comes to supplies, food, and gas.

Violators can face one year in jail or a fine of up to $10,000.

To file a complaint, go to the attorney general's website or call (800) 952 5225.”

[Pen]

Soap and water washing while away from home thoughts:

when I was in the city and so many people seemed sick (whether from SARS-Cov-2 virus or common influenza or something else) I had brought soap and water but could not make that work in the circumstances (including important paperwork that could not get wet, not wanting to get clothes all wet as I had more places to go one after another)

I am considering whether bringing a portable camping solar shower we have could help. It has a closeable spigot end.  Maybe something like that would help.

 

 

 I ‘ll test it out next time, but any thoughts? 

 

 

 

16 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

@Pen @Ausmumof3 @TravelingChris

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04264533
“Vitamin C Infusion for the Treatment of Severe 2019-nCoV Infected Pneumonia 

Last Update Posted  : February 11, 2020

Detailed Description:

At the end of 2019, patients with unexplained pneumonia appeared in Wuhan, China. At 21:00 on January 7, 2020, a new coronavirus was detected in the laboratory, and the detection of pathogenic nucleic acids was completed at 20:00 on January 10. Subsequently, the World Health Organization officially named the new coronavirus that caused the pneumonia epidemic in Wuhan as 2019 new coronavirus (2019-nCoV), and the pneumonia was named severe acute respiratory infection (SARI). Up to February 4, 2020, over 20000 cases have been diagnosed in China, 406 of which have died, and 154 cases have been discovered in other countries around the world. Most of the deaths were elderly patients or patients with severe underlying diseases. SARI has caused global concern and emergency.

Statistics of the 41 patients with SARI published in JAMA initially showed that 13 patients were transferred into the ICU, of which 11 (85%) had ARDS and 3 (23%) had shock. Of these, 10 (77%) required mechanical ventilation support, and 2 (15%) required ECMO support. Of the above 13 patients, 5 (38%) eventually died and 7 (38%) were transferred out of the ICU. Viral pneumonia is a dangerous condition with a poor clinical prognosis. For most viral infections, there is a lack of effective targeted antiviral drugs, and symptomatic supportive treatment is still the current main treatment.

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, has antioxidant properties. When sepsis happens, the cytokine surge caused by sepsis is activated, and neutrophils in the lungs accumulate in the lungs, destroying alveolar capillaries. Early clinical studies have shown that vitamin C can effectively prevent this process. In addition, vitamin C can help to eliminate alveolar fluid by preventing the activation and accumulation of neutrophils, and reducing alveolar epithelial water channel damage. At the same time, vitamin C can prevent the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps, which is a biological event of vascular injury caused by neutrophil activation. Vitamins can effectively shorten the duration of the common cold. In extreme conditions (athletes, skiers, art workers, military exercises), it can effectively prevent the common cold. And whether vitamin C also has a certain protective effect on influenza patients, only few studies have shown that vitamin C deficiency is related to the increased risk and severity of influenza infections. In a controlled but non-randomized trial, 85% of the 252 students treated experienced a reduction in symptoms in the high-dose vitamin C group (1g / h at the beginning of symptoms for 6h, followed by 3 * 1g / day). Among patients with sepsis and ARDS, patients in the high-dose vitamin group did not show a better prognosis and other clinical outcomes. There are still some confounding factors in the existing research, and the conclusions are different.

Therefore, during the current epidemic of SARI, it is necessary to study the clinical efficacy and safety of vitamin C for viral pneumonia through randomized controlled trials.”

 

I wonder if people are different?

My son can pretty consistently stop a virus illness symptoms by taking 1g vitamin C frequently (not a study, so I can’t say precisely hourly, but dose is 1g capsules ).

Whereas, It has not worked for me.  Or at least not as magnificently as for him.  Maybe I would be worse without it. 

 

 

Personally, I am currently focusing more on D3, but will certainly try high vitamin  C also at first sign of anything.  

 

Ideally, I would like to have my body prepared with high D level in advance

and then hit the SARS2 virus when it comes hard enough with vitamin C and other supplements / herbs etc that I never get sick enough to even know for sure that I had it. 

Edited March 5, 2020 by Pen

[kbutton]

 

30 minutes ago, Pen said:

 

Or? That PPE wasn’t used right?  Or wasn’t enough PPE?

It’s pretty good even against Ebola if sufficiently careful use of very heavy duty full person PPE. 

The article says the screener was highly trained. I think they picked it up in the community or around the airport itself when not in in PPE.

[Ausmumof3]

39 minutes ago, Plum said:

Dr. Bruce Aylward, Assistant Director of the General World Health Organization and part of the team that went to Wuhan. He mentioned on the Channel 4 news broadcast (BBC) on YouTube that many kids has been out of school in Wuhan at the start of the outbreak and therefore may not have been exposed as much as others. Once the infection spread, they kept the schools closed and that could be why kids numbers were so low. Let’s hope that’s not the case. 
https://youtu.be/8TIYySGXvWA

 

and this one talks about Vitamin D, which you ladies have been talking about. 
 

 

https://youtu.be/gmqgGwT6bw0

 

That does sound right as the study mentioned family acquired sickness.  So the kids have been kept home safe but as the family members have become ill they are also catching it.  However symptoms are still mild

[Ausmumof3]

5 minutes ago, kbutton said:

 

The article says the screener was highly trained. I think they picked it up in the community or around the airport itself when not in in PPE.

I hope you’re right.  The Japanese quarantine officers caught it while in PPE and Italy had quite a few cases from the hospital.

[Ausmumof3]

39 minutes ago, Pen said:

 

Or? That PPE wasn’t used right?  Or wasn’t enough PPE?

It’s pretty good even against Ebola if sufficiently careful use of very heavy duty full person PPE. 

Ebola is actually fairly low in terms of contagiousness just very lethal once you get it.

https://www.geek.com/science/so-just-how-contagious-is-ebola-really-1606117/

[Ausmumof3]

PPE related questions.

do those biohazard suits have to be disposed of after each use?  And how?  Are they incinerated?

[Ausmumof3]

2 new cases in my state.  The child of the woman yesterday and a man from Taiwan.

[kbutton]

3 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

I hope you’re right.  The Japanese quarantine officers caught it while in PPE and Italy had quite a few cases from the hospital.

There are different kinds of PPE too. Overlaps in what is considered, the "right kind." 

I do worry about actual compliance. I hear horror stories about people whose loved ones are in isolation, but nurses follow NONE of the protocols for gowning up, meaning they are taking germs out of the room and bringing other germs in (this is regular isolation, not COVID isolation).

[Ausmumof3]

2 minutes ago, kbutton said:

There are different kinds of PPE too. Overlaps in what is considered, the "right kind." 

I do worry about actual compliance. I hear horror stories about people whose loved ones are in isolation, but nurses follow NONE of the protocols for gowning up, meaning they are taking germs out of the room and bringing other germs in (this is regular isolation, not COVID isolation).

Yeah true.  You would hope the quarantine officer would have it right but there were a few issues with quarantine on that ship so maybe not.

[Ausmumof3]

Listening to a live interview and apparently all respiratory tests in my state are being run for Covid19 as well.  I didn’t realise this was the case and isn’t for the rest of Australia.

[Arcadia]

26 minutes ago, Pen said:

Soap and water washing while away from home thoughts:

when I was in the city and so many people seemed sick (whether from SARS-Cov-2 virus or common influenza or something else) I had brought soap and water but could not make that work in the circumstances (including important paperwork that could not get wet, not wanting to get clothes all wet as I had more places to go one after another)

I am considering whether bringing a portable camping solar shower we have could help. It has a closeable spigot end.  Maybe something like that would help.

I would get those cheap disposable gloves from dollar store for when you can’t have wet hands. E.g.https://www.dollartree.com/scrub-buddies-disposable-gloves-100ct-packs/186962

When I was a kid, we could wash hands and brush teeth next to the drains but here the drains flow to the bay. Also you would have to touch the spigot with “dirty” hands. 

 

[YaelAldrich]

Massachusetts Governor (R) Charlie Baker is recommending all high schools, colleges, and universities halt all international travel this summer. My husband's mid-summer just looks like it will be Boston-based (early summer is supposed to be guest teaching in Tokyo - not cancelled yet (and likely not to be) and late summer when he's supposed to lecture/consult in Australia).  Official word from his university will come soon.  

[Terabith]

For some reason, it just occurred to me that library books could be fomites.  I was thinking using the library and the self check out was pretty low risk but maybe not?  Man, this sucks. 

[Arcadia]

22 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

This picture is in this news link https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/coronavirus-panic-buying-leaves-toilet-paper-out-of-stock/1bba0e58-bc19-437a-bdbd-00d69c81a672

The news link also has this photo from Kleenex Bathroom Australia’s Facebook page https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=4228605013820133&id=116846878329321&__tn__=*s*s-R

[DoraBora]

2 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

3 new cases in Santa Clara County (total 14?)

1 presumed in Fort Worth Texas 

5 in Westchester County New York

1 new in Chile, 3 new in Ecuador, 10 new in Iceland, Ireland 4, Algeria 9, Sweden 17, 

apologies if these have already been listed it’s hard to keep up now.

only 5 of the Chinese cases were outside Hubei.

US total is at 158 according to BNO

I think the presumptive Texas case is in Fort Bend County, near Houston.  I don't see anything in FW.

[Renai]

Just now, DoraBora said:

I think the presumptive Texas case is in Fort Bend County, near Houston.  I don't see anything in FW.

I was coming on to say the same. I haven't seen anything for Fort Worth. There was one back in January, but turned out to be negative. That's all I've found.

[Renai]

10 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

Although ibuprofen is not the same as paracetamol, it can be used as a substitute in many circumstances.  I don't know if it's also going to be in short supply.

Anything work similar to ibuprofen? There are ibuprofen allergies here. We're stuck with barely-works-Tylenol. My herbal remedies work better than that.

[Arcadia]

4 minutes ago, DoraBora said:

I think the presumptive Texas case is in Fort Bend County, near Houston.  I don't see anything in FW.

 

3 minutes ago, Renai said:

I was coming on to say the same. I haven't seen anything for Fort Worth. There was one back in January, but turned out to be negative. That's all I've found.

https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2020/03/05/texas-man-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-in-fort-bend-county/
“The state's first coronavirus case identified outside of a Texas quarantine site is a man in his 70s who lives in the Houston area, Fort Bend County health officials said Wednesday.

The man recently traveled abroad, county officials said, he has been hospitalized and is in stable condition.

“The presumptive case is actionable and we are treating it as a positive," the county's statement said. "Fort Bend County Health & Human Services has started an epidemiological investigation and is leading the effort to quickly identify close contacts with the individual.”

If the presumptive case is confirmed, it would be the 12th instance of coronavirus in Texas. The other cases have all been people who caught the COVID-19 disease overseas and were quarantined at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland.”

[Arcadia]

@Renai @DoraBora @Æthelthryth the Texan

@Kinsa @Janeway
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/health/first-texas-lab-with-coronavirus-testing-is-in-dallas-county/2324268/

“Published March 4, 2020• Updated 3 hours ago

A lab with the Dallas County Health and Human Services is the first in Texas with coronavirus testing capabilities.

The county's Local Response Network laboratory will provide timely testing for novel coronavirus, DCHHS said. There are now more than 92,000 cases around the world.

The lab serves several other counties in North Texas, which increases regional preparedness in response to this emerging public health issue.”

 

 

Edited March 5, 2020 by Arcadia

[TravelingChris]

1 hour ago, Pen said:

 

I don’t know answer— interesting idea.  (Very possibly correct.)

my understanding is that for *most* patients this coronavirus is a lower respiratory infection (lungs area), not an upper respiratory infection 

not a stuffy nose that turns into pneumonia, but a virus that tends to attack the ACE-2 system and receptors in the lungs from the start

in mild cases it may have just a short time of cough or no symptoms noticed at all

in more severe cases pneumonia develops

I have not seen mention of sinuses affected as being a typical early symptom at all

and maybe not typical symptom at any point...so could be something like that if we had different better ways of testing it would turn out that there are lots of cases that haven’t been accurately identified because current testing method misses them

Yes, on some site I was reading yesterday, they were comparing flu symptoms to corona virus symptoms.  There was no runny nose and no feeling like you have been hit by a truck and no aching bones either as symptoms of COVID19

[Pen]

31 minutes ago, YaelAldrich said:

Massachusetts Governor (R) Charlie Baker is recommending all high schools, colleges, and universities halt all international travel this summer. My husband's mid-summer just looks like it will be Boston-based (early summer is supposed to be guest teaching in Tokyo - not cancelled yet (and likely not to be) and late summer when he's supposed to lecture/consult in Australia).  Official word from his university will come soon.  

 

I’m sure that’s especially hard with a university like NU where travel abroad is a big program and a big draw for prospective students. However, cancelling does seem to me like it’s the right thing to do. 

[Pen]

4 minutes ago, TravelingChris said:

Yes, on some site I was reading yesterday, they were comparing flu symptoms to corona virus symptoms.  There was no runny nose and no feeling like you have been hit by a truck and no aching bones either as symptoms of COVID19

 

I read A few reports of Covid-19 presenting with initial aches and pains and Or gastrointestinal or other symptoms on an alert to medical people to not dismiss possible Covid-19 if symptoms aren’t typical.  

ETA: Also I saw some alerts that it can affect neurological system.  

Edited March 5, 2020 by Pen

[Arcadia]

@lewelma

@kiwik @Deb in NZ @EmmaNZ
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/covid19-singapore-airlines-crew-loa-new-zealand-coronavirus-12504280
“05 Mar 2020 11:51AM

SINGAPORE: Singapore Airlines (SIA) has instructed the crew members who worked on a Milan-Singapore flight last week to go on a leave of absence, after a passenger tested postive for the coronavirus.

The passenger had travelled from Milan to Singapore on flight SQ355 on Feb 24, SIA said in response to queries from CNA on Thursday (Mar 5). The passenger subsequently flew to New Zealand.

"Singapore Airlines has been informed that a passenger who subsequently tested positive for COVID-19 travelled on SQ355 from Milan to Singapore on Feb 24," said an SIA spokesperson.

“We are assisting the relevant authorities in Singapore and New Zealand to identify the passengers and crew who were on board the flight,” said the spokesperson.

SIA said it asked the crew on board the flight to go on a leave of absence "as a precautionary measure" and to closely monitor their health.“

Edited March 5, 2020 by Arcadia

[Lang Syne Boardie]

The library question is a good one -- should we avoid, for awhile? My library is a city branch, about which I am NOT snobby; my kids have worked there and we visit very frequently. But if we're being honest, it is never clean. The librarians are undoubtedly using hand sanitizer through the day, but I'm sure the computers and touch screens and tables and counters are not being cleaned any more than usual. It is a very, very high-use library, because it's the only neighborhood place with an indoor play area for littles, and it's the only place for free, accessible computers and wifi. People do not tend to stay home when sick, because they need these services.

Edited March 5, 2020 by Lang Syne Boardie

[Arcadia]

5 minutes ago, Lang Syne Boardie said:

The library question is a good one -- should we avoid, for awhile? My library is a city branch, about which I am NOT snobby; my kids have worked there and we visit very frequently. But if we're being honest, it is never clean. The librarians are undoubtedly using hand sanitizer through the day, but I'm sure the computers and touch screens and tables and counters are not being cleaned any more than usual. It is a very, very high-use library, because it's the only neighborhood place with an indoor play area for littles, and it's the only place for free, accessible computers and wifi. People do not tend to stay home when sick, because they need these services.

I am at the library right now. I figured my risk of being in the library is similar to going to the supermarkets.

[Ausmumof3]

54 minutes ago, DoraBora said:

I think the presumptive Texas case is in Fort Bend County, near Houston.  I don't see anything in FW.

Ah sorry I think I typed fast and autocorrect fixed it and I didn’t catch it 

[DoraBora]

Stupid questions:  How do we know what the mortality rate is?  If some people recover, then relapse, if new cases are added each day and many are still sick, how can we know that this is twice or ten times as deadly as most flu viruses?

Someone posted on another thread, or maybe it was this one(!), that 30% of the population will get this virus, and that the 30% figure is probably a low projection.  I don't understand how anyone could estimate that with any real accuracy.

Can anyone explain it to me?  Please use small words.  😊

Edited March 5, 2020 by DoraBora

[Ausmumof3]

41 minutes ago, TravelingChris said:

Yes, on some site I was reading yesterday, they were comparing flu symptoms to corona virus symptoms.  There was no runny nose and no feeling like you have been hit by a truck and no aching bones either as symptoms of COVID19

But muscle aches has been mentioned as a symptom by some people describing their experience?

[Pen]

22 minutes ago, Lang Syne Boardie said:

The library question is a good one -- should we avoid, for awhile? My library is a city branch, about which I am NOT snobby; my kids have worked there and we visit very frequently. But if we're being honest, it is never clean. The librarians are undoubtedly using hand sanitizer through the day, but I'm sure the computers and touch screens and tables and counters are not being cleaned any more than usual. It is a very, very high-use library, because it's the only neighborhood place with an indoor play area for littles, and it's the only place for free, accessible computers and wifi. People do not tend to stay home when sick, because they need these services.

 

Yes . Imo You should be avoiding it, unless urgent not to.  Try for downloadable materials if that’s something you can do .  Even if people continue to use it, less traffic so that 6-9 feet separation can be maintained would probably be helpful . 

If you must get materials out, I’d personally get in and out as fast as possible and personally would use a closable plastic bag to transport them and then let them sit for a couple days at least before use. 

 

[Ausmumof3]

I have the same thoughts re the library.  We’ve been trying to touch the screens in bits that most people won’t touch or use knuckles but hard to know what to do about bringing books in.  My kids is also doing a chess class there right now and there’s a lot of back and forward touching counters.  For now we hand sanitiser when we get out but if things get going worse here I will switch to Libby only for a while.  It’s not like there’s a book shortage in my house.

although it could be a good excuse... we need to stock up on books for coronavirus

[Pen]

7 minutes ago, DoraBora said:

Stupid questions:  How do we know what the mortality rate is?  If some people recover, then relapse, if new cases are added each day and many are still sick, how can we know that this is twice or ten times as deadly as most flu viruses?

Someone posted on another thread, or maybe it was this one(!), that 30% of the population will get this virus, and that the 30% figure is probably a low projection.  I don't understand how anyone could estimate that with any real accuracy.

Can anyone explain it to me?  Please use small words.  😊

 

It is basically impossible to know mortality rate for certain during an ongoing epidemic.  They make mathematical models. (Often we don’t really know the mortality even after an epidemic ends. 1918 flu is often described as having killed between 50 and 100 Million people.)

If you go to the Dr John Campbell videos on this and start watching from the start of his coverage of Covid-19 or at least a good ways back, you will catch on, I think, as he is very good in clearly explaining things.  Sometimes he mixes up words, or says something that he then corrects in a later video as he learns more, but basically imo he is doing very well.  

 

Worldometer.info also has a section about how mortality rates are determined—but not in simple to understand small words.

Edited March 5, 2020 by Pen

[Ausmumof3]

3rd case in Western Australia.  A person who came from Dubai via the Uk.

This is concerning as neither of those places are supposed to have significant community spread yet 

[Ausmumof3]

I came to say looks like Australia has put in place travel bans to South Korea.

 

[Arcadia]

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/italy-covid-19-coronavirus-emergency-field-hospitals-12503554

“CREMONA, Italy: A blue tent packed with masked medics in nylon overalls and rubber gloves greets patients outside an Italian hospital at the European epicentre of the new coronavirus epidemic.

Welcome to the "sorting" room: An urgently deployed army-style field hospital where people running a fever or showing other flu-like symptoms are tested for signs of COVID-19.

Italy is learning fast from its mistakes.

One of them involved a single man - a 38-year-old codenamed "patient number one" - who developed pneumonia but was never isolated while he was treated in hospital, resulting in him unwittingly infecting other patients.

Italy's 3,000 cases and 107 deaths from COVID-19 are now overwhelmingly linked to that one case from February.

The military-style field tent and the army of medics equipped for just about any emergency are meant to make sure the virus is not spread by another hospital again.

"If they have a high fever ... breathing disorders or abnormally rapid breath of more than 20 breaths a minute, then they are immediately taken to an emergency zone," the Cremona hospital's chief emergencies officer Antonio Cuzzoli told AFP.

These severe cases are then walked or wheeled to a designated emergency room along a red line on the ground that makes sure they come nowhere near other patients.

Cuzzoli's field hospital went up just as the Italian health crisis was unfolding on Feb 22.

The government has set up almost 350 of them to date.”