Written by Steven Hansen
The U.S. new cases 7-day rolling average is 33.6 % HIGHER than the 7-day rolling average one week ago. U.S. deaths due to coronavirus are now 33.9 % HIGHER than the rolling average one week ago. U.S. hospitalizations due to COVID-19 are now 20.7 % HIGHER than the rolling average one week ago. Today’s posts include:
- U.S. Coronavirus New Cases are the second highest in history at 168,425
- U.S. Coronavirus deaths today rose significantly to 1,006
- U.S. Coronavirus hospitalizations are at a record 73,014
- It’s Been Exactly One Year Since the First Case of COVID Was Found in China
- HHS Pushes FDA to Speed Up Emergency Use Authorizations for Some COVID-19 Tests
- Use mouthwash to reduce your chances of getting gingivitis, not coronavirus
- Pfizer to start pilot delivery program for its COVID-19 vaccine in four U.S. states
- Pfizer Reaches Safety Milestone for Covid Vaccine
- The return of lockdown lunacy
- Fauci calls for a ‘uniform approach’ rather than a ‘disjointed’ state-by-state pandemic response
- One chart reveals depth of damage to U.S. economy during Covid crisis
- There Has Been A Sudden, “Huge” Drop In COVID-Testing In The US
- Walmart sees stockpiling again as Covid cases rise – but this time it’s localized
- Increasing Number of Americans Likely to Accept COVID-19 Vaccine
- Is it time to replace your face mask? Here’s what you need to know
- Why COVID-19 Testing Is A Tragic Waste
The recent worsening of the trendlines for new cases should be attributed to going back to college/university, cooler weather causing more indoor activities, possible mutation of the virus, fatigue from wearing masks / social distancing, holiday activities, political rallies / voting, and continued loosening of regulations designed to slow the coronavirus spread.
My continuing advice is to continue to wash your hands (especially after using the toilet as COVID first sheds in your stool), putting down the toilet seat (as flushing the toilet releases a plume), wear masks, avoid crowds, and maintain social distancing. No handwashing, mask, or social distancing will guarantee you do not get infected – but it sure as hell lowers the risk in all situations – and the evidence to-date shows a lower severity of COVID-19. In addition, certain activities are believed to carry a higher risk – like being inside in air conditioning and removing your mask (such as restaurants, around your children/grandchildren, bars, and gyms). It is all about viral load – and outdoor activities are generally safe if you can maintain social distance.
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Hospitalizations (grey line) and Mortality (green line) For Week ending 07NOV2020
source: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html
Coronavirus News You May Have Missed
Use mouthwash to reduce your chances of getting gingivitis, not coronavirus. – New York Times
A rash of provocative headlines have flooded social media platforms, touting a tantalizing notion: Mouthwash, they claim, can “kill” the coronavirus “within 30 seconds,” according to a new study that has not yet been published in any peer-reviewed scientific journal.
The idea echoed several other findings published earlier this year that also promoted the virus-trouncing powers of familiar oral hygiene products. But experts have repeatedly cautioned against over-interpreting these results and others, because the studies examined how mouthwash works against viruses infecting cells in the lab, not people.
Nothing should be considered conclusive “unless human studies are performed,” said Dr. Maricar Malinis, an infectious disease expert at Yale University.
“I don’t have a problem with using Listerine,” said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Georgetown University. “But it’s not an antiviral.”
Even if people did a very thorough job of coating the inside of their mouths or noses with a coronavirus-killing chemical, a substantial amount of the virus could still remain in the body. The new coronavirus infiltrates not only the mouth and nose, but also deep in the throat and lungs, where mouthwash and nasal washes hopefully never enter.
Viruses that have already hidden away inside cells will be shielded from the fast-acting chemicals found in oral hygiene products, and “infected cells are constantly making more virus,” Dr. Rasmussen said. “It’s a timing issue.”
[editor’s note: I have no clue whether mouthwash is helpful in the coronavirus fight – and I have not read anywhere that said it did work (only that it might work). Here the authors of this article are emphatically claiming with no scientific data that mouthwash does NOT work in slowing the spread of coronavirus. This is the crap readers are faced with sorting through what to do in trying to stay safe. I see no reason not to use mouthwash if one is so inclined.]
Is it time to replace your face mask? Here’s what you need to know – USA Today
While you’re supposed to wash your cloth face mask after every use, the wear and tear from daily use on these masks has many people wondering whether or not they should just replace them.
“Since the basic principle of masks works by blocking the distance droplets travel, cloth masks will become less effective the more they get washed as they become more threadbare,” says Jon Chan, the Lab Manager of Testing at Reviewed.
To know when you should replace your face mask, Christopher Sulmonte, the project administrator for the Biocontainment Unit at John Hopkins Medical, explains you should think of them like a pair of underwear.
“Obviously the single cleaning aspect is important, but the other piece is that if it starts to tatter or there are holes, it might be time to replace it,” he says. “We want the material to minimize those aerosolized droplets that come out of your mouth.”
While there’s no exact timeline for how long before a cloth mask will need to be replaced, Chan explains that the quality of the mask and the harshness of your washing machine are the main factors in deterioration.
Sulmonte also recommends having several face masks, especially if you’re going out every day or tend to sweat more, as moisture can impact the integrity of the mask. This way, you won’t need to do laundry as frequently.
To see if your mask needs to be replaced, Sulmonte says to hold the mask up to a light and check for any visible fading or see-through spots
One chart reveals depth of damage to U.S. economy during Covid crisis, Leuthold’s Jim Paulsen says – CNBC
Vaccine breakthroughs from Pfizer and Moderna have kept hopes of a turn in the Covid-19 crisis high on Wall Street.
But, even once that has been tackled, Jim Paulsen, chief market strategist at the Leuthold Group, said the U.S. is in for another massive challenge – repairing a weak economy.
“The pandemic crisis created the biggest divot in the economy that we’ve ever had in the postwar era. The output gap – the difference between where actual GDP is from what it potentially could be if you had full employed all the resources at normal productivity – it fell to almost 11% at its largest. It has now improved a little bit as the third-quarter growth rate improved, but it’s still at about 8% which is larger than almost any time in postwar history,” Paulsen told CNBC’s “Trading Nation” on Monday.
Therein lies opportunity, Paulsen said. According to his research, when the output gap is in the lowest quintile as it is now, the S&P 500 since 1950 on an annualized forward one-month basis has had 24.5% per-year returns – more than twice the average stock market gain.
There Has Been A Sudden, “Huge” Drop In COVID-Testing In The US – ZeroHedge
But what is even more remarkable than the exponential grind higher in new cases, is that there has suddenly been a huge drop in testing this month, accompanied by a surge in positivity ratios, and while BofA believes this is likely due to reporting issues, it’s certainly something to keep a close eye on.
Just as troubling is that while treatments have improved significantly since the spring, the data suggests that there has not been further improvement recently, as BofA explains:
Consider the following simple exercise. The lag from cases to deaths is generally estimated to be three-to-six weeks and has tended to get longer over time. Chart 3 shows the estimated ratio of fatalities to cases using three- and six-week lag.
Pfizer to start pilot delivery program for its COVID-19 vaccine in four U.S. states – Reuters
Pfizer Inc PFE.N has launched a pilot delivery program for its experimental COVID-19 vaccine in four U.S. states, as the U.S. drugmaker seeks to address distribution challenges facing its ultra-cold storage requirements.
Pfizer’s vaccine, which was shown to be more than 90% effective in preventing COVID-19 based on initial data, must be shipped and stored at -70 degrees Celsius (minus 94 degF), significantly below the standard for vaccines of 2-8 degrees Celsius (36-46 degF).
“We are hopeful that results from this vaccine delivery pilot will serve as the model for other U.S. states and international governments, as they prepare to implement effective COVID-19 vaccine programs,” Pfizer said in a statement on Monday.
It picked Rhode Island, Texas, New Mexico, and Tennessee for the program after taking into account their differences in overall size, diversity of populations, immunization infrastructure, and need to reach individuals in varied urban and rural settings.
The four states will not receive vaccine doses earlier than other states by virtue of the pilot, nor will they receive any differential consideration, Pfizer said.
Pfizer Reaches Safety Milestone for Covid Vaccine, CEO Says – Yahoo
Pfizer Inc. Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said that a key safety milestone had been reached in the study of its Covid-19 vaccine, and the drugmaker is now preparing to seek an emergency-use authorization from U.S. regulators.
Speaking at a virtual conference hosted by the New York Times on Tuesday, Bourla said the company was preparing to submit its data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Last week, Pfizer and its partner BioNTech SE reported that an interim analysis showed their experimental vaccine was more than 90% effective in preventing symptomatic cases of Covid-19.
“We are preparing now for submissions,” Bourla said at the conference without specifying when it anticipated to file for an emergency use authorization.
Nonetheless, Bourla added, important questions about the vaccine still remain to be answered. “When it comes to how durable the protection could be, this is something we don’t know yet,” he said.
Bourla added that Pfizer would soon release more detailed efficacy results.
What’s the Point of COVID-19 Curfews? – Slate
New York is not alone; in Massachusetts and two Colorado counties, 10 p.m. is also the bewitching hour. Things are a bit more lenient in Miami-Dade County, Florida, and in Virginia, where things close down at midnight. Internationally, Spain, Italy, and Moscow are also shutting down businesses earlier. But what, exactly, does a curfew accomplish? So far, there isn’t compelling evidence that curfews will necessarily slow the spread of COVID-19.
The intention, clearly, is to reduce “high-risk” behaviors, like hanging out at nightclubs or bars. “I think the rationale is that compliance with safety measures like masks and physical distancing may erode later in the evening, particularly if people have been drinking alcohol,” says Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins. If bargoers need to get a ride home on public transit or via a ride share or taxi, that could potentially expose even more people.
… Early closures might actually encourage other risky behaviors. “Curfews often condense people visiting businesses into a more narrow period of time, which often means more crowding and potential exposures,” says Saskia Popescu, an infectious disease epidemiologist at George Mason University. And as anyone who’s drunkenly closed down a bar knows, there’s often an after-party somewhere else. Just because you have to leave your favorite watering hole at 10 p.m. doesn’t mean the night is over.
… “I am not aware of any research demonstrating the impact of curfews alone,” says Nuzzo. Given the long lead time on publishing science journal articles, there are few papers studying the effect of curfews on COVID-19 spread, and none specifically quantify the contribution of curfews.
HHS Pushes FDA to Speed Up EUAs for Some COVID-19 Tests – MedPage
The FDA needs to speed up its emergency use authorizations (EUAs) for laboratory-developed tests (LDTs) for COVID-19, a top Department of Health and Human Services official said Monday — or else.
“I formally instructed the FDA that they must review EUA applications for LDTs in a timely manner,” said Adm. Brett Giroir, MD, assistant secretary for health, on a phone call with reporters, “and if the FDA is unable to complete these reviews in a timely manner, I will request that the National Cancer Institute assist the FDA in the timely review of these EUA applications.”
During a question-and-answer session, Giroir clarified that “in a timely fashion” meant within 2 weeks.
The return of lockdown lunacy – The Hill
Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota said he wanted such a suspension of economic activities, before the Biden camp backpedaled following a public and political backlash and widespread alarm about the impacts his recommendation would have, particularly on a nascent Biden administration. He and other Biden advisers have said the reason the last nationwide lockdown in the spring didn’t work was because it wasn’t “stringent” enough. Would they call out the National Guard to keep people locked in their homes?
But enforcing all these regulations could be difficult. A new Gallup poll finds that less than half of Americans say they are “very likely” to comply with shutdown orders. America could turn into a police state to enforce Democrats’ plans to cancel economic activities and demand people stay at home.
What makes all of this talk about massive economic shutdowns so disturbing is that there is no evidence — none — that lockdowns slow the spread of the virus. When even the World Health Organization — hardly a pro-business organization — concedes that lockdown orders don’t stop the spread of the virus, one might think that the case is closed.
The Committee to Unleash Prosperity has been tracking the virus developments in lockdown states and non-lockdown states since March. We grouped the states into five categories, from the strictest lockdowns to states with no lockdowns at all. The evidence shows unequivocally that lockdowns are not associated with lower death rates. They are not associated with lower hospitalizations. In fact, the association runs in the other direction: States with the most stringent lockdowns, such as New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts, have had the highest death rates.
Osteoporosis Drugs Don’t Worsen COVID-19 Risk, May Help – Medscape
New observational data are the first to support recommendations to continue osteoporosis medications during the COVID-19 pandemic, and even suggest that some agents may protect against the virus.
Findings from the cross-sectional study of 2102 patients with osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and/or fibromyalgia – so-called noninflammatory rheumatic conditions – during March 1 to May 3, 2020 were recently published in Aging by Josep Blanch-Rubio, MD, scientific clinical director of the Rheumatology Service, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain, and colleagues.
Patients taking denosumab, zoledronate, and calcium showed trends toward lower incidence of developing symptomatic presumed COVID-19 (PCR tests weren’t widely available at the time), as did those taking the antidepressant serotonin/norepinephrine inhibitor duloxetine.
Some analgesics, particularly pregabalin and most other antidepressants, were associated with higher incidences of COVID-19, while oral bisphosphonates, vitamin D, thiazide diuretics, antihypertensive drugs, and chronic nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs had no effect on COVID-19 incidence.
Increasing Number of Americans Likely to Accept COVID-19 Vaccine – Newsweek
The number of Americans who say they’re willing to accept a vaccine for the novel coronavirus has increased over the past month, amid successful results from two vaccine manufacturers, according to a new poll.
The poll, which was conducted by Gallup, found 58 percent of Americans saying they would accept a COVID-19 vaccine if it were approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and was available at no cost. Forty-two percent of Americans said they would not accept a vaccine for the virus.
In a separate poll conducted from September 14 to September 17, only 50 percent of Americans said they’d accept a vaccine.
Fauci calls for a ‘uniform approach’ rather than a ‘disjointed’ state-by-state pandemic response. – New York Times
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, said on Tuesday that the nation needed “a uniform approach” to the coronavirus pandemic, rather than “a disjointed” state-by-state response – a remark that echoed the views of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. and contrasted sharply with President Trump’s coronavirus strategy.
Dr. Fauci, who has directed the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, has been in Mr. Trump’s cross hairs on and off during the pandemic. Speaking to Andrew Ross Sorkin of The New York Times at a DealBook virtual conference, Dr. Fauci steered clear of mentioning Mr. Trump or Mr. Biden by name, and insisted he wants to “stay out of the political stuff.”
But his remarks suggested that his own thinking is far more in line with that of Mr. Biden, who has promised a far more muscular federal approach to the pandemic.
[editor’s note: I have gone on record pointing out how a uniform approach to handling coronavirus is not appropriate to a diverse population – and is not scientific. Multiple approaches allow identification of best practices. HOWEVER, I would support a national mask mandate where an abundance of data supports its mitigation of coronavirus spread. And I have a caveat here that I believe everyone should be wearing N95 masks.]
Screenings for COVID-19 at airports are labor-intensive and ineffective, a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concludes – CDC
The hallmark of effective public health programs is the reassessment of methods used for public health practice based on available evidence. Therefore, CDC recommended a shift from the resource-intensive, low-yield, symptom-based screening of air travelers to an approach that better fits the current stage of the pandemic, and on September 14, 2020, the screening program was discontinued. Protecting travelers and destination communities during the pandemic will require a continued emphasis on implementation of health precautions before, during, and after travel, and communicating these recommendations to travelers and the airline industry. After the removal of requirements for enhanced entry screening operations, CDC continued to invest in strengthening illness detection and response under CDC’s regulatory authorities, by training of partners at ports of entry, as well as overall public health response capacity at 20 CDC quarantine station locations. CDC, along with U.S. government partners, also issued recommendations for airlines, airports, and travelers to prevent COVID-19 transmission associated with air travel. All travelers should follow CDC recommendations for mask use, hand hygiene, self-monitoring for symptoms, and social distancing during travel and after arrival to the United States. Travelers with higher exposure risk should take additional precautions, including post-arrival testing, avoiding contact with persons at higher risk for severe disease, and staying home as recommended or required by jurisdictional public health authorities. Predeparture testing of travelers, ideally with specimen collection within 72 hours before departure, might reduce the risk for SARS-CoV-2 transmission during travel. Post arrival testing could allow for shortening of post-travel self-quarantine periods that protect against travel-associated imported (translocated) infections. Finally, progress in understanding immunity biomarkers and duration of protection, in developing one or more vaccines, and in testing hold promise for refining risk stratification and optimizing management of travelers to reduce COVID-19 transmission and translocation related to commercial air travel.
Walmart sees stockpiling again as Covid cases rise-but this time it’s localized – CNBC
- Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said the retailer is seeing some customers load up on items such as paper goods, cleaning supplies and dry food again in some parts of the country.
- “It really does have everything to do with what’s happening with Covid cases in any particular community,” McMillon said on an earnings call.
It’s Been Exactly One Year Since the First Case of COVID Was Found in China – Newsweek
One year ago, a mysterious illness emerged in Wuhan, China, marking the start of the coronavirus pandemic that has now killed more than 1.25 million people around the world and infected tens of millions more.
In March, the South China Morning Post published an article based on Chinese government data that showed the first known case of COVID-19 can be traced back to November 17, 2019-possibly a 55-year-old individual from Hubei province, although “patient zero” has yet to be confirmed.
Chinese authorities did not officially identify the first case of the new disease until December 8, 2019.
Why COVID-19 Testing Is A Tragic Waste – ZeroHedge
[editor’s note: the following gives you a taste of this post – it deserves a full read – also read Rapid Testing Is Less Accurate Than the Government Wants to Admit]
Positive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests have been used as the justification for keeping large portions of the world locked down for the better part of 2020.
This, despite the fact that PCR tests have proven remarkably unreliable with high false result rates, and aren’t designed to be used as a diagnostic tool in the first place as they cannot distinguish between inactive viruses and “live” or reproductive ones.
Dr. Mike Yeadon, former vice president and scientific director of Pfizer, has even gone on record stating that false positive results from unreliable PCR tests are being used to “manufacture a ‘second wave’ based on ‘new cases,'” when in fact a second wave is highly unlikely.
Before his death, the inventor of the PCR test, Kary Mullis, repeatedly yet unsuccessfully stressed that this test should not be used as a diagnostic tool for the simple reason that it’s incapable of diagnosing disease.
The following are foreign headlines with hyperlinks to the posts
IOC president calls on athletes to be vaccinated before Tokyo Olympics
Police in Greece use tear gas on protesters breaking coronavirus lockdown
France becomes first European country to top two million COVID-19 cases
Sweden registers 15,084 new coronavirus cases since Friday
Delhi plans virus curbs as infections rise, critical-care beds run short
Robots in Japan shop to detect if customers not wearing marks
The following are additional national and state headlines with hyperlinks to the posts
Ohio governor implements 3-week, statewide curfew following Covid spike
A South Dakota emergency department nurse recounts how some COVID-19 patients deny the virus’s existence until their last breath.
Don Young (R-Alaska), the oldest member of the House at 87, is out of the hospital after treatment for COVID-19.
Stanford University issued a statement distancing itself from controversial White House coronavirus advisor Scott Atlas, MD, saying his views on how to respond to the pandemic are “inconsistent” with those of the university.
Amid an ongoing surge of COVID-19, Texas inmates are being dispatched to assist an overwhelmed El Paso county morgue.
Iowa is rewriting its COVID-19 records, with more patients hospitalized (1,392), in the ICU (271), on ventilators (132), and admitted in a single day (243) since any time during the pandemic.
With cases doubling in the past 10 days, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said he was pulling the “emergency brake” on reopening the state’s economy.
Philadelphia Bans Nearly All Indoor Gatherings For The Rest Of The Year
New Orleans Mayor Cancels Mardi Gras Parades In 2021
Ohio Republican Sen. Portman Enrolled In COVID-19 Vaccine Trial
Washington Wedding With More Than 300 Guests Linked To 17 Coronavirus Cases
Iowa Governor Reverses Course, Issues Mask Mandate As COVID-19 Cases Rise
DOJ watchdog finds Louisiana inmates with coronavirus were not isolated for a week
North Dakota records world’s highest COVID-19 mortality rate
Dolly Parton among donors behind Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine
Home Depot sales surge as Americans spend on home improvement amid COVID-19
Farmer John Meatpacking Plant Fined After Hundreds of Workers get COVID
Average Daily COVID Cases Have Risen Nearly 80 Percent Since Election Day
El Paso COVID Patients Fly to Other Cities as Morgues, Hospitals Fill Up
Rural Americans Now Nearly 2.5 Times More Likely to Die From COVID
The only county in the continental U.S. with no reported infections may not be virus-free after all.
Actor Richard Schiff hospitalized with COVID-19
Giants kicker tests positive; Browns reopen facility
Ticketmaster explores providing fans’ COVID status
Sharp decline in international student enrollment cost the U.S. $1.8 billion
Today’s Posts On Econintersect Showing Impact Of The Pandemic With Hyperlinks
September 2020 Business Inventories Continue To Increase
3Q2020 Report on Household Debt and Credit Increased Led by Increases in New Credit Extensions
October 2020 Headline Industrial Production Improves But Remains In Contraction
October 2020 Import Year-over-Year Inflation Now -1.0%
Headline Retail Sales Again Improves in October 2020
Warning to Readers
The amount of politically biased articles on the internet continues to increase. And studies and opinions of the experts continue to contradict other studies and expert opinions. Honestly, it is difficult to believe anything anymore. A study usually cannot establish cause and effect – but only correlation. Be very careful what you believe about this pandemic.
I assemble this coronavirus update daily – sifting through the posts on the internet. I try to avoid politically slanted posts (mostly from CNN, New York Times, and the Washington Post) and can usually find unslanted posts on that subject from other sources on the internet. I wait to publish posts on subjects that I cannot validate across several sources. But after all this extra work, I do not know if I have conveyed the REAL facts. It is my job to provide information so that you have the facts necessary – and then it is up to readers to draw conclusions.
Analyst Opinion of Coronavirus Data
There are several takeaways that need to be understood when viewing coronavirus statistical data:
- The global counts are suspect for a variety of reasons including political. Even the U.S. count has issues as it is possible that as much as half the population has had coronavirus and was asymptomatic. It would be a far better metric using a random sampling of the population weekly. In short, we do not understand the size of the error in the tracking numbers.
- Just because some of the methodology used in aggregating the data in the U.S. is flawed – as long as the flaw is uniformly applied – you establish a baseline. This is why it is dangerous to compare two countries as they likely use different methodologies to determine who has (and who died) from coronavirus.
- COVID-19 and the flu are different but can have similar symptoms. For sure, COVID-19 so far is much more deadly than the flu. [click here to compare symptoms]
- From an industrial engineering point of view, one can argue that it is best to flatten the curve only to the point that the health care system is barely able to cope. This solution only works if-and-only-if one can catch this coronavirus once and develops immunity. In the case of COVID-19, herd immunity may need to be in the 80% to 85% range. WHO warns that few have developed antibodies to COVID-19. At this point, herd immunity does not look like an option although there is now a discussion of whether T-Cells play a part in immunity [which means one might have immunity without antibodies]
- Older population countries will have a higher death rate.
- There are at least 8 strains of the coronavirus. New York may have a deadlier strain imported from Europe, compared to less deadly viruses elsewhere in the United States.
- Each publication uses different cutoff times for its coronavirus statistics. Our data uses 11:00 am London time. Also, there is an unexplained variation in the total numbers both globally and in the U.S.
- The real question remains if the U.S. is over-reacting to this virus. The following graphic from the CDC puts the annual flu burden in perspective [click on image to enlarge]. Note that using this data is dangerous as the actual flu cases are estimated and not counted – nobody knows how accurate these guesses are.
What we do not know about the coronavirus [actually there is little scientifically proven information]. Most of our knowledge is anecdotal, from studies with limited subjects, or from studies without peer review.
- How many people have been infected as many do not show symptoms?
- Masks do work.
- Do we develop lasting immunity to the coronavirus? Another coronavirus – the simple cold – does not develop long term immunity.
- To what degree do people who never develop symptoms contribute to transmission?
- The US has scaled up coronavirus testing – and the accuracy of the tests has been improving. However, if one loses immunity – the coronavirus testing value is reduced.
- Can children widely spread coronavirus? [current thinking is that they are becoming a major source of the pandemic spread]
- Why have some places avoided big coronavirus outbreaks – and others hit hard?
- What effect will the weather have? At this point, it does not seem hot weather slows this coronavirus down – and it seems air conditioning contributes to its spread.
- Outdoor activities seem to be a lower risk than indoor activities.
- Can the world really push out an effective vaccine in 12 to 18 months?
- Will other medical treatments for Covid-19 ease symptoms and reduce deaths? So far only one drug (remdesivir) is approved for treatment.
- A current scientific understanding of the way the coronavirus works can be found [here].
Heavy breakouts of coronavirus have hit farm workers. Farmworkers are essential to the food supply. They cannot shelter at home. Consider:
- they have high rates of the respiratory disease [occupational hazard]
- they travel on crowded buses chartered by their employers
- few have health insurance
- they cannot social distance and live two to four to a room – and they eat together
- some reports say half are undocumented
- they are low paid and cannot afford not to work – so they will go to work sick
- they do not have access to sanitation when working
- a coronavirus outbreak among farmworkers can potentially shutter entire farm
The bottom line is that COVID-19 so far has been shown to be much more deadly than the data on the flu. Using CDC data, the flu has a mortality rate between 0.06 % and 0.11 % Vs. the coronavirus which to date has a mortality rate of 4 % [the 4% is the average of overall statistics – however in the last few months it has been hovering around 1.0%] – which makes it between 10 and 80 times more deadly. The reason for ranges:
Because influenza surveillance does not capture all cases of flu that occur in the U.S., CDC provides these estimated ranges to better reflect the larger burden of influenza.
There will be a commission set up after this pandemic ends to find fault [it is easy to find fault when a once-in-a-lifetime event occurs] and to produce recommendations for the next time a pandemic happens. Those that hate President Trump will conclude the virus is his fault.
Resources:
- Get the latest public health information from CDC: https://www.coronavirus.gov .
- Get the latest research from NIH: https://www.nih.gov/coronavirus.
- Find NCBI SARS-CoV-2 literature, sequence, and clinical content: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sars-cov-2/.
- List of studies: https://icite.od.nih.gov/covid19/search/#search:searchId=5ee124ed70bb967c49672dad
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