Coronavirus Tidbits # 15 3-21-20

With the help of the two Michael Stones, my website, https://www.drjudystone.com/politics-science-and-other-assorted-musings/​, will be much more useful​​​. It now has Google site search. Thanks, guys!

(No idea what just happened w formatting here) 

News 

Health officials in hard-hit areas of the U.S. have a new message on coronavirus: Don’t get tested

~ ~ ~

STAY HOME! or physically away from others

“One of the things that terrifies me now is, as this is spread in the west is, there’s this sense of invulnerability among millennials.” Millennials aren’t taking the coronavirus seriously, warns WHO’s Dr. Bruce Aylward https://ti.me/3bgRJ3Y

by Sara Paglia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

photo Carlos Del Rio

Doctors are desperate and dying now in NYC. Tell everyone to stay home and protect them and others.

ALERT – Call your Congress people:

The Justice Department has quietly asked Congress for the ability to ask chief judges to detain people indefinitely without trial during emergencies — part of a push for new powers that comes as the coronavirus spreads through the United States.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/21/doj-coronavirus-emergency-powers-140023

Cases: Interesting Dataviz—watch the spread of Coronavirus across the country: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/21/us/coronavirus-us-cases-spread.html

Symptoms:

Besides loss of smell, which I reported in Forbes, now: COVID-19 may cause ocular (eye) signs and symptoms, including photophobia (light sensitivity), irritation, conjunctival injection (red eye) and watery discharge. These are predominantly self-limited but may require supportive care. Ocular discharge and tears are a potential source of contamination and the eye is also a route of exposure

https://www.aoa.org/documents/HPI/HPI%20CoronaVirus%20Statement%201-30-20.pdf

Diarrhea and loss of appetite being reported more often.

Diagnostics:

The Food and Drug Administration approved the first coronavirus test under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to Cepheid. Test (“Xpert® Xpress SARS-CoV-2) can deliver results in 45 minutes. Uses GeneXpert Systems

Drugs:

Arturo Casadevall, chair of the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins, thinks clinical trials for passive antibody injections could start in 3-4 wks!

https://www.globalhealthnow.org/2020-03/covid-19s-stop-gap-solution-until-vaccines-and-antivirals-are-ready

On Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin study that Trump was pushing w/o good data:

See Elisabeth Bik @MicrobiomeDigest’s comment on paper

Much excitement about the paper on #Hydroxychloroquine treatment of #COVID19 patients. 20 treated patients all seemed to eliminate virus fast. But 4 patients who did worse (one died) were left off.

https://pubpeer.com/publications/3B1F9EAD4982C64445A60F5E83CCFE

Epidemiology/Infection control:

Supplies: Trump admits he has NOT used the Defense Production Act to get companies to produce the amount of protective equipment American health workers desperately need.

Kelly: One of the features of that is that the Federal Government would be able to control the output, whether it’s masks or ventilators.

Get it to the most areas of need, and control the pricing to keep it at a market level, so it’s not price gouging. One of the things we’re hearing from Governors, they can’t find supplies and prices have gone up. You’ve talked about the Act, sir, but you have not yet compelled any companies. Why not?

Donald Trump: (34:53)
Because we have so many companies making so many products. Every product that you mentioned, plus ventilators and everything else.

We want them to go on the open Market from the standpoint of pricing, because otherwise, it’s going to be, we could be very unfair,

Kelly How will you direct them to the places in greatest need?

Donald Trump: (35:36)
We are directing States, and sometimes we’ll be competing against States, which I don’t want…

https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/donald-trump-coronavirus-task-force-update-transcript-march-21

https://twitter.com/PodSaveAmerica/status/1241420998408146946

 

Masks for Coronavirus-DIY

How pathetic is it that “the greatest country” has already run out of masks for health care workers?

This article is the best resource

https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/best-materials-make-diy-face-mask-virus/?

 

CDC DIY mask https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/12/6/05-1468_article

More complicated and ties over head

 

Providence Hospital: 100 Million Mask Challenge

https://vimeo.com/399324367/13cd93f150

https://www.providence.org/-/media/Project/psjh/shared/Files/providence/psjh-faceshield.pdf?

 

Sells pattern, which is rather obnoxious now, but has a good video for pleated surgical mask

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QpcnRv6r-o

 

Nice mask by Jessica Nandino, which will also cover N-95, though maybe takes longer to make.

https://www.instructables.com/id/AB-Mask-for-a-Nurse-by-a-Nurse/?fbclid=IwAR1-BzrJPTW3d121q-ZQlRWAJ9i4tX3Lir2Rt_bOw7lvKQF_6NbiijItoBw

 

Tips, general reading for public:

Community support:

How to help:

Donate blood to American Red Cross

Donate $$$ to nonprofits

Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) https://disasterphilanthropy.org/who-we-are/faqs/

Feeding America https://www.feedingamerica.org/ or your local food bank

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/03/21/how-you-can-help-during-coronavirus/?arc404=true

 

Politics:

Is the priority health or business?

Governments will not be able to minimise both deaths from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the economic impact of viral spread.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30567-5/fulltext?

Comic relief:

 

 

Perspective

Thread from a Seattle doc in the trenches

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1241349620812247040.html

Poem

Wild Geese

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting —

over and over announcing your place

in the family of things.

Return to words, words and more words.

–Mary Oliver

Bits of beauty:

Robin eggs, by @Amazed699

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