Coronavirus Tidbits #56 6-9-20
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News Diagnostics Drugs Devices Epidemiology/Infection control Tips Politics Feel good du jour Comic relief Perspective/Poem Bits of beauty
Announcements:
First, there is now a Resources Page here for the most commonly asked questions I’m getting.
Tidbits will likely be a bit shorter and a little less frequent for the next little bit. I have been immersed in it and I need to spend a little more time on self-care, which for me means seeing the spring flowers emerge and digging in the dirt.
Happy to continue to answer your questions/concerns as best I can, so don’t be shy about that.
Tear Gas And Pepper Spray Can Maim, Kill And Spread Coronavirus
News
Most Hospitalized COVID Patients Have Neurologic Symptoms
— Severe complications seen in all stages of COVID-19, including recovery
Neurologic manifestations were seen in 57.4% of 841 patients. Potentially severe conditions, like stroke and inflammatory diseases, appeared in late COVID stages.
“Optic neuritis and acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy are two examples.”
In the study, one in five patients (19.6%) hospitalized with COVID-19 had disorders of consciousness.
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Pediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome different from Kawasaki disease: Study
A study on children suffering from severe inflammatory symptoms shows the condition is new and distinct from Kawasaki disease.
In April, researchers in the UK and several European countries with high numbers of COVID-19 cases recognised a new inflammatory syndrome in children that was similar to Kawasaki disease, a rare syndrome known to affect young children.
Now in a paper published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association researchers have identified the main symptoms and clinical markers of the new syndrome. This will help clinicians diagnose and treat the condition and researchers to understand it further and find new treatments.
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With recovery of last case, New Zealand has eradicated virus
https://apnews.com/
Diagnostics:
still an incredible, negligent lack of testing.
Positive Covid tests vs being infectious
Multiple studies have now shown that some people who have recovered from the illness will nonetheless test positive for long periods by PCR,
But PCR cannot determine whether the person being tested is emitting whole virus capable of infecting someone else, or if the swabs instead are collecting the viral debris that can be shed after an infection.
Increasingly, the conclusion is the latter. Both the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that people can be considered recovered and non-infectious 10 days after their symptoms began, as long as they have been symptom-free for three days.
https://www.statnews.com/2020/06/08/viral-shedding-covid19-pcr-montreal-baby/
Drugs:
The US government’s supply of Covid-19 drug remdesivir runs out at the end of the month
Currently only enough to Rx half of the patients in need.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/07/health/remdesivir-donation-runs-out-coronavirus/index.html
Devices:
While we are short on diagnostic kits and swabs…for another photo op
The Maine swab factory that Trump visited said that they will have to throw away everything produced while he was there because he didn’t wear a mask.
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) June 6, 2020
Trump Contaminates Swab Factory By Refusing To Wear A Mask https://t.co/nzXzgacrrh via @politicususa
Epidemiology/Infection control:
American exceptionalism
The confirmed death toll from #Covid19 has passed 110,000 in the United States. The U.S. makes up 4.25% of the global population. It has registered nearly 28% of confirmed Covid-19 cases & 27% of the global deaths caused by the virus.
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When 511 Epidemiologists Expect to Fly, Hug and Do 18 Other Everyday Activities Again
Activities they said they might start doing soon
| THIS SUMMER | 3 TO 12 MOS. | 1 YR.+ | NEVER AGAIN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bring in mail without precautions (n = 379) | 64 | 16 | 17 | 3 |
| See a doctor for a nonurgent appointment (507) | 60 | 29 | 11 | <1 |
| Vacation overnight within driving distance (372) | 56 | 26 | 18 | <1 |
Later in the next year
| THIS SUMMER | 3 TO 12 MOS. | 1 YR.+ | NEVER AGAIN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attend a small dinner party (n = 509) | 32 | 46 | 21 | <1 |
| Hike or picnic outdoors with friends (506) | 31 | 41 | 27 | <1 |
| Send kids to school, camp or day care (304) | 30 | 55 | 15 | <1 |
| Work in a shared office (434) | 27 | 54 | 18 | 1 |
| Send children on play dates (272) | 23 | 47 | 29 | 1 |
| Ride a subway or a bus (408) | 20 | 40 | 39 | 1 |
| Visit elderly relative or friend in their home (485) | 20 | 41 | 39 | <1 |
| Travel by airplane (512) | 20 | 44 | 37 | <1 |
| Eat at a dine-in restaurant (506) | 16 | 56 | 28 | <1 |
| Exercise at a gym or fitness studio (406) | 14 | 42 | 40 | 4 |
Hugging, going to a wedding or funeral, sports or concerts fell in the >1 yr.
One thing the epidemiologists seemed to agree on was that even when they return to normal activities, they will do them differently for a long time, like socializing with friends outside or attending worship services online. A majority said it would be more than a year before they stopped routinely wearing a mask outside their homes.
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Interesting article and images.
Satellite data suggests coronavirus may have hit China last fall
Dramatic spikes in auto traffic around major hospitals in Wuhan last fall suggest the novel coronavirus may have been present and spreading through central China long before the outbreak was first reported to the world, according to a new Harvard Medical School study.
Using techniques similar to those employed by intelligence agencies, the research team behind the study analyzed commercial satellite imagery and “observed a dramatic increase in hospital traffic outside five major Wuhan hospitals beginning late summer and early fall 2019,” according to Dr. John Brownstein, the Harvard Medical professor who led the research.
Tips, general reading for public:
StayAtHome
Wash your hands.
Rinse and repeat.
Politics:
Brutal but True. #ByeIvanka https://t.co/6DQoZ92TI1
— Malcolm Nance (@MalcolmNance) June 7, 2020
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Impressive story and pics of retired Marine Todd Winn protesting alone.
https://twitter.com/Kathlee06407765/status/1269470698768130049?s=20
Feel good du jour:
This image of Kenny Braitman, a Vietnam War vet, coming out to the candlelight vigil here in Cumberland, spoke volumes to me. Shared with his permission.
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I love this response:
The fence outside the White House has been converted to a crowd-sourced memorial wall — almost like an art gallery — to black men and women who lost their lives at the hands of police.
— Hannah Natanson (@hannah_natanson) June 7, 2020
Hundreds are strolling, looking, adding names and paintings and posters. pic.twitter.com/mXlZpfMAeX
Comic relief:
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https://twitter.com/RandyRainbow/status/1269630196224856070?s=20
Perspective
I Dreamed a Dream – Corona version
Mom’s look at the end is priceless:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XM5hc5eJyI
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Bring Him Home…
Seems apt for our times. A special rendition of ”Les Misérables”’ “Bring Him Home” has been recorded to celebrate the NHS.
Bits of beauty:
