Coronavirus Tidbits #92 10/17/20

Quick links

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’m preoccupied with #GOTV efforts in Swing States. That’s been quite gratifying, and I would encourage others to join in. https://www.mobilize.us/ is a good place to start, or email me for other specific groups I like.

Happy to continue to answer your questions/concerns as best I can, so don’t be shy about that.

News 

Very useful new Risk Calculator – mycovidrisk.com 

see Tips for more info

~ ~ ~

New Covid cases surge in Midwest as weather cools and resistance heats up

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska and Wisconsin have seen a greater than 25 percent increase in coronavirus cases in the last two weeks compared to the two weeks before.

Minnesota has reported more than a thousand new Covid-19 cases for six days in a row, something that hasn’t happened since the start of the pandemic.

And states like Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota and Wyoming have some of the highest rates of new infections in the country,

nbcnews.com/news/us-news/new-covid-cases-surge-midwest-weather-cools-resistance-heats-n1243381

~ ~ ~

Doctors in rural Midwest struggle as COVID-19 overwhelms communities with limited resources

Denial and politics are huge drivers. Rural counties across Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana sit among the top in the nation for new cases per capita over the last two weeks…“One or two people with infections can really cause a large impact when you have one grocery store or gas station,”…One out of every 28 people in the (SD) county has tested positive in the last two weeks…

https://chicago.suntimes.com/coronavirus/2020/10/17/21520713/doctors-in-rural-midwest-struggle-as-covid-19-overwhelms-communities-with-limited-resources

~ ~ ~

Fauci: Trump’s rapid recovery from Covid-19, while welcome, ‘amplifies’ public misunderstanding of disease

(to say nothing of his irresponsible behavior, holding mega-rallies and ignoring masking and social distancing among his fans)

https://www.statnews.com/2020/10/13/fauci-trumps-rapid-recovery-from-covid-19-while-welcome-amplifies-public-misunderstanding-of-disease/?

~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~

How the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally may have spread coronavirus across the Upper Midwest

Within weeks of the gathering that drew nearly half a million bikers, the Dakotas, along with Wyoming, Minnesota and Montana, were leading the nation in new coronavirus infections per capita. “Holding a half-million-person rally in the midst of a pandemic is emblematic of a nation as a whole that maybe isn’t taking [the novel coronavirus] as seriously as we should.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/10/17/sturgis-rally-spread/

Diagnostics:

still an incredible, negligent lack of testing.

While our testing is still shamefully inaccessible to many, inaccurate, and slow…

Chinese officials tested nearly 10 million people for Covid-19 in four days

The mass testing program was rolled out by authorities after three asymptomatic patients with links to a hospital treating imported cases were identified over the weekend.

Cases throughout China: China’s National Health Commission said 11 new cases were reported on Wednesday throughout the country. Ten of those were imported, and one was an asymptomatic case that started presenting symptoms.

Chinese authorities count asymptomatic cases separately from symptomatic ones.

https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-10-15-20-intl/h_5a89130b24bcbe9a2474bd69bed8ab62

Drugs:

~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~

Devices:

Epidemiology/Infection control:

White House Appears to Endorse Herd Immunity Strategy for COVID-19

In response to this “Great Barrington Declaration,” WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus stressed that the WHO was not endorsing anything like the Great Barrington document. “Never in the history of public health has herd immunity been used as a strategy for responding to an outbreak, let alone a pandemic. It is scientifically and ethically problematic,” he said.

https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/89082?

~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~

COVID-19 Spread Unchecked at Indoor Hockey Game

— Case report offers evidence for sports as potential super-spreading events

https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/89139? ~  ~ ~

Report finds COVID-19 rate among dentists is less than one percent

although assumed to be at higher risk.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-10/ada-eo1100720.php

~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~

COVID: women are less likely to put themselves in danger

Women’s attitudes and behaviors may have contributed to their reduced vulnerability and mortality. A survey in 8 countries shows they consider Coronavirus a more serious problem than men and are more likely to approve and comply with health policies

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-10/bu-cwa101520.php

Tips, general reading for public:

StayAtHome

Wash your hands.

Rinse and repeat.

Very useful new Risk Calculator – mycovidrisk.com

https://twitter.com/meganranney/status/1315700084206698502?s=20

~ ~ ~

How to Tell If Socializing Indoors Is Safe

As the weather gets colder, many Americans have no idea whether hanging out with other people inside is risky. That’s a big problem. . .

In some places, in-home gatherings are now responsible for the majority of new coronavirus cases.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/10/it-safe-have-dinner-together-inside/616568/

~ ~ ~

Health experts’ Thanksgiving advice in the time of Covid: plan, plan, plan

https://www.statnews.com/2020/10/16/health-experts-thanksgiving-advice-in-the-time-of-covid-plan-plan-plan/?

~ ~ ~

More on family gatherings:

Teen gave COVID-19 to 11 relatives across four states during gathering: CDC

Note: The girl tested NEGATIVE before the gathering

https://nypost.com/2020/10/13/teen-gave-covid-19-to-11-relatives-during-summer-gathering-cdc/

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6940e2.htm

Politics:

The inside story of how Trump’s COVID-19 coordinator undermined the world’s top health agency

Science, in a major investigation, recounts how the CDC’s effectiveness and reputation were damaged during the pandemic and put much of the blame on coronavirus task force leader Deborah Birx, MD. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/10/inside-story-how-trumps-covid-19-coordinator-undermined-cdc

~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~

Community outbreaks of Covid-19 have occurred in seven of the 14 cities that have held campaign rallies for Donald Trump since June.

https://www.statnews.com/2020/10/16/trump-campaign-rallies-leave-a-trail-of-community-outbreaks/

Feel good du jour:

~ ~ ~

https://twitter.com/dodo/status/1314913824559030275?s=20

Comic relief:

 

Local activist Ellen McDaniel-Weissler always brings a new perspective…often quite humorously

Perspective/Poem

Thoughtful thread:

~ ~ ~

 

Bits of beauty:

 

Share this post: