Coronavirus Thread

[93Regina]

We don’t need people running out and buying medical stuff

Simple DIY masks could help flatten the curve. We should all wear them in public.
Got a T-shirt? You can make a mask at home.

By Jeremy Howard - is a distinguished research scientist at the University of San Francisco, founding researcher at fast.ai and a member of the World Economic Forum's Global AI Council.

When historians tally up the many missteps policymakers have made in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the senseless and unscientific push for the general public to avoid wearing masks should be near the top.
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Where I live in a rural community, if number of affected start increasing quickly, it would be prudent to not associate with others without a mask. Mask usage is prudent where infected areas exist, and your probability chance of being hit are higher when out and about.

[93Regina]

“It’s not to protect yourself. It’s to protect people against the droplets coming out of your respiratory tract.”
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Despite messages from some health officials to the contrary, it’s likely that a mask can help protect a healthy wearer from infection, says Benjamin Cowling, an epidemiologist at the University of Hong Kong. Both surgical masks and the more protective N95 respirators have been shown to prevent various respiratory infections in health care workers; there’s been some debate about which of the two is appropriate for different kinds of respiratory infection patient care. “It doesn’t make sense to imagine that … surgical masks are really important for health care workers but then not useful at all for the general public,” Cowling says.
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There are good reasons to believe DIY masks would help a lot. Look at Hong Kong, Mongolia, South Korea and Taiwan, all of which have covid-19 largely under control. They are all near the original epicenter of the pandemic in mainland China, and they have economic ties to China. Yet none has resorted to a lockdown, such as in China’s Wuhan province. In all of these countries, all of which were hit hard by the SARS respiratory virus outbreak in 2002 and 2003, everyone is wearing masks in public. George Gao, director general of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, stated, “Many people have asymptomatic or presymptomatic infections. If they are wearing face masks, it can prevent droplets that carry the virus from escaping and infecting others.”

[93Regina]

Have coronavirus and can’t smell? Harvard scientists explain why

The coronavirus is capable of attacking key cells in the nose, which may explain the unusual finding that some COVID-19 sufferers lose their ability to smell and taste, Harvard Medical School researchers found.

Their study of human and mice genomic data found certain cells at the back of the nose harbor the distinctly shaped proteins that the coronavirus targets to invade the body. Infection of these cells could directly or indirectly lead to an altered sense of smell, they said in a paper published Saturday.

[abscate]

Just watched the noon briefing by our Governor, he has really stepped up,to the task during these times.

[volvolugnut]

More statistics on US states and COVID-19 growth rates. My raw information is from Worldometer. I have added several columns on the right side of the tables. Any errors or misrepresentations are my own.

These tables show all available US states and territories and the COVID-19 data. I have sorted the states alphabetically and added growth rates for last several days for all states with ranking of each day. Of course, this information changes daily. I have presented the table in two parts because of the screen shot, but it is actually one table in Excel. Also added today, are the previous days information for the coastal and Midwest states that I am following.

Again, results change daily. I still may add 3 or 5 day moving average for the growth rate.

Do you find this information useful? Confusing?
These tables have gotten rather large. Too much information?

volvolugnut

[93Regina]

Abbott’s Point-of-Care COVID-19 Test Detects Coronavirus in as Little as 5 Minutes - This new Abbott assay can deliver positive results in as little as five minutes and negative results in about 13 minutes.
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“The COVID-19 pandemic will be fought on multiple fronts, and a portable molecular test that offers results in minutes adds to the broad range of diagnostic solutions needed to combat the virus,” said Robert B. Ford, president and chief operating officer of Abbott. “With rapid testing on ID NOW, healthcare providers can perform molecular point-of-care testing outside the traditional four walls of a hospital in outbreak hotspots.”

[volvolugnut]

More statistics on US states and COVID-19 growth rates.

Comments on my latest post on COVID-19 statistics.
Sorry this table is hard to read across the lines. I will shade every other line to improve readability.

It appears from this data that most states have slowing rates of infection. This does not seem realistic. Perhaps the data is distorted by delayed reporting, lost data, testing facility overload, and lack of testing capacity. I hope there is not intentional under reporting of infection cases.

Any interest in infection rates for other countries?

volvolugnut

[93Regina]

It appears from this data that most states have slowing rates of infection.

I suspect many medical clinics are closed for the weekend, and how they ship samples may be delayed. My state shows a one person decrease from Saturday to Sunday in new cases.

[93Regina]

Cat found infected with coronavirus in Belgium

BRUSSELS – A pet cat has been infected with the novel coronavirus in Belgium after being contaminated by its owner, Belgian health authorities said Friday.

Cases of contamination of pets are rare and authorities ruled out any risk of contamination to humans from home animals.
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This is “an isolated case” which can occur after “close contact between animals and infected humans,” said Dr. Emmanuel Andre, a government agency spokesman on the pandemic.
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“So far, there is no evidence that a domestic animal can transmit the virus to humans or other pets,” the public authority said.

As a precautionary measure, it is “strongly recommended” to apply standard rules of hygiene when dealing with pets: “avoid close contact with pets … wash your hands after handling any animal, do not let the animal lick your face.”

The aim is to prevent the transmission of the virus to the animal and to prevent the animal itself from becoming a carrier of the virus.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/ ... s-belgium/

[volvolugnut]

It appears from this data that most states have slowing rates of infection.

I suspect many medical clinics are closed for the weekend, and how they ship samples may be delayed. My state shows a one person decrease from Saturday to Sunday in new cases.

I had considered there may be a weekend effect, however, this data was for Friday. On the other hand, locally few doctors are open Friday. My wife and I say, 'Friday is the new Saturday'.

volvolugnut