Author: BigGuy

Before pushing to reopen schools, consider how many Florida kids are testing positive for COVID-19

Health officials in Florida have started reporting a truly scary trend: They say 31.1 percent, or nearly one-third, of children in Florida who are tested for COVID-19 end up returning a positive result. With as many questions as we still have about how this virus affects children — and their role in spreading it to the adults we already know are vulnerable to more severe infections — this is pretty alarming, especially considering the national push to reopen schools in time for the fall semester, which is just weeks away in some states. State data from Florida shows that the 31.1 percent positivity rate is much higher than the overall statewide rate, which is around 11 percent. That means almost three times as many children who are tested are getting positive results than adults who are tested. That creates two main concerns for health officials: First, it shows that COVID-19 is spreading more rapidly among children than adults. And second, it creates huge fears because of how little we know about the virus’s long-term effects, especially in kids. There’s already evidence that COVID-19 causes lasting lung damage in adults, even if they don’t have severe cases.

“They are seeing there is damage to the lungs in these asymptomatic children. … We don’t know how that is going to manifest a year from now or two years from now,” Alina Alonso, the health department director of Palm Beach County, told reporters this week. “Is that child going to have chronic pulmonary problems or not?”

12 staffers test positive for COVID-19 – even though they ALL passed the building’s checks and protocols

TALLAHASSEE — Florida officials shut down the state’s emergency operations center on Thursday after 12 staffers tested positive for COVID-19 in recent weeks. The building, which functions as the state’s command center during statewide emergencies, is closed until Monday and will undergo a deep cleaning, according to the Division of Emergency Management, which operates the center. The positive cases were discovered after the state started testing employees for COVID-19 twice per week in June. All 12 were not displaying symptoms and passed the building’s screening protocols, which include a questionnaire and temperature checks, according to division Director Jared Moskowitz. None of them caught the virus from being in the building, and they’re now isolating at home, Moskowitz said.

The center, about 20 minutes from the Capitol, is typically activated during hurricanes and operates around the clock. But state officials activated it in March, after the state reported its first cases of COVID-19. Since then, staffers, which come from multiple state agencies, have been working around the clock to procure and distribute medical supplies around the state and, recently, dispatching nurses to hospitals that need them, Moskowitz said. The center has been at Level 1 — its highest level — longer than for any other disaster. To help state workers adapt, officials have allowed them time off and to bring their dogs to work.

“There’s no light at the end of the tunnel for them,” Moskowitz said.

Until the center reopens on Monday, staffers are working from home or at their individual offices nearby. Moskowitz said those private offices are safer than the emergency operations center, which mostly consists of a large, shared workspace.

Washington The United States marked a record number of coronavirus cases Friday for the third consecutive day, notching 77,638 new infections in 24 hours, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. The country also recorded 927 deaths in one day, according to the count by the Baltimore-based university at 8:30 pm (00:30 GMT Saturday). The country, the hardest-hit by the coronavirus in the world in absolute terms, has suffered 139,128 total fatalities out of 3.64 million confirmed cases. Experts believe the United States never emerged from its first wave of infections, and cases have been surging again in recent weeks, particularly across the south and west in states that pushed to lift lockdown restrictions early. In California, Los Angeles County reported 4,592 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, a single-day record.

“Without aggressive action on the part of every person, we will not get back to slowing the spread,” Barbara Ferrer, the county public health director, said in a statement.

In Texas and Arizona, which are dealing with stark surges in virus cases and deaths, authorities are bringing in refrigerated trucks to cope with the body count.

CHINA has sealed off a city of 3.5million people with its “toughest ever” coronavirus lockdown amid fears of a second wave.

Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang region, recorded five new coronavirus cases after registering its first Covid-19 infection in five months yesterday. The eastern province of Zhejiang also reported an asymptomatic case involving a traveller from Xinjiang. Urumqi also reported eight new asymptomatic cases on Friday- taking the province’s tally to six infections and 11 asymptomatic cases. Subway services were also suspended from Thursday and more than 600 scheduled flights at the international airport – equivalent to more than 80% of the day’s total – were cancelled, according to aviation data from Variflight. Juneyao Airlines and Shenzhen Donghai Airlines have today announced that all passengers travelling to and from Urumqi must show negative nucleic acid test results taken within seven days, Global Times reports. All passengers planning to fly to Xinjiang will be required to display negative Covid-19 nucleic acid test results taken within seven days and a green health card, Nick Bit: Compare this to the joke US airlines temperature checks at the gate. At best a indication that 2 weeks ago you were not infected. Chinese Eastern Airlines said on Wednesday. A green health card means that people are not required to be under quarantine and can travel freely. Bus services in a district neighbouring Urumqi closed down and all workers are required to undergo Covid-19 tests, state media reports. Some social media users in the city said that they could not leave their houses and others claimed people were stopped leaving or entering Kashgar, another city in Xinjiang, BBC reports.

“We must resolutely cut off the channel of transmission, focus on key people and key areas, take the most determined, decisive and strictest measures to ensure that all investigations and inspections are conducted to resolutely curb the spread of the epidemic,” Xinjiang’s Communist Party said on Thursday.

Officials pledged to ‘strictly implement provision and control measures’ by monitoring who enters the region. Highly populated communities will also be monitored. “We must strengthen the control of crowded places, the grid management of communities and villages, and carry out stringent screening in the fever clinics and hospitals,” the government said. The Chinese government has long struggled with its 11-million-strong Uighur population, an ethnic Turkic minority native to the northwestern region of Xinjiang. Nick Note: This latest report has several thing to teach us. Remember China has the most experience fighting this plague. It is a brutal regime with total control over its population. First with relative small infection rates they lock down their cities and throw away the key. Second people movement controls (contact tracing) is total and complete. Third observe how fast testing is done and their health card system. Now compare that to YOUR supreme leader Trump who has lit off a national debate about a near useless paper mask. I have a cure for the coronavirus…..The medicine is ISOLATION!

(Bloomberg) — Hong Kong’s new outbreak has surpassed the scale of its previous wave of infections, signaling that the worst of the pandemic may be yet to come. In Spain, officials slapped new restrictions on movement and gatherings in Barcelona, while countries globally grapple with a fresh surge in infections.

A poll showed that more than half of the American public “strongly” disapproves of President Donald Trump’s handling of the pandemic.

Global Tracker: Cases top 13.8 million; deaths top 590,000U.S

Barcelona Hit With New Curbs (7:51 a.m. NY)

Catalan officials imposed new curbs on movement and gatherings in Barcelona after the business and tourism hub suffered an upsurge in new cases. Bars and restaurants will be limited to 50% capacity and night clubs, gyms, swimming pools, cinemas and theaters closed, Meritxell Budo, a regional government spokeswoman, said at a news conference. Gatherings of more than 10 people will also be forbidden. People should stay at home unless going out is absolutely necessary, Budo said. The number of new cases in Barcelona jumped to 494 last week, tripling those recorded the week before, according to data published by the regional government.

Singapore Tightens Rules for Some Travelers (7:20 a.m. NY)

Singapore will tighten rules on travelers who had been in coronavirus hotspots including Japan, Hong Kong and Australia’s Victoria state, mandating quarantine in dedicated facilities from July 20. Travelers who have been in those regions in the 14 days prior to entering Singapore won’t be able to serve their quarantine at their residence, the island’s authorities said on Friday.

Fewer Americans Approve of Trump’s Handling of Covid-19 (7 a.m. NY)

President Trump’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak has the approval of 38% of Americans, down from 46% in May and 51% in March, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC poll. More than half of the public, or 52%, now disapproves “strongly” of Trump’s handling of the outbreak, roughly double the percentage who say they strongly approve and an increase from 36% in strong disapproval since March.

Luxembourg’s Second Wave (6:20 a.m. NY)

Luxembourg is in the middle of a second wave of infections, its health minister said this week. No other EU nation is testing as much as the tiny Grand-Duchy, which has been sending invites to citizens across the nation to get tested since May. With the number of daily tests rising, new infections have been rising day to day as well, meaning that several EU nations — Slovenia is the latest country to do so — have added Luxembourg to a red list. Germany’s Robert Koch Institute also placed Luxembourg on its list of risk countries this week.

Austrian New Cases at Highest Since April 12 (5:20 p.m. HK)

Austria had 169 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, the highest daily rise since April 12. The number of active coronavirus infections has risen almost four-fold to 1,393 since the low of 373 on June 14, driven by clusters around evangelical churches in Linz and Wiener Neustadt, a pork-processing plant near the Czech border, and cases in Vienna.

Hong Kong’s New Outbreak Tops Earlier Waves (4:58 p.m. HK)

Hong Kong’s fresh coronavirus outbreak has surpassed the magnitude of its previous waves of infection, in a cautionary tale that the worst may be yet to come in the global pandemic. Authorities reported 50 local virus cases on Friday, bringing total infections to over 350, making the Asian financial hub one of the first places in the region to see a new wave dwarf previous outbreaks.

The resurgence comes after a long stretch during which residents returned to work and normal life. About a third of infections in the new outbreak are of unknown origins, signaling that hidden chains of transmission are widespread.

Israel to Close Beaches, Shops at Weekends (4:24 p.m. HK)

Israel’s government approved new restrictions that will shutter non-essential businesses on weekends to slow a surge of cases. Visiting the beach will be banned from Friday afternoons to Sunday mornings from next weekend.

More general regulations throughout the week will close gyms, prohibit restaurants from seating customers and limit the size of gatherings. Israel now has at least 44,000 confirmed cases and nearly 380 deaths, according to health ministry data, while the unemployment rate stands at above 21%.

Movement in Xinjiang Capital Limited (4:02 p.m. HK)

China locked down housing compounds across Xinjiang’s capital, Urumqi. The city of 3.5 million reported six confirmed infections on Thursday and Friday, along with 11 cases where the people didn’t display any symptoms, breaking a 10-day streak of zero new domestic cases in China. The source of the new infections is unclear and the local government did not say if the cases are linked.

Tokyo Virus Cases Hit Record for a Second Day (2:50 p.m. HK)

Tokyo saw a second straight day of record coronavirus cases Friday, with 293 reported amid growing concern about the ability of authorities to suppress the outbreak. The city had 286 cases Thursday.

India Crosses 1 Million Case Mark (12:05 p.m. HK)

India saw its coronavirus cases exceed 1 million, becoming the third country to cross that mark, according to its health ministry, as the virus continues to spread rapidly in the world’s second most-populous nation.

Australia’s Most-Populous State Tightens Restrictions (9:36 a.m. HK)

Australia’s most-populous state — New South Wales — will further tighten restrictions for gatherings and venues, including clubs and cafes, Premier Gladys Berejikliantells told reporters.

Meanwhile, Australia’s second-most populous state, Victoria, recorded its second day of a spike in coronavirus cases as its capital city Melbourne is gripped by a second wave of infections. It had 428 new cases in the past 24 hours, Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters Friday. That’s the largest single-day increase for any of Australia’s states and territories, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Thomas Frieden warns against rushing into reopening schools before it is safe to do so, and outlines things we all can do to ensure children can return to their schools safely.

WASHINGTON — On the eve of a new coronavirus reporting system this week, data disappeared from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website as hospitals began filing information to a private contractor or their states instead. A day later, an outcry — including from other federal health officials — prompted the Trump administration to reinstate that dashboard and another daily CDC report on the pandemic. On Thursday, the nation’s governors joined the chorus of objections over the abruptness of the change, asking the administration to delay it for 30 days. In a statement, the National Governors Association said hospitals need the time “to learn a new system, as they continue to deal with this pandemic. Meanwhile, the disappearance of the real-time data — the CDC dashboard was taken down Tuesday night before resurfacing Thursday morning — was a ripple effect of the administration’s new hospital reporting protocol that took effect Wednesday, according to a federal health official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. On Thursday evening, the nation’s governors objected to the abruptness of the change, asking the administration to delay the altered requirements for 30 days. In a statement, the National Governors Association said hospitals need the time “to learn a new system, as they continue to deal with this pandemic. In addition, governors urge the administration to make this information publicly available.” The disappearance of the real-time data from the CDC dashboard, which was taken down Tuesday night before resurfacing Thursday morning, was a ripple effect of the administration’s new hospital reporting protocol that took effect Wednesday, according to a federal health official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Without receiving the data firsthand, CDC officials were reluctant to maintain the dashboard — which shows the number of patients with COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, and hospital bed capacity — and took it down, the federal health official said. The CDC dashboard states that its information comes directly from hospitals and does not include data submitted to “other entities contracted by or within the federal government.” It also says the dashboard will not be updated after July 14.

The dashboard “was taken down in a fit of pique,” said Michael Caputo, the assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services. “The idea CDC scientists cannot rely upon their colleagues in the same department for data collection, or any other scientific work, is preposterous.”

This week, the CDC, the government’s premier public health agency whose medical epidemiologists analyze the hospital data, also stopped producing reports about trends in the pandemic that had gone twice a week to states, and six days a week to officials at multiple federal agencies. Adm. Brett Giroir, an assistant secretary in the HHS who oversees coronavirus testing, was unhappy that the CDC hospital report stopped Wednesday and Thursday mornings, according to the federal health official. Caputo said that the goal is to maintain transparency, adding that conversations were still taking place between HHS officials and the CDC on a plan to keep producing the dashboard updates and the reports. “We expect a resolution,” he said.