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Supermarkets are most common place to catch Covid, new data reveals

The data found that the most common setting for people testing positive had been the supermarket

PEOPLE are most likely to catch the coronavirus at the supermarket, official data has revealed.

Supermarkets have remained open during both national lockdowns and new data collated by Public Health England (PHE) from the NHS Test and Trace App has revealed that shops are the most frequent Covid exposure setting.

The data found that the most common setting for people testing positive had been the supermarket Credit: Getty – Contributor

The chart above shows what activities and events people who contracted the virus participated in before testing positive

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The chart above shows what activities and events people who contracted the virus participated in before testing positive Credit: PHE

PHE analysed data of people who contracted the virus between November 9 and November 15. They looked at the contacts of those who had caught the virus and retraced the steps of 128,808 people who tested positive. Supermarkets were the most common location of people who reported to have tested positive for the virus. Of those who tested positive, it was found that 18.3 per cent had visited a supermarket. At the start of the pandemic large queues were seen outside of supermarkets as people lined up to buy essentials. Shops had limited the amount of people inside as they tried to maintain social distancing measures. Shoppers in supermarkets also have to wear face masks when buying their goods – unless they are exempt under national guidelines. In September supermarket bosses urged customers to not panic buy products after shelves were left empty during the first wave of the pandemic in the spring.

Data from PHE revealed where the most common infections were reported

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Data from PHE revealed where the most common infections were reported

Both primary and secondary schools reopened in September after kids were kept off school during the first national lockdown.

The data found that secondary schools were the second place where transmission was highest, followed by primary schools. It was revealed that 12.7 per cent of people who tested positive had attended secondary school and 10.1 per cent had attended a primary school. This could be pupils attending the school, teachers or other staff who work at schools, parents at the school gates may have also been at risk of catching the virus. The government vowed to keep schools open and said the education of kids was a priority. In the last week, 124 clusters of the coronavirus have been reported in English secondary schools.

The graph above shows the difference in positive Covid cases across different educational institutions

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The graph above shows the difference in positive Covid cases across different educational institutionsCredit: PHE

Public Health England used data from NHS Track and Trace to find out the common places people had visited who had tested positive for Covid-19.

  • Supermarket – 18.3%
  • Secondary school – 12.7%
  • Primary school – 10.1%
  • Hospital – 3.6%
  • Care home – 2.8%
  • College – 2.4%
  • Warehouse – 2.2%
  • Nursery preschool – 1.8%
  • Pub or bar – 1.6%
  • Hospitality – 1.5%
  • University – 1.4%
  • Manufacture engineering – 1.4%
  • Household fewer than five – 1.2%
  • General practice – 1.1%
  • Gym – 1.1%
  • Restaurant or cafe – 1.0%

In total, there have been 822 reported clusters of the coronavirus in English secondary schools. In primary schools there has been a total of 732 clusters reported. Hull in East Yorkshire is currently one of the most infected areas in the country and it was this week reported that schools in the area are on the brink of collapse as thousands of secondary school pupils have been forced to self isolate. This week Chris Long, the Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust chief executive, has said that a stiffer lockdown is needed to tackle growing cases in the area. He said schools might have to be closed in the area in order to curb transmission. Hospitals, colleges, care homes and warehouses all followed as the places where transmission was highest. Surprisingly, just 3.6 per cent of people who had tested positive had been in a hospital setting – this could include patients, doctors and nurses, visitors to the hospital or other hospital staff members. Care homes were also found to have a lower transmission rate and 2.8 per cent of people who tested positive said they had been at a care home. Unlike secondary and primary schools, just 2.4 per cent of people who said they had been at a college had tested positive for the virus. During the pandemic, warehouses have also been a place where many outbreaks have occurred due to close working conditions.

The graph above shows hospitalisation rates across the country

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The graph above shows hospitalisation rates across the countryCredit: PH.

The data found that 2.2 per cent of people who had been at a warehouse had tested positive for the coronavirus. In July there had been an outbreak at an Iceland distribution centre in Swindon and just last month 174 workers in Norfolk were struck down at a meat factory after an outbreak. The data also found that transmission was highest in households and also revealed that infections rates could be levelling off in some parts of the country.

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Landmark Danish study shows face masks have no significant effect

https://youtu.be/yaeSmXEXzP4

FULL STUDY AVAILABLE AT END OF STORY

Do face masks work? Earlier this year, the UK government decided that masks could play a significant role in stopping Covid-19 and made masks mandatory in a number of public places. But are these policies backed by the scientific evidence? Yesterday marked the publication of a long-delayed trial in Denmark which hopes to answer that very question. The ‘Danmask-19 trial’ was conducted in the spring with over 3,000 participants, when the public were not being told to wear masks but other public health measures were in place. Unlike other studies looking at masks, the Danmask study was a randomised controlled trial – making it the highest quality scientific evidence. Around half of those in the trial received 50 disposable surgical face masks, which they were told to change after eight hours of use. After one month, the trial participants were tested using both PCR, antibody and lateral flow tests and compared with the trial participants who did not wear a mask. In the end, there was no statistically significant difference between those who wore masks and those who did not when it came to being infected by Covid-19. 1.8 per cent of those wearing masks caught Covid, compared to 2.1 per cent of the control group. As a result, it seems that any effect masks have on preventing the spread of the disease in the community is small. Some people, of course, did not wear their masks properly. Only 46 per cent of those wearing masks in the trial said they had completely adhered to the rules. But even if you only look at people who wore masks ‘exactly as instructed’, this did not make any difference to the results: 2 per cent of this group were also infected.

When it comes to masks, it appears there is still little good evidence they prevent the spread of airborne diseases.

The results of the Danmask-19 trial mirror other reviews into influenza-like illnesses. Nine other trials looking at the efficacy of masks (two looking at healthcare workers and seven at community transmission) have found that masks make little or no difference to whether you get influenza or not. But overall, there is a troubling lack of robust evidence on face masks and Covid-19. There have only been three community trials during the current pandemic comparing the use of masks with various alternatives – one in Guinea-Bissau, one in India and this latest trial in Denmark. The low number of studies into the effect different interventions have on the spread of Covid-19 – a subject of global importance – suggests there is a total lack of interest from governments in pursuing evidence-based medicine. And this starkly contrasts with the huge sums they have spent on ‘boutique relations’ consultants advising the government. The only trials which have shown masks to be effective at stopping airborne diseases have been ‘observational studies’ – which observe the people who ordinarily use masks, rather than attempting to create a randomised control group. These trials include six studies carried out in the Far East during the SARS CoV-1 outbreak of 2003, which showed that masks can work, especially when they are used by healthcare workers and patients alongside hand-washing. But observational studies are prone to recall bias: in the heat of a pandemic, not very many people will recall if and when they used masks and at what distance they kept from others. The lack of random allocation of masks can also ‘confound’ the results and might not account for seasonal effects. A recent observational study paper had to be withdrawn because the reported fall in infection rates over the summer was reverted when the seasonal effect took hold and rates went back up. This is why large, randomised trials like this most recent Danish study are so important if we want to understand the impact of measures like face masks. Many people have argued that it is too difficult to wait for randomised trials – but Danmask-19 has shown that these kind of studies are more than feasible. And now that we have properly rigorous scientific research we can rely on, the evidence shows that wearing masks in the community does not significantly reduce the rates of infection. Written byProf Carl Heneghan & Tom Jefferson Carl Heneghan is professor of evidence-based medicine at the University of Oxford and director of the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine Tom Jefferson is a senior associate tutor and honorary research fellow at the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, University of Oxford

Click Below to see the definitive study:

Masks Do NOT WORK ACP

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New York City will close schools for in-person learning to curb Covid outbreak, Mayor de Blasio says

New York City’s schools will move to remote learning only as the city tries to tamp down a growing number of coronavirus cases, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday. The shuttering of the nation’s largest school system had been anticipated for days after de Blasio told parents on Friday to have a plan in place in case the city decides to close schools for in-person learning, NBC News New York reported. Remote learning will begin Thursday, the mayor said in breaking the news over Twitter. “We’re in the middle of something really tough right now,” de Blasio said at a press briefing Monday. “We have put health and safety first, and we will put health and safety first.” The mayor said the city would close classrooms if the citywide positivity rate, or the percentage of positive tests, hits an average of 3%, which it reached on Wednesday. On a call with reporters Friday afternoon, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the city has the authority to close schools if local officials think it’s appropriate. New York City’s schools will move to remote learning only as the city tries to tamp down a growing number of coronavirus cases, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday. The shuttering of the nation’s largest school system had been anticipated for days after de Blasio told parents on Friday to have a plan in place in case the city decided to close schools for in-person learning, NBC News New York reported. Remote learning will begin Thursday, the mayor said in breaking the news over Twitter. “We’re in the middle of something really tough right now,” de Blasio said at a press briefing Monday. “We have put health and safety first, and we will put health and safety first.”
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US adds 161,934 COVID-19 cases, 1,707 deaths

According to data from the authoritative Johns Hopkins University, there are more than 55 million and a half infections and 1,337,559 victims. The heaviest toll is still that of the US with 11.35 million infections and 248,600 deaths. As for the tragic ranking of mortality, in second place is Brazil with 166,699 deaths followed by India (130,519), Mexico (99,026), Great Britain (52,839), Italy (46,346) and France (42,461). of infections has become the first European country to exceed two million cases, to be precise 2,087,183 behind the United States, India (8.9 million) and Brazil (5.9 million).

USA: 161,934 cases and 1,707 deaths in 24 hours

The United States has recorded 161,934 new coronavirus infections and 1,707 deaths in the past 24 hours, according to data provided by Johns Hopkins University.The country now has a total of at least 11,357,322 cases and 248,672 deaths, according to the university tally.

In India, over 130,000 victims
The number of deaths linked to the coronavirus in India has exceeded 130,000, according to data from the American Johns Hopkins University.

The Asian country is third in the world for the number of Covid-19 victims behind the United States (almost 250,000) and Brazil (over 166,000).It is second in terms of the number of infections recorded since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, 8.87 million

Turkey, cases on the rise.

Partial lockdown since Monday Turkey has joined the growing list of countries that are imposing a partial lockdown after a sharp rise in coronavirus cases. The Turkish Interior Ministry announced today that the new measures limiting the working hours of restaurants, cafes, shopping centers and hairdressers from 7 to 17 will come into effect on Friday evening. A partial block will also be imposed on weekends until further notice, while cinemas will be closed for the rest of the year.Ankara has reported 3,819 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours and 103 coronavirus-related deaths, updating the toll. Total deaths at 11.70

New record of cases in Tokyo
Tokyo has recorded a new record of coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, confirming data that indicate the arrival of a third wave, which could lead the authorities to impose new restrictions. As reported by the public chain NHK, in the last 24 hours 493 new cases of contagion have been registered in the capital, a figure higher than the previous daily record (472), recorded on 1 August. Nationally, Japan recorded a new daily record with 1,736 new infections last Saturday.

Australia, six-day mini lockdown in the southThe premier of South Australia has announced the imposition of a six-day lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus after the discovery of an outbreak in a hotel. The Guardian reports it. Australia in general has managed to manage the Covid-19 pandemic better than almost any country in the world with less than 28,000 total cases and just over 900 victims. In the south, after more than seven days without a case of local transmission, 20 infected were registered in Adelaide where another 4,000 people were forced to go into solitary confinement. For this reason Prime Minister Steven Marshall has announced the new measures and other states of Australia have closed the borders to the south. The lockdown, which will start from midnight today, will be mini in duration but quite rigid. They will close all universities and schools except for children with disabilities and children of essential workers; stop at bars, restaurants, pubs, clubs and even take-away food; you can only go to the hospital for chemotherapy or other cancer treatments and for urgent interventions; ban on outdoor sports, a very popular activity throughout Australia especially now that it is summer, and of course stop all travel within the region.

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Governors ratchet up restrictions ahead of Thanksgiving

From California to Pennsylvania, governors and mayors across the U.S. are ratcheting up COVID-19 restrictions amid the record-shattering resurgence of the virus that is all but certain to get worse because of holiday travel and family gatherings over Thanksgiving. Leaders are closing businesses or curtailing hours and other operations, and they are ordering or imploring people to stay home and keep their distance from others to help stem a rising tide of infections that threatens to overwhelm the health care system. “I must again pull back the reins,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday as he restricted indoor gatherings to 10 people, down from 25. “It gives me no joy.” California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he is pulling the “emergency brake” on efforts to reopen the economy, saying the state is experiencing the fastest growth in cases yet, and if left unchecked, it will lead to “catastrophic outcomes.” The move closes many nonessential indoor businesses and requires the wearing of masks outside homes, with limited exceptions.

The tightening came as Moderna Inc. announced that its experimental coronavirus vaccine appears to be over 94% effective, based on early results. A week ago Pfizer disclosed similar findings with its own formula. The news raised hopes that at least two vaccines against the scourge could win emergency authorization and become available in the U.S. before the end of 2020.

A record-breaking nearly 70,000 people were hospitalized with the coronavirus in the U.S. as of Sunday, 13,000 more than a week earlier, according to the COVID Tracking Project. Deaths in the U.S. are running at more than 1,100 per day on average, an increase of over 50% from early October.

The virus is blamed for more than 246,000 deaths and over 11 million confirmed infections in the the U.S. Thanksgiving was on the minds of leaders nationwide as they enacted tougher restrictions amid fears that the holiday will lead to more infections. “We don’t really want to see mamaw at Thanksgiving and bury her by Christmas,” said Dr. Mark Horne, president of the Mississippi State Medical Association. “It’s going to happen. You’re going to say ‘Hi’ at Thanksgiving, ‘It was so great to see you,’ and you’re going to either be visiting by FaceTime in the ICU or planning a small funeral before Christmas.”

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s stay-at-home order went into effect Monday. Only essential businesses, including grocery stores and pharmacies, will be open.

Washington’s Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee ordered gyms, bowling alleys, movie theaters, museums and zoos to shut down indoor operations. Stores must limit capacity to 25%.

People from different households will be barred in Washington from gathering indoors unless they have quarantined. There is no enforcement mechanism. Inslee said he hopes people obey anyway.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot called on residents in the nation’s third-largest city to restrict social gatherings to 10 people starting Monday. In instructions that were advisory, not mandatory, she urged residents to stay home except for essential activities, like going to work or grocery shopping.

Philadelphia banned all indoor dining at restaurants and indoor gatherings of any size, public or private, of people from different households, starting this Friday.

In Michigan, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer warned she has the authority to issue a second stay-at-home order to curb the spiking coronavirus if necessary and said it was “incredibly reckless” for President Donald Trump’s science adviser Scott Atlas to urge people to “rise up” against Michigan’s latest restrictions.

Over the weekend, Whitmer announced that Michigan high schools and colleges must halt in-person classes, restaurants must stop indoor dining and entertainment businesses must close for three weeks. Gathering sizes also will be tightened.

Even North Dakota Republican Gov. Doug Burgum, who has resisted a mask mandate for months, put one in place over the weekend, amid a severe outbreak in the state. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds took a similar action and enacted a limited version of a mask mandate Monday. Still, several other GOP governors were taking incremental steps, or resisting even those — continuing to emphasize “personal responsibility” rather than government edicts.

Oklahoma’s Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt announced bars and restaurants must space tables 6 feet apart and end in-person service at 11 p.m.

In hard-hit South Dakota, Gov. Kristi Noem continued her hands-off approach and resisted a mask mandate or other restrictions.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in recent days has been emphasizing that new treatments and vaccines are expected to become available soon.

Vice President Mike Pence sounded an upbeat tone Monday on a call with governors, saying that the government is ready to help states where hospitals are nearing capacity and emphasizing that vaccines are coming.

“America has never been more prepared to combat this virus,” he said.

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Biden: We are heading into very dark winter

President-elect Joe Biden warned the United States is heading into a “very dark winter” as new coronavirus cases break records each day in many states as he called for an economic relief package similar to one already passed by House Democrats. “I know we can do this,” Mr Biden said during remarks after an economic briefing, despite case and hospitalisation numbers suggesting the country cannot without a vaccine.

“We’re going into a very dark winter. Things are going to get much tougher before they get easier. That requires sparing no effort to fight COVID,” Mr Biden said,.

The incoming president sharply criticised the Trump administration and GOP governors over their shunning of wearing face-coverings to stop the third spike in Covid-19 cases. “Does anyone understand why a governor would turn this into a political statement?” he said, holding up a mask. “It’s about being patriotic.” Mr Biden, citing unnamed experts, claimed if all Americans covered their faces when in public 100,000 lives would be saved by 21 January. “There’s nothing macho about not wearing a mask,” he said. He also contended that Donald Trump’s refusal to concede the election and green-light the usual transition process is making the pandemic and its toll worse. “More people may die if we don’t coordinate,” he said of the outgoing administration and the incoming one. “It’s important that there be coordination now.” There are over 246,800 deaths in the United States from the virus, with at least 11.1m infected, according to The Johns Hopkins University. One alarming projection, compiled by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , expects that number to climb to 282,000 by 5 December. With more and more Americans all over the country getting sick, Americans are wondering whether to cancel or drastically scale back their holiday plans. The president-elect said experts have advised him that gatherings should be limited to 10 people to help slow the spread of the respiratory bug. That’s what he and incoming First Lady Jill Biden plan to do with their family, he said, noting they are trying to determine who is coming to dinner in Wilmington, Delaware.

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Moderna’s COVID vaccine shows 94.5% efficacy

Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA) announced on Monday the results from phase 3 trials for the COVID-19 vaccine show the vaccine is 94.5% effective. This comes just one week after Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) and BioNTech’s (NASDAQ: BNTX) vaccine candidate showed a 90% efficacy rate.

The Findings: Moderna based its data on 95 participants with confirmed cases of COVID-19. Findings showed 90 cases of COVID-19 were observed in the placebo group versus 5 cases observed in the mRNA-1273 group, resulting in a point estimate of vaccine efficacy of 94.5%.

In two weeks after the second dose of the vaccine, the researchers report that the vaccine has an efficacy of 94.5%.

Special Storage: The vaccine is expected to remain stable at standard refrigerator temperatures of 2 degrees to 8 degrees Celsius (36 degrees to 46 degrees Fahrenheit) for 30 days, up from the previous estimate of seven days. No dilution required prior to vaccination.

Next Step: Moderna now intends to submit for an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the coming weeks and anticipates having the EUA informed by the final safety and efficacy data (with a median duration of at least two months). Moderna also plans to submit applications for authorizations to global regulatory agencies. “This is a pivotal moment in the development of our COVID-19 vaccine candidate,” said Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna. “Since early January, we have chased this virus with the intent to protect as many people around the world as possible. All along, we have known that each day matters. This positive interim analysis from our Phase 3 study has given us the first clinical validation that our vaccine can prevent COVID-19 disease, including severe disease.”

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BIG UNKNOWN: WHERE ARE PEOPLE GETTING INFECTED?!

Western nations face a big challenge in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic: Ten months into the health crisis, they still know little about where people are catching the virus. The problem is becoming more acute as new cases are breaking records in the U.S. and Europe and pressure grows on authorities to impose targeted restrictions on places that are spreading the virus, rather than broad confinement measures that are wreaking havoc on the economy.

In Germany, authorities say they don’t know where 75% of people who currently test positive for the coronavirus got it. In Austria, the figure stands at 77%. In Spain, the health ministry said that it was able to identify the origin of only 7% of infections registered in the last week of October. In France and Italy, only some 20% of new cases have been linked to people who previously tested positive.

Jay Varma, senior adviser for public health in the New York City mayor’s office, said 10% of the city’s infections are due to travel, 5% from gatherings, and another 5% from institutional settings such as nursing homes. “The vast majority of the remainder—somewhere probably around 50% or more—we don’t have a way to directly attribute their source of infection,” Mr. Varma said. “And that’s a concern.”

PS we got a dual use export license ( till they catch up with us and cancels it) for what is regarded as secret military Boilab Level 4 filters. See when they infect the world with their little cooties they want their people to be protected… as you are seeing not the masses! The ultimate P3 ULPA 15 particle filters are back in stock. Ready to ship for as long as they last. We are having trouble sourcing the special filter material Borosilicate glass and resign. And our manufacturer cannot guarantee we can export them in the future. But you can get a N95 toilet paper filter with pretty pictures on it at the grocery store and live in a fools paradise……

PS: As a foot note: The HEPA P3 filters they are selling are made with fiberglass paper. Besides inadequate filtration. They contain particles you inhale As in deadly fiberglass particles getting into your lungs that act just like asbestos…. but look at the money you are shaving!

 

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Lock Downs by Christmas! HO HO HO!

https://youtu.be/vBdY6bUFYAU

New coronavirus infections are growing rapidly across the US, experts say, with new hospital admissions also increasing around the country.

Nearly 70,000 new cases were recorded on Friday – the highest number of new infections seen in one day since July. Cases have been trending upward for 48 states over the past week. Only two states, Missouri and Vermont, are recording numbers that are improving. Dealing with the pandemic has continued to be a central issue in the US election. Despite the uptick in infections – and recovering from Covid himself earlier this month – President Donald Trump is still traveling the country for large in-person campaign rallies. At an outdoor event in Nevada on Sunday, Mr Trump said his Democratic opponent Joe Biden “will surrender your future to the virus”. “This guy wants to lockdown. He’ll listen to the scientists,” he said. “If I listened totally to the scientists, we would right now have a country that would be in a massive depression.” Many of Mr Trump’s supporters do not wear masks or practice social distancing at the rallies, and there have been warnings against large gatherings from local health officials. A Biden spokesman called Mr Trump’s remarks “the polar opposite of reality” and blamed the country’s recession on the president.On Monday, Mr Trump denounced top infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci as “a disaster” and claimed that more people would have died if he had listened to the respected researcher. Dr Fauci told CBS News earlier that he was not surprised the president had caught coronavirus, given his reluctance to practice safe techniques. “Fauci’s a disaster,” the president said in a campaign phone call that was overheard by reporters. “He’s been here for 500 years,” he said, adding: “People are tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots.” Mr Trump, who has reportedly had a tense relationship with Dr Fauci since March, called him “a nice guy”, but said he would have fired him if not for the negative press that would result.

What are the latest numbers?

In the US, there have been around 8.1 million coronavirus infections and over 219,000 deaths. Across the world, over 40 million cases have been recorded. Cases in the US dipped to around 34,000 per day by early September, but are now averaging around 55,000 per day. On Friday, the US nearly topped 70,000 cases in one day, which would have beat the single day record for new cases set in July. Ten states on Friday hit their all-time high for new cases reported in a single day: Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Minnesota, North Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, New Mexico and North Carolina. On Saturday, new cases fell to over 57,000. On Sunday, the daily infection rate fell again to over 48,000. As infections rise, hospital admissions have also risen in 39 states over the past two weeks. Wisconsin, a crucial presidential swing state, is among the hardest hit, with nearly 10% of the state’s hospital beds currently occupied by Covid-19 patients. The state has now erected a field hospital on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Fair Park to serve as an overflow facility for hospitals. Experts say the death toll is not expected to rise as rapidly as it did in the beginning of the pandemic, as many of the new cases are in young people who are more likely to survive the disease caused by the virus. Health officials warn that infections are likely to get worse during colder months, when people tend to congregate indoors more often. In his interview with the CBS 60 Minutes programme, Dr Fauci said the situation would need to get “really, really bad,” before he would advocate for a national lockdown. “First of all, the country is fatigued with restrictions,” said Dr Fauci, who has led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984 and is a member of the White House coronavirus taskforce. “So we want to use public health measures not to get in the way of opening the economy, but to being a safe gateway to opening the economy.”He added: “Put ‘shut downs’ away and say, ‘We’re going to use public health measures to help us safely get to where we want to go’.”