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Coronavirus Update – March 4, 2020
(This story is UPDATED continuously throughout the day – check back for updates…they will be noted in italics, below… )
Internationally
The United Kingdom has an action plan. The UK Action Plan
There are 92,000 cases around the world; with 3,155 deaths (most in China).
Iraq notes its first death in a 70 year old
Italy is furloughing some prisoners due to the virus in prisons.
Italy schools – all schools are closed through mid-March
Saudi Arabia – all schools are closed.
Iran temporarily releases 54,000 prisoners to prevent spread of COVID-19
The Louvre in Paris – has reopened, amidst new assurances for staff on safety.
Nationally
New York’s second coronavirus case is a 50-year-old resident of Westchester County and a partner at a law firm near Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. He is a married father of four with a child who attends SAR Academy High School, a private Jewish school in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. SAR closed both its elementary and high schools. – New York now has its THIRD case.
Stock Market fell again today, about 800 points
State of Washington now has 9 deaths
President is talking about a payroll tax cut to boost economy
North Carolina has its first case.
The Central Bank said it was cutting rates by a half percentage point to a target range of 1.00% to 1.25%.
Diocese of Chicago issued a call for priests, deacons, altar servers and others that they are required to wash their hands before Mass and use an “alcohol-based, anti-bacterial before and after distributing Holy Communion. And instead of placing the host on the tongue as it customary, priests will place it in the hands of parishioners. They are also advised to refrain from shaking hands when it comes time to exchange the “Sign of Peace.” (A nod will do.)
San Francisco Police are providing coronavirus information at the Golden Gate Bridge in a big public awareness effort.
The US Chamber of Commerce released guidelines for businesses – from prevention for employees to recovering from damages to their business. – https://www.uschamber.com/coronavirus
Rhode Island & region
A 3rd person who was on the St. Ray’s Italy trip, who lives in MA, and is a faculty member has tested positive and a 4th’s is awaiting test results. For the female in her 30s (a staff member at Achievement First Academy in Providence who chaperoned on the trip to Europe), her test result was negative.
RIDOH has issued recommendations for nursing homes and home health agencies – see article today for all the details.
VA Medical Center will now screen all visitors and people coming into the building.
Hasbro, Gannett & Newport Daily News has restricted employees’ travel to China and six other countries.
CVS canceled all non-essential international and domestic travel. Employees coming back from China, South Korea, Iran, Italy and Japan cannot return to the office, but can work from home for 14 days.
The Diocese of Providence has issued recommendations – you can review them, here: https://d2y1pz2y630308.cloudfront.net/5523/documents/2020/2/Influenza%20Virus%20Statement%202-27-2020.pdf
Cranston Schools – Following the guidance of the health department, the school department is taking several steps to ensure shared school spaces are clean. Classrooms and high traffic areas have been disinfected for several weeks, a step taken each year during flu season. Buses are also being sprayed to avoid the spread of germs, as well. In addition, hand sanitizer stations are being frequently checked and refilled to ensure they are working properly, and all bathrooms have been stocked with both regular and alcohol-based soap. City Building Maintenance staff are cleaning thoroughly with commercial grade cleaners and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces like door handles, knobs, railings, and bathroom fixtures.
Warwick – a similar statement to that of Cranston was released.
The Meadowbrook School in East Greenwich was closed for cleaning because of a student’s family member who was ill and had traveled abroad.
URI is bringing its students home from Italy.
Coastal Medical Physicians Group – an email was sent to all their patients:
If you need a same day sick visit, call your primary care provider’s office first; please do not walk into a Coastal Medical office or Coastal365 location without an appointment. All patients who need a sick appointment will be asked:
- Have you had close contact with someone who has tested positive for Coronavirus?
- Have you recently traveled internationally to China, Iran, Italy, South Korea or Japan?
- Do you have symptoms including fever (greater than 100.4), cough or shortness of breath?
Patients with a low suspicion of Coronavirus exposure will be booked for a same-day sick appointment at their office or at one of our Coastal365 locations. We ask that all sick patients wear a face mask and use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer upon entering our offices.
Patients with a high suspicion of Coronavirus exposure will be asked to remain at home while Coastal Medical coordinates care with the RI Department of Health.
We anticipate high call volume during this time. If you have routine health requests—such as lab results, appointment times, or need to request a medication refill—please contact us using the patient portal.
If you have questions about the Coronavirus, please visit the Centers for Disease Control website at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus.
Science
One of the best resources for updates on Coronavirus for the deeply scientific: https://www.nejm.org/coronavirus?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=coronavirus&gclid=CjwKCAiAj-_xBRBjEiwAmRbqYnKtv03Wpb6YYodu-lgmYP18UI1wuQJLPILzMh-NvDmPCD_suSRwnhoCk_gQAvD_BwE
Children are being either mildly impacted or spared completely – a bit of a mystery to researchers.
Fatality is more than originally thought – as high as 3.4%, with most deaths for those 65 and older and in poor health.
Criteria for testing – has changed from “is the person symptomatic and has the person been in a country where there is community transmission or direct contact with a confirmed case of covid19 in the last 14 days” to “on demand” – however, the ability of any state to process test kits rapidly is in question.
Hospital capabilities – as we’ve seen in other parts of the world, the readiness is there, but will the staff and number of beds be there when needed?
What is herd immunity? Herd immunity is a concept that comes from the field of zoology. It refers to the ability of a population of animals to resist infection by a pathogen — such as a virus — because a sufficiently large number of individuals within the population have humoural immunity on an individual level. Humoural immunity is the ability of the immune system to form antibodies against a specific infectious agent. With herd immunity, transmissibility in a population is dramatically reduced via immunological mechanisms. This is the theory behind vaccines, which boost specific immunity within (ideally) a very large proportion of the population, such that a transmissible disease never gains a foothold.
Preparedness
Disinfect your mobile device screen twice per day — it’s been called a portable petri dish, accumulating germs. Use anti-bacterial wipes and try to swipe down your phone twice daily, once at lunch and once at dinnertime. The Covid-19 virus is estimated to last for up to 9 days on smooth glass and plastic surfaces, such as a mobile phone screen.
Disinfectant Products and more
We’re seeing no disinfectant wipes or masks at local CVS stores – and some states such as NYC, even at Costco supplies such as toilet paper (?) have been dwindling.
WHO issues warning over shortage of protective equipment