Subscribe!
Your Coronavirus Update – Today, Oct. 8, 2020
Photo: New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick, wearing double masks – a surgical mask and a gator. The Patriots have 2-3 players testing positive and practice called off yesterday and today. Other NFL teams are starting to experience outbreaks.
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL
In an effort to avoid unnecessary interruptions of in-person learning in Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine said the state is going to conduct a study to examine whether student quarantines are effective as expected.
Joint Chiefs of staff quarantined – chairman Gen. Mark Milley and the chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and CyberCom commander have all tested negative for coronavirus and none has exhibited symptoms, and after a joint exposure they are all in quarantine.
Suddenly, new guidelines have been published by the FDA saying that vaccine makers should follow trial participants for at least two months to rule out safety issues before seeking emergency approval. That requirement would mean there could not be a vaccine introduction before Nov. 3, election day.
700 million packages may be delayed this holiday shopping year because of the quantity ordered – shop early is the advice.
President Trump announced negotiations with the House are over for stimulus aid as Speaker Pelosi insists on including $2.4 trillion to bail out badly run cities/states, which has nothing to do with the pandemic. President instructed end of negotiations until after the election where he promises stimulus packages will be put together. Insiders feel that this may be a negotiation tactic, and other announcements may be coming.
Contact tracing in Europe is being widely shot down as being able to get control of the coronavirus – both with people unwilling to provide details and the failure of governments to support citizens to be able to be out of work and quarantining. The US has struggled with lack of cooperation as well.
In Israel, the Israeli-Orthodox are defying lockdown regulations for their community.
Nearly 1/3 of patients at Plymouth Dept of Corrections facility test positive.
Regal movie theaters will temporarily shut over 500 theaters in US and lay off over 5,000 workers.
Showcase Theaters reopen their concession stands Monday, Oct. 5 in Massachusetts
Worcester says “no” to door-to-door trick or treating.
Stephen Miller, a senior adviser to President Trump, has tested positive and has already been self-quarantining and working for 5 days.
Chris Christie appeared on ABC’s post-debate coverage in studio along with George Stephanopoulos, Rahm Emanuel correspondent Linsey Davis and analysts Yvette Simpson and Sarah Fagen. He now tests positive and has been hospitalized due to his asthma and weight.
Joe Biden has told reporters that if President Donald Trump continues to test positive for COVID-19, there shouldn’t be a second debate.
Madrid will impose a lockdown
President Trump’s White House physician said in a memo Wednesday that the president has been free of symptoms for a full day and that his blood tests show the presence of antibodies for coronavirus.
Two White House housekeepers test positive
The White House Correspondents’ Association has worked with the White House since the spring to limit the number of reporters who are inside the White House, both working from there and attending events.
Michelle Obama records social media spot saying that electing Joe Biden will implement mandatory mask wearing
The CDC has called for buffet-less cruise ship dining – where travelers cannot graze and make their own plates. Each ship line is deciding how to implement this.
A neighborhood of Orthodox Jews erupted into violent protests about COVID-19 restrictions, burning masks in the street.
Paris will close all bars
The Dow Jones rose 530 points after news of new stimulus money.
Pres. Trump says he will accept discussions on single focus stimulus money, after ending discussions as no new movement has happened since May with the Congress.
Seems likely that relief for airlines and airline employees will happen soon.
Florida’s online voting system crashed as people were encouraged to use it over in-person voting. Meanwhile in Rhode island, far fewer people registered to vote by mail-in ballot than originally thought, leading to a big effort to find more polling stations and volunteer poll workers.
New York: Gov. Andrew Cuomo rejected the plan that Mayor DeBlasio had to close schools, restaurants, retail outlets, etc.
Wells Fargo cuts 700+ commercial line jobs.
Santander cuts hundreds of jobs across US.
Italy has imposed in/out mask mandate.
Author and China expert Gordon Chang said that the Chinese communist regime, which had not been truthful about the CCP virus during the early outbreaks, should be held accountable for its global spread and the positive diagnosis of President Donald Trump.
COVID-19, although it has taken a massive, devastating human and economic toll, it has fast-tracked a technological transformation that could have profound and positive impacts on healthcare.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo defended his decision not to wear a mask at an indoor press conference where he called for tougher enforcement of state rules requiring masks and social distancing. Cuomo said it was fine because he was over 6 feet away once he removed his mask.
Alcohol consumption is up 14% in the US since the pandemic.
Coronavirus-related crowd restrictions for events were loosened by Pennsylvania Gov. TomWolf, who called the shift “a gradual adjustment to our lives as we learn how we can do things safely” until there’s a vaccine or cure.
Doctors have said that Pres. Trump’s treatment was similar to what is available to others – the primary difference is the early and rapid deployment of the treatment methods. This could have changes for average Americans’ treatment plans.
New England Patriots Cam Newton is asymptomatic. If he stays that way for five days and tests negative twice 24 hours apart, he could be back on the field Thursday.
In Nevada, health officials in the state’s two largest counties said they have been shut out of the governor’s decisions regarding the pandemic.
Wisconsin will open a coronavirus field hospital at the state fairgrounds near Milwaukee.
The pandemic has doubled the number of people who are acutely food insecure to 270 million
Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, director of the infectious disease division at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said, about Presidential candidate Joe Biden: “It’s the right question to ask. Technically, if you follow the rules, he should be quarantined and he should not be around anyone, including Kamala Harris.
An office furniture manufacturer, AIS, Inc. is providing face masks to all poll workers and Election Day volunteers in Massachusetts.
Nantucket limits gatherings to 10 due to outbreaks.
Chief of Staff Mark Meadows says President Trump feels good enough to resume working from the Oval Office and they now have precautions in place to allow for that. Any staff coming in contact with him will wear gowns, gloves, mask, eye protection
Salem asks visitors without reservations to stay away from Halloween attractions
Three Hudson, MA school community members test positive for COVID-19
Football: A player on the Las Vegas Raiders has tested positive today per source. Another Titans player tests positive. Stephon Gilmore of Patriots tests positive.
California Governor issued guidelines for people to put their mask back on in between bites when dining out – people average 41 bites a meal…
Ruby Tuesday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Hawaii is pushing forward on welcoming tourists again.
Boston Public Schools’ reopening plans were paused Wednesday after the city’s COVID-19 positive test rate climbed over 4%
Santas everywhere will have to have a different way of interacting with children as lap-sitting will be not allowed.
RHODE ISLAND & VICINITY
RI Data
Oct. 6
Oct. 7:
Don’t be alarmed by rising numbers of cases because we are doing so much more testing. Hospitalization trend is heading downward – 70 to 66. Percent positive is 1.5%
Hospitalizations in RI of COVID-19 patients totaled 107, an increase from 93 one day prior. Of those hospitalized, 10 were in intensive care units and five were on ventilators
RI is at 90% of its pre-COVID economy – this is good and we need to keep going. Based on composite measure used by Moody’s – measure such as job creation, etc.
K-12 – Testing: 4th week of testing. Of 6,000 tests, identified 109 cases. Percent positive is about 2%. 1400 staff and 4200 tests on students. 2500 of tests were done last week. This week we will do more. Since school started, 260 cases in community in total. Only 109 were identified in K-12 testing system. Rent of cases were identified through other means. If you are part of the K-12 system, please use that system so we can keep track of numbers and we guarantee same day testing and results. Phone # 844-857-1814. Of the 260 cases so far, ½ are from students/staff who have not set foot in a classroom this year. 95 schools have seen positive case – 69 of them have only had one case. Means in all of those schools the system is working. After 4 weeks, data is showing system is working. TY to Warwick groups for deciding to go back to school, starting with K-5. Pawtucket: “Let’s see if you can do the right thing for the kids of Pawtucket – many will suffer lifelong hardship if you don’t work harder, be more creative to open the schools – especially those with special needs and especially for the littlest ones. It is the poor black and brown children of Pawtucket, who will fall the furthest behind if you don’t do your job and get them back in school.”
Correction: 150 cases in schools reopened. 110 cases from distance learning. Gov said the majority are from teachers who have not been in school – and that schools mostly have 1 case per school.
Subs: Every district in need. Calling all retired teachers to raise your hand and serve. If you are retired, if you have space in your heart and your day, please come back. Consider helping with virtual learning. If you want a new career, please consider this, too. Dept. of Educ through the Highlander Institute is putting a training program together for free training.In classroom or virtual. Complete program, your name would be put on a list. $90-$150/day. Back2schoolri.com for more info. (It’s not a lot of money, it’s to help the children). Editor’s Note: Teacher unions, groups, and medical experts have criticized bringing back teachers over age 50 to a live, in-person setting.
Jobs Announcement: Infosys had committed to hiring 500 RIslanders. As of today they have 150 jobs posted – looking to fill immediately. Infosys.com/rhodeisland – if you don’t have skills, apply anyway, you might be eligible for free training.
Vaccine: Don’t know when it will be ready. Lot of concern, uncertainty, and misinformation. Gov says “come here for your information” – “tune out noise, politics, social media, and news”. Distribution system is being worked on – RI has a team – it’s top of mind. We will devote tens of millions of CARES and FEMA dollars for vaccine distribution in RI. RI is excellent at doing immunizations. RI will put together a sub-committee to work just on this. RI will evaluate the vaccine(s) for safety and efficacy. Full list of members will be on DOH website. Vaccine is not a silver bullet – have to have enough – double shots most likely – sufficient quantity – people comfortable enough to take it.
RI COVID-19 Vaccine Subcommittee members
- Dr. Tom Bledsoe, Rhode Island Hospital
- Dr. Sapna Chowdhry, Thundermist Health Center
- Dr. Kerry LaPlante, URI School of Pharmacy
- Dr. Pablo Rodriguez, Care New England
- Dr. Jennifer Clarke, Rhode Island Department of Corrections
- Dr. John Fulton, Brown University School of Public Health
- Dr. Beth Lange, Coastal Medical
- Jonathan Brice, Bristol/Warren Regional School District
- Dr. Wilfredo Perez, Tri-county Community Action Agency
- Reverend Chris Abhulime, the King’s Tabernacle
- Larry Warner, United Way
- Dr. Karen Tashima, Lifespan Immunology Center
- Dr. Sabina Holland, Hasbro Children’s Hospital
- Kathy Heren, Rhode Island Long-term Care Ombudsman
- Dr. Eugenio Fernandez, Asthenis Pharmacy
- Joan Kwiatkowski, PACE
- TBD: Brown University School of Public Health representative under the leadership of Dr. Ashish Jha
Company break rooms can be a problem – wear masks – and clean.
Car-pooling can be a problem.
Colleges/universities – cases associated with communal living situations. Heavily involved with leadership to help. Specifically J&W, URI, and PC
Nightclubs: should be closed.
RI needs a stimulus – if we don’t see a stimulus it will be awful. Cuts to schools, cuts and layoffs to state employees, etc. Looking for predictability. Q: If there is no stimulus money, will you release CARES funds? Gov: Maybe. CARES will need to go to business, and to not shut jobs down.
Budget: November legislature will come back.
If you are out of work and worried that your job might not come back go to back2work website and get some training.
______
Newport Mental Health will create a COVID-19 Emergency Suicide Prevention program with a $1 Million grant. Newport County has the highest suicide rate in RI
Twin River rehires 2/3 of its casino workforce, cutting remainder due to pandemic.
The Garland Pen Company here in RI since 1927, probably the only USA made pen company, is closing due to the pandemic – several dozen employees to lose their jobs.
North Providence High School to move to virtual learning after 2 students test positive.
The Fryeburg Fair set for Oct 4-11 will go virtual.
COVID-19 cases at the University of Massachusetts continued to climb over the weekend, with the university reporting 23 more over the weekend. That brings to 121 the number of those connected with UMass who have tested positive since Aug. 6.
Framingham announced a major spike in coronavirus cases on Monday. An additional 44 residents tested positive for COVID-19 since Oct. 2, bringing the city’s active case count to 145, the highest number of active cases in Framingham since late August. They will also not issue warnings anymore about parties over 15 – but go straight to $500 per person fines.
Dream Mall in New Jersey opens.
Fall River will allow trick or treating if no surges 5:30 to 7, wear face masks, stay with groups of family and use hand sanitizer.
Newport restaurants are working to extend the outdoor season, ordering tents and heaters.
One restaurant owner described downtown Providence as a “ghost town”.
RI DMV extensions have ended – need to certify by end of October.
RI DMV will open on Saturdays from 8:30am to 12:30pm starting Oct. 17th and going to the end of the year, with the exception of 2 Monday holidays.
Gardner’s Wharf Seafood, the popular Wickford seafood market and wholesale shellfish processing station, will be closed through Oct. 12 following staff exposure and direct contact “with a person testing positive for COVID 19,
Johnson And Wales Moves Online Following 38 Coronavirus Cases
3 Worcester firefighters test positive.
Ed Achorn, former editor of Providence Journal wrote an opinion blog about not having lives turned upside down by the coronavirus – https://edachorn.com/2020/10/06/dont-let-covid-19-dominate-your-life/
Brigham and Womens will begin a 10,000 study of at-home testing
Coventry School Dept. bus driver tests positive – 3 children are based told to quarantine
Sturdy Memorial Hospital has 4 positive cases in patients and 10 in staff.
College Updates:
URI:
9/28-10/4 – 2,088 tests given; 66 positives, Positive Test Rate: 3%
All time – 10,086 tests given; 184 positives, Positive Test Rate: 2%
Total in quarantine: 498 – Total students in university isolation/quarantine: 79
Effective immediately: All students must be tested.
Providence College:
Last 2 weeks – 3,082 tests given; 20, Positive Test Rate .95%
All time – 22,221 tests given; 233 positives (includes 3 faculty/staff), Positive Test Rate: 1%
Total in quarantine: 324 – Isolation: 84
Recovered: 171
Johnson & Wales:
Last week: 13 new cases identified – moving to all virtual and will do all-campus testing
Brown University: (reporting asymptomatic results)
Last 7 days: 6,464 people tested; 9 positives; Positive Test Rate: .1%
All time: 7,214 people tested; 26 positives; Positive Test Rate: .4%
President’s address last night: noting the types of medications he hopes to make available to all people, for no cost.