Subscribe!
Your Coronavirus Update – Today, Sept. 12, 2020
Photo: St. Raphael Academy, Pawtucket (Diocese of Providence photo)
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL
9,864 people tested positive for in England between 27 August and 2 September, which is an increase of 43% on the previous week.
Amazon set to hire 33,000 workers
Teachers in at least three states have died after bouts with the coronavirus since the dawn of the new school year. A 34-year-old special education teacher in Missouri, died after being hospitalized for three weeks; a third-grade teacher died in South Carolina, and two other educators died recently in Mississippi, which has reported 604 cases among school workers.
Expedia has been hit with a class action lawsuit for refusing refunds for flights canceled over the coronavirus outbreak.
MGM Resorts expects to open Park MGM – the company’s last shuttered hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip – in mid-October.
1st football game of the NFL was played with some socially distanced fans in the stands
NYC to fine $50 for not wearing a mask on public transportation
A CDC study said those who have gotten sick with coronavirus were more than twice as likely to have eaten out in the 2 weeks prior. (https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6936a5.htm?s_cid=mm6936a5_w)
Everett, MA is closing courts and playgrounds after they’ve seen 144 cases diagnosed within the last 14 days and a positive test rate of 5.16%
Century 21 clothing stores declare bankruptcy
9-11 First Responders from New York City are at special heightened risk for COVID-19, with many hundreds being impacted, particularly with lung and respiratory complications.
Google’s philanthropy arm Google.org said it’s distributing grant funds to support academic institutions and not-for-profits working on projects that address COVID-19 challenges like improving health equity and monitoring the disease’s spread and use of AI.
The Boston Public Schools and the Boston Teachers Union have reached an agreement on reopening schools that includes random weekly COVID-19 testing on union members
The healthcare crisis of COVID19 has implications for the future of lab space in greater Boston, as urgent research and development is driving growth and new development in the sector.
Nursing home residents account for about 40% of Covid-19 deaths in the U.S. In Rhode Island, this figure was approximately 80%
Faulty test positives beginning to pop up in MA, UK, elsewhere, could become greater concern as schools test in thousands… https://www.bbc.com/news/health-54000629
HHS yesterday issued guidance allowing pharmacists to be able to administer a Covid-19 vaccine to anyone age 3 and older when one becomes available.
911 Ceremonies in New York were adapted due to coronavirus – names will not be read, but a recording of them will be played, etc.
Researchers in the U.K. have developed a scoring system to better assess a patient’s risk of dying from Covid-19. The model, which was developed based on data from more than 35,000 patients with Covid-19, stratifies patients into four risk groups on a scale of 21 points. Those with a score of 9 or higher have a 40% higher risk of death, while that figure increases to 62% with a score of 15 or higher.
Highest number of coronavirus cases in Kansas occurred in meatpacking plants.
Hospitals in France beginning to fill up again as a resurgence of virus is happening.
Cases in India are increasing as the country begins retesting those who have tested negative prior.
New app in Britain will allow for scannable QR codes to show virus status.
Florida bars will have restrictions eased next week.
Texas high school football is playing again, with fans in the seats.
Cardiac changes may be taking place in some recovered young professional athletes and doctors are now recommending heart screenings after recovery.
WonderWoman, the movie, has been pushed to December for its launch, due to so many closed movie theaters.
At least 13 members of the Boston College women’s and men’s swimming and diving teams have tested positive, causing the team to suspend practices.
Boston College students and surrounding neighbors are calling for more testing of students, amidst a beginning outbreak, saying the college is far behind standards of testing for colleges.
Connecticut high school football team players protested at their state house for return of sports – “Let Us Play”
Some Massachusetts schools that are closed to classes are open to after-school programs in the building.
Guatemala plans to reopen its borders next week, six months after closing them in an effort to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The London hearing on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s extradition from Britain to the United States was suspended Thursday because one of the lawyers may have been exposed to the coronavirus.
Obesity’s link to developing severe COVID-19 is coming into “sharper focus as large new population studies have cemented the association and demonstrated that even people who are merely overweight are at higher risk,” Meredith Wadman writes for Science.
The mayor of Nashua, NH announced he has COVID-19, and his wife is experiencing symptoms, as well. Three other cases have been confirmed at City Hall.
10% of students at Georgia College have had COVID-19
Remdesivir, an antiviral used to treat COVID-19, is derived from a compound found in marine sponges.
1 in 4 people have low levels of Vitamin D – 22% of people diagnosed with COVID19 have low levels. Food won’t replenish it – people will need to take it as a supplement.
_______________
RHODE ISLAND & VICINITY
RI Data:
September 11th:
Deaths: 4 – Percent Positive: 1.3%
September 10th:
Deaths: 5 – Percent Positive: 1.1%
Bristol-Warren Teachers Union files suit to not start school next week in-person. They were not successful but the NEA head said schools should not be pressured into opening buildings they know are not in shape with guidelines.
Providence will have Saturday hours for questions about back to school:
Five school districts do not have a nurse for all buildings – the RI State Nurse Teachers Association is assisting with recruitment.
RI Legislature says it will come back into session in November to consider the state budget, and that it will not be put together until after the election. 4-5 months into the budget year. Shortfall if no other stimulus comes could be $1 billion for RI. Governor is holding onto $800-900 million in hopes that the guidelines will change and she can use it to “plug the holes” of such a large deficit. Rep. Blake Filippi says some should be spent for its original intent – to help small businesses – which are hurting so badly right now. Congress has said there will be no new stimulus money coming to states until after the election.
Judge Flanders, retired chief judge of the RI Supreme Court, said that Governor Raimondo’s extension of powers “indefinitely” flies in abuse of the separation of powers with the RI legislature and puts the onus on the legislature to take action. Flanders goes on to note that RI departments can make their own rules during this time of extension of power without required public comment.
RI College will permanently lay off 35 union employees, after other measures, including c closing the Henry Barnard School, hiring freezes, executive pay cuts, work-share program and also reducing the adjunct faculty budget, weren’t enough.
Massachusetts is extending the outdoor dining season and allowing arcades to open next week. The state is also adding $5M to a grant program that supports the installation of public spaces, including for outdoor restaurant service.
Starting Friday, CVS Health will be offering COVID-19 testing for children 12 and older at drive-through locations across the United States. The opening of four new sites in Rhode Island on Friday will bring the total in the state to 14 (1776 Broad St. Cranston; 2250 New London Turnpike, East Greenwich; 63 Newport Ave., East Providence; 1285 South County Trail, East Greenwich; 26 Putnam Pike, Johnston; 123 Boston Neck Rd., Narragansett; 935 Manton Ave.,and 960 Broad St., Providence; 151 Franklin St., Westerly; and 834 Providence St., West Warwick.) This brings to 14 the number of testing sites at RI CVS stores.
Ch. 12 reporting that West Warwick, Coventry and Portsmouth have applied for a combined total of approx. $2.2 million out of the $50 million the state set aside to help schools reopen. Gov. Raimondo has said no departments had requested money as of yesterday. (Note – this is a reimbursement so schools would have to spend money first, then request reimbursement).
Brown University is planning to resume in-person undergraduate instruction and open residence halls to additional students next month, citing an “improved public health situation in Rhode Island.”
$300 week additional unemployment payments will be extended by 2 more weeks.
RI overdose deaths are greater than in 2019 – 30 deaths in January/27 same month in 2019; 33 in February/22 in Feb. 2019; 31 in March/ 28 in March 2019; 34 to 22 in April; 38 to 25 in May, etc. CODAC will be expanding service locations and hours to meet the overdose crisis.
The RI Health Care Association thinks testing negative twice should be the standard that is kept rather than accepting the change to testing once before transferring a recovering COVID19 patient from a hospital to a nursing home. negative twice for the coronavirus before someone is discharged from a hospital into a nursing home.
Woonsocket will start school with a hybrid/virtual phase in model.
The Roger Williams Park Zoo will have adjusted hours – closing Tuesdays and Wednesdays through the end of the year, as the zoo’s finances suffer from the coronavirus pandemic. The zoo will now be open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Monday. Additionally, the Roger Williams Park Carousel Village has changed its hours, and will be open from noon to 4 p.m. Thursday through Monday.
NEW Nursing Home Visitation guidelines: Plans must ensure enough staffing to meet resident care needs and facilitate and monitor the visitation process. A staff member trained in resident safety and infection control measures must monitor the visit during the entire duration of the visit. If a facility identifies a new onset case in the same facility, the facility should ensure that the case is isolated and the case contacts are quarantined in accordance with existing guidance and protocols. Visitation may continue to occur for non-infected, asymptomatic residents and those not required to quarantine if it can occur completely outside the facility, in a well ventilated outdoor area. During the outside visit the visitor, resident, and staff must all wear a mask and remain six feet apart. If there is a new onset cluster of cases in the same facility, the facility should contact RIDOH as soon as possible. RIDOH will work with the facility to develop a visitation plan to be implemented during the cluster. o A cluster is defined as two new onset cases in the facility. If there is a new onset outbreak of cases in the same facility, the facility should contact RIDOH as soon as possible. RIDOH will work with the facility to develop a visitation plan to be implemented during the outbreak. An outbreak is defined as three new onset cases in the same facility https://health.ri.gov/publications/guidance/Guidance-for-Nursing-Home-and-Assisted-Living-Visitation.pdf
The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) will begin accepting applications for federal CARES Act fisheries assistance funding on Monday, September 14. The application period will be limited to 15 days, with a firm deadline of Monday, September 28. A total of $3,167,923 is available for eligible participants in the RI commercial and for-hire fisheries, including commercial harvesters, commercial aquaculturists, seafood processors/dealers, and for-hire vessel/business owners. Applicants must be Rhode Island residents and at least 18 years of age, and meet eligibility criteria. More info here: http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/marine-fisheries/Fisheries-CARES-Act.php
RI Secretary of State has mailed applications to all registered RI voters for the November election. 38,000 voters voted via mail in the primary, with 45,000 voters doing so in-person at 421 polling stations. The RI National Guard will assist with handling some functions unrelated to ballots.