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Your Coronavirus Update – Today, Sept. 29, 2020
Photo: ADM Giroir demonstrating the new test by Abbott – see below for video.
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL
A game changing day as rapid, 15 minute, self-administered tests in large quantities are now available – next to a vaccine, most helpful results. 150 million rapid point of use tests debuted at Presidential press conference Monday – called “State of the Art in Testing”. Combination of Abbott Labs and Puritan (for swabs). Designed for schools, nursing homes, assisted living centers, congregate locations, historic black colleges, churches, etc. Governors to receive shipments of 100 million this week for use at their discretion – with federal government hoping it will be for schools, to open them fully. (see video, below).
The Cleveland Clinic will test all individuals anywhere near the debate center for Tuesday night’s debate.
All California State University, Long Beach students who live on campus have been placed in quarantine, and all in-person instruction will be halted for two weeks because five students tested positive
Greek Cruise ship has 12 positive crew members on board, with 1,500 passengers.
Amazon Prime Day(s) will be Oct. 13 & 14, early, to assist with massive shipping demand this holiday season.
A USA TODAY analysis shows Florida’s positive case count among kids ages 5 to 17 declined through late September after a peak in July. Among the counties seeing surges in overall cases, it’s college-age adults – not schoolchildren – driving the trend, the analysis found. The early results in Florida show the success of rigorous mask wearing, social distancing, isolating contacts and quick contact tracing
Eight percent of those who have had coronavirus have been in nursing homes – but 40% of them have died.
Luxury and regular home building and renovation projects are plentiful and growing as people adapt their homes for more living and working.
60 military officials, including four generals, help lead Operation Warp Speed, STAT exclusively reports. Many have never worked in health care or vaccine development. Those behind the initiative are flying in equipment and raw materials from all over the world — and have systems in place to guard the vaccine carefully from “state actors who don’t want us to be successful in this”.
Three-quarters of parents of toddlers plan to get their kids the flu shot, but that figure is 65% for parents of teens. Of those who don’t plan to vaccinate against the flu this year, 1 in 7 say it’s because they don’t want to risk exposing their kids to Covid-19 at a health site. Around 40% are concerned about side effects, while a third are worried the vaccine isn’t effective.
A high-end steakhouse, Nusr-et Steakhousem on Arlington Ave, that opened in Boston last weekend has been shut down by the city due to several violations, including at least one that is COVID-related.
RHODE ISLAND & VICINITY
The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) will kick off Rhode Island’s annual flu vaccination campaign today at an outdoor media event at which State leaders will discuss the importance of vaccination. They say “Flu vaccination will be critical this year. The flu is a serious virus that can result in significant health complications. Vaccination will decrease the chances that individual people will get seriously ill, and it will decrease the chances that Rhode Island’s healthcare system will be overburdened in the coming months as Rhode Island continues to respond to COVID-19.”
PC & URI basketball teams will not play each other this year due to a scheduling conflict, according to PC.
2020 Citizens Pell Bridge Run canceled.
Providence city buildings will change the one day of closure for cleaning from Wednesdays to Fridays. City buildings will offer in-person city services Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:30AM to 4:30PM, with the exception of the Department of Public Works providing counter service from 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM on operational days. On operational days, each department will be staffed at half capacity to comply with social distancing guidelines.
RI will remove 2 of the 3 temporary hospitals that are state facilities (convention center and CommerceRI owned building in NK), keeping the one rented from the Carpionato Corp in Cranston for approx.. $330,000/month – and extending that lease until June of 2021.
A Providence Business News survey of RI businesses showed 63% feel that their business will return to pre-COVID numbers a year from now.
Gemelli Bistro in Charlestown, which Manfredo and her mother Marilyn Iozzi own and operate, has been recognized by the national website, Love Food, as one of America’s best drive-thru restaurants.
Both Garden City Center & Warwick Mall say business is good. Providence Place Mall says business is picking up since they reopened in June.
Pawtucket’s Varieur Elementary School will go to virtual after a few students tested positive – the building will be cleaned and contact tracing, testing to be done.
Proposal to extend 300 bed Cranston surge hospital until June of 2021 will be voted on today. The Convention Center and another location in NK will both close. State will continue to pay Carpionato Corp $300,000 a month for the location.
Revel Lounge & Bistro, on the waterfront, in Providence will shut down for not following COVID19 rules, and having a very large party/gathering this weekend.
RI Data:
Deaths: 2
New cases: 26
Hospitalized: 94
Percent positivity: 1.3%