Evidence over hysteria – COVID 7/17
Reopening and Lockdown Updates
Betsy DeVos: Schools that don’t reopen shouldn’t get federal funds
“Education Secretary Betsy DeVos told “Fox News Sunday” that public schools that don’t reopen in the fall should not get federal funds, and that the money should be redirected to families who can use it to find another option for their children.”
DeVos defends push to reopen schools as Trump administration is accused of ‘messing with’ children’s health
“Education Secretary Betsy DeVos defended the Trump administration’s aggressive push to reopen schools in the fall amid the worsening coronavirus pandemic, saying Sunday that a hybrid of virtual and in-person learning is “not a valid choice for families.”
Going up: New York’s Empire State Building observatory to reopen on July 20
“Visitors will be required to undergo a temperature screening and will not be admitted if it exceeds 100.4 F. They will also be required to wear face masks throughout the visit.”
Disney World Opens Its Gates, With Virus Numbers Rising
“Thousands of giddy visitors streamed into the Florida resort, as Disney tried to prove it can safely operate at a highly dangerous time.”
Fifth of vulnerable people considered self-harm in UK lockdown
“A fifth of vulnerable people in Britain thought about self-harming or killing themselves during lockdown, according to research shared with the Guardian.”
600 Physicians Say Lockdowns Are A ‘Mass Casualty Incident’
“More than 600 of the nation’s physicians sent a letter to President Trump… calling the coronavirus shutdowns a “mass casualty incident” with “exponentially growing negative health consequences” to millions of non COVID patients.”
Recent Academic Research
Kids Rarely Transmit Covid-19, Say UVM Docs in Top Journal
https://www.uvm.edu/uvmnews/news/kids-rarely-transmit-covid-19-say-uvm-docs-top-journal
“After six months, we have a wealth of accumulating data showing that children are less likely to become infected and seem less infectious; it is congregating adults who aren’t following safety protocols who are responsible for driving the upward curve.”
Study in Primates Finds Acquired Immunity Prevents COVID-19 Reinfections
“There have been rare reports of people recovering from infection with SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, only to test positive a second time. Such results might be explained by reports that the virus can linger in our systems. Yet some important questions remain: Is it possible that people could beat this virus only to get reinfected a short time later? How long does immunity last after infection? And what can we expect about the duration of protection from a vaccine?”
Challenges Estimating Total Lives Lost in COVID-19 Decisions
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2768250?mc_cid=034f2eaf2d&mc_eid=c3bca5b581
“With unemployment associated with all-cause mortality, it may be time to more serious, and quantitatively, take the social, economic, and psychological consequences of policies into account.”
The impact of host resistance on cumulative mortality and the threshold of herd immunity for SARS-CoV-2
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.07.15.20154294v1
“It is widely believed that the herd immunity threshold (HIT) required to prevent a resurgence of SARS-CoV-2 is in excess of 50% for any epidemiological setting.”
Charts and Graphs
Florida Capacity Holding Steady
Source: FL Agency for Health Care Administration
Arizona COVID Surveillance Declines
AZ is plateauing
Density is highly correlated with COVID fatalities
U.S COVID-19 Reported Daily Deaths
Texas is flattening
Outlays and Receipts of the COVID pandemic
Job postings decreasing, despite the control of COVID
Increase in Hotel Rooms
International News
Time to make masks mandatory? It’s not just a US debate
https://apnews.com/f7fa4faa80a89b75c26345ad04a7b4b5?utm_source=nextdraft&utm_medium=email
“Amid pervasive backsliding on social distancing, Britain has made masks mandatory in shops and France is weighing whether to require people to wear them in public places.”
Scots cancer deaths soar as 900 patients die at home during lockdown
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/lockdown-linked-increase-almost-900-22341548
“Lockdown has been linked to an increase of almost 900 cancer patients dying at home, official figures reveal.”
Barbados is planning to let people stay and work remotely for a year
“Barbados has relaxed certain coronavirus restrictions and lifted curfews. It has introduced physical distancing of three feet and is allowing social events with up to 500 patrons as well as spectators at sporting events.”
German study finds no evidence coronavirus spreads in schools
https://news.yahoo.com/german-study-finds-no-evidence-164704005.html
“Schools do not play a major role in spreading the coronavirus, according to the results of a German study… ‘Children act more as a brake on infection. Not every infection that reaches them is passed on.’ Prof Reinhard Berner, Dresden Univ Hospital.”
57 sailors in Argentina get coronavirus after weeks at sea, despite quarantine
“Argentina is trying to solve a medical mystery after 57 sailors were infected with the coronavirus after 35 days at sea, despite the entire crew testing negative before leaving port.”
The government has lost control
https://www.spiked-online.com/2020/07/16/the-government-has-lost-control/
“This week, just days after high-street shops were allowed to reopen after months of closure, the UK government announced that, from 24 July, shoppers in England will be required to wear masks.”
Brazil tops 2 million coronavirus cases, with 76,000 dead
https://apnews.com/1b4263980a7e4afde43be1d7cba82fde
“Since late May, three months after Brazil’s first reported case of the coronavirus, it has recorded more than 1,000 daily deaths on average in a gruesome plateau that has yet to tilt downward.”
Death and Hospitalization Updates
‘Deaths of despair’: Coronavirus pandemic could push suicide, drug deaths as high as 150k, study says
https://www.usatoday.com/amp/3081706001
“The federal mental health czar is calling for more money to expand services to help people suffering amid the social isolation imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, as a new study estimates related deaths from alcohol, drug overdose and suicide could reach 150,000.”
About 5,000 heart attack sufferers in England missed out on lifesaving hospital treatment due to pandemic
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-07-heart-england-lifesaving-hospital-treatment.html
“In total, by the end of May there had been about 5000 fewer admissions with a heart attack in 2020 than would be expected, suggesting that many patients have missed out on life-saving treatment.”
New York City Reaches Milestone With No Reported Virus Deaths
“New York City, once the epicenter of the nation’s coronavirus outbreak, has just reported its first day with zero confirmed or probable virus deaths since the pandemic hit New York State.”
Nursing Homes & Assisted Living Facilities Account for 45% of COVID-19 Deaths
https://freopp.org/the-covid-19-nursing-home-crisis-by-the-numbers-3a47433c3f70
“A startling statistic has profound implications for the way we’ve managed the coronavirus pandemic.”
Covid-19 intensive care mortality rates have fallen by a THIRD since the start of pandemic, study claims
“The chance of surviving coronavirus after falling critically ill has risen significantly since the start of the pandemic. Analysis by the University of Bristol shows the proportion of patients dying from COVID in ICU has plummeted by a third since March.”
Other COVID News
When Will the Madness End?
“I’m a psychiatrist who specializes in anxiety disorders, paranoid delusions, and irrational fear. What’s happening now is a spread…to the whole population. It can happen with anything but here we see a primal fear of disease turning into mass panic.”
Toward a More Resilient Europe
“Europe, like the rest of the world, faces an extended crisis. An element of social distancing—mandatory or voluntary—will be with us for as long as this pandemic persists. This, coupled with continued supply chain disruptions and other problems, is prolonging an already difficult situation.”
Gov. Reeves admits mistake in deeming businesses nonessential
https://www.wlox.com/2020/04/28/gov-reeves-admits-mistake-deeming-businesses-nonessential/
“Gov. Tate Reeves admits he’s made the same mistake leaders across the country have made in defining what businesses are considered essential and nonessential.”
FOX 35 INVESTIGATES: Florida Department of Health says some labs have not reported negative COVID-19 results
“The report showed that Orlando Health had a 98% positivity rate. However, they confirmed errors in the report. Orlando Health’s positivity rate is only 9.4%, not 98% as in the report.”