COVID* STANDFORD MASK STUDY---Elsevier journal to retract widely debunked masks study whose author claimed a Stanford affiliation p345

Japan

h/t crofsblog

[link to mainichi.jp (secure)]

Hokkaido woman infected with coronavirus served lunch at local elementary school

A lunch lady in her 50s responsible for delivering meals to classrooms at an elementary school in Ebetsu, Hokkaido, northern Japan, has tested positive...

[snip]

The school building will be disinfected before classes resume on Feb. 25. None of the students have reportedly complained of feeling unwell.

According to the Ebetsu Municipal Board of Education, the infected woman is responsible for dividing up the lunch dishes in the school food service room and bringing the meals up to the doors of each classroom for the second to fourth grades, comprising 194 students. She wore a face mask, gloves and a white coat during work.

The woman complained of a sore throat on Feb. 13 but worked the next day, and did not go to see a doctor until Feb. 15. Her two co-workers have been put on leave until the end of this month as a precautionary measure.

[snip]

... a total of 12 people in Hokkaido, Chiba Prefecture east of Tokyo, and the central Japan prefecture of Aichi tested positive for the novel coronavirus.



This is a nightmare.

Last Edited by NawtyBits on 02/24/2020 02:00 PM

h/t crofsblog

[link to crofsblogs.typepad.com (secure)]

Is the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic yet?

Via The New York Times, an op-ed by Dr. Michael T. Osterholm and Mark Olshaker: Is the Coronavirus Outbreak a Pandemic Yet? Excerpt and then a comment:


[begin snip from NYT article]


Is the Covid-19 outbreak now a pandemic, whether or not the World Health Organization calls it that yet? If so, what’s next?

First, let’s get the facts straight about what can and cannot be done.

It’s now clear that the epidemic was never going to be contained. At most, its spread was slowed by the lockdown imposed in China and other countries’ efforts to identify infected people and anyone they might have been in contact with.

Covid-19 seems to spread like influenza, through the air, person to person. Unlike Ebola, SARS and MERS, individuals can transmit this coronavirus before the onset of symptoms or even if they don’t become ill. An infected person appears to spread the disease to an average of 2.6 people. After 10 generations of transmission, with each taking about five or six days, that one initial case has spawned more than 3,500, most with no or mild symptoms, yet probably infectious. The fact that mild cases are difficult to differentiate from colds or the flu only complicates the diagnosis.

In light of the disease’s features, the quarantine of the passengers and crew members on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama Bay in Japan looks like a cruel experiment: While confined, these people were forced to breathe recycled air for two weeks. The measure achieved little except to prove just how effective the virus is at spreading. Trying to stop influenza-like transmission is a bit like trying to stop the wind.

Vaccines are many months away, at the earliest. And based on previous experiences with SARS, MERS and pandemic influenza, there is no reason to believe — as President Trump claimed — that Covid-19 will go away this spring as warmer weather arrives in the Northern Hemisphere. Transmission around the world could continue for months.

The lockdown imposed by the Chinese government in Hubei, the province worst hit by the disease, substantially reduced the number of new cases for a time. But even that has limited benefits. As China tries to return to work, public transportation resumes and citizens start moving about, there will likely be a major rebound in cases. Unless an entire population shelters in place for many months, infectious agents like influenza or this coronavirus will find people to infect.

In other words, a lockdown is mostly a delaying tactic. By distributing cases over time, it can help manage an outbreak — but only if it takes place against the backdrop of a robust health care system. Yet even the best system is too fragile, and a moderate increase in infectious cases, whether from a seasonal flu or Covid-19, can quickly overwhelm resources, in China or the United States.

As chilling as it is to imagine this scenario, what happened in Wuhan, the Chinese city at the epicenter of the outbreak, will likely play out elsewhere, too. Hospitals might have to turn away all but the people most seriously ill; their ability to handle their usual load of patients with heart attacks, critical injuries or cancers may be severely compromised.

In a world ill-prepared for a potentially life-threatening, easily transmitted disease like Covid-19, the most effective way to mitigate the pandemic’s impact is to focus on supporting health care systems that already are overburdened.

{end snip from NYT article}

Crofsblog comment: Osterholm knows his stuff, and perhaps for that reason his colleagues call him "Bad News Mike." In 2017, he and Olshaker published Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs, which I reviewed for The Tyee. It's worth reading for the excellent background it offers on how we've set ourselves up for outbreaks like this one.

Use your heads.

All viruses, aerosol and whatnot, are going to go into remission for the summer.

Coronavirus is out there and will not go away, but it will go into remission like all the viruses.

Warmer temperatures will bring the humidity levels up, slowing down the transmission rates.

Humidity not only captures the aerosol viruses, it also moisturizes the lips and sinuses, and cracked lips and sinuses are entry points for viruses.

We WILL see a reduction in Coronavirus infections the closer we get to summer in the Northern Hemisphere, and there will be more infections in the Southern Hemisphere during their winter, keeping the Coronavirus alive, which means it will return to the Northern Hemisphere next winter.

Next year is when the Coronavirus will get extremely bad in the Northern Hemisphere, shutting down communities all over the place, and devastating commerce.

You still have one good summer ahead of you to get your act together.


.

h/t crofsblog

[link to www.sixthtone.com]

The day before the central Chinese city of Wuhan went into lockdown, Ye Bing received an ominous message from the hospital where his father-in-law was being treated for tuberculosis: He would have to leave.

“They were forcing all of the patients to leave the hospital, saying the government had ordered the wards to be cleared out to treat coronavirus patients,”

Ye told Sixth Tone just over a month after Hubei’s provincial capital restricted the movement of some 14 million people to contain the spread of COVID-19. Ye said Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital didn’t even suggest what to do with his father-in-law after he was discharged. They didn’t know which hospital to visit next, or what treatment to seek.

Post a link to your very uniformed opinion, or hush. You know nothing.

ht crofsblog

[link to www.usfk.mil (secure)]

USFK Individual Confirmed with COVID-19

South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention informed United States Forces Korea today that a USFK dependent living in Daegu tested positive for COVID-19, making this the first time a USFK-related individual has tested positive for the virus.

USFK has raised the risk level to “high” for USFK peninsula-wide as a prudent measure to protect the force.

The patient, a 61-year old female, visited Camp Walker’s Post Exchange on Feb. 12 and 15, and KCDC and USFK health professionals are actively conducting contact tracing to determine whether any others may have been exposed.

Oman reporting 2 confirmed.

Italy

BNO Newsroom
@BNODesk
NEW: Italy reports another death from coronavirus, raising death toll to 7, four of which happened today; latest patient was 62

[link to twitter.com (secure)]

Supposedly The cases in Ohio came back negative

According to the link below, the 6 in San Antonio are all from the Diamond Princess.

[link to www.kens5.com (secure)]

Sorry, 5 of the cases are from the Diamond Princess. The other one is listed as a "patient previously under federal quarantine at JBSA-Lackland."

Not sure what is up with that one case. Anyone have info on that?

As I was reading that bulletin, a light went on in my head to replace the word 'may' with 'will' in the entire document. Also the word 'likely'.

try it and see how that feels to you. just try it. At the end, it then feels a bit different when you read 'there is no vaccine or medications to treat it'.

what is it saying now?

"this is going to get very bad and don't come to the hospital because you aren't going to find help there."

According to WKBW, a case was discovered in Toronto.

Ontario health officials say a woman arrived back in Canada from China on Friday with symptoms of the virus. Her tests for the coronavirus came back positive. Upon her arrival back in Canada she has been self-isolated.

The woman did follow protocols and wore a mask upon her return, so officials say it's unlikely she was infectious.

This is the first confirmed case of the virus in Ontario -- three previous people were cleared of a virus diagnosis.


Read More: Confirmed Case of Coronavirus Less Than Two Hours From Buffalo | [link to wyrk.com (secure)]

This link is for article on cases from 2 weeks ago.

[link to wyrk.com (secure)]

Dated Feb 12

According to WKBW, six people are self-quarantined in Rochester as the Monroe County Department of Health continues to monitor for the coronavirus.

Last Edited by NawtyBits on 02/24/2020 02:29 PM

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed five new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in San Antonio.

The people affected are among the group of Diamond Princess cruise ship passengers currently under federal quarantine at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland.



I think the Lackland guy was a week or so ago. I think he was included in the old number system, and then moved to the new reporting system as a repatriated case. I think.

UPDATE: The CDC announced Monday that there are 53 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States. #coronavirus

[link to twitter.com (secure)]

Last Edited by MetaDeth on 02/24/2020 02:35 PM

The CDC announced Monday that there are 53 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States. Twelve are travel related, and two were spread person-to-person. Another 36 were passengers aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, and three were evacuated from Wuhan, China.

Thanks for restoring the thread Trinity. Funny how the saner threads and posters keep getting reported for "violations". Have some green OP.

US markets getting killed today.

[link to kr.usembassy.gov (secure)]

Health Alert: The Republic of Korea (ROK) Raises Red Alert for Infectious Disease

Health Alert: The Republic of Korea (ROK) Raises Red Alert for Infectious Disease The ROK raised its infectious-disease alert to red, the highest level, after the number of COVID-19 cases increased over the past several days, especially around Daegu and the Gyeongbuk areas. The red alert strengthens the coordination between the central government and local government to help contain the spread of the virus. The ROK government has recommended special quarantine measures to Daegu area residents for the next two weeks.

As of 5:00pm on February 24, the Korea Center for Disease Control has confirmed 833 positive cases of COVID-19 in the Republic of Korea, including 7 deaths. Authorities have confirmed that community-based transmission continues to occur in Korea. The U.S. Embassy in Seoul is closely monitoring developments related to COVID-19 in the ROK.

Canada prepares pandemic response plan as coronavirus cases continue to climb

[link to www.cbc.ca (secure)]

Canada is preparing to respond to a possible pandemic as the number of coronavirus cases continues to climb around the globe.

Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said the global threat posed by the novel coronavirus, now called COVID-19, is evolving fast. While the outbreak continues to be contained mostly to the epicentre in Hubei, China, she noted that the virus is spreading now at the community level, person-to-person, in several other countries.

"These signs are concerning, and they mean that the window of opportunity for containment ... for stopping the global spread of the virus, is closing," Tam told reporters in a teleconference Monday.

"It also tells countries like Canada, that have been able to manage and detect cases so far, that we have to prepare across governments, across communities, and as families and individuals, in the event of more widespread transmission in our community."

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, but so far hasn't declared it a pandemic.

Tam said the trajectory of the coronavirus is unknown at this time and it's possible that cases have occurred in other countries that don't have the proper tools to diagnose and contain it.

Canada developed a pandemic response plan in 2009, which would serve as the foundation for any shift in the official response to the current outbreak, she said.

The response plan includes accelerating research work here and contributing to international efforts to develop a vaccine abroad. Tam said it also could lead to expanding laboratory testing capabilities and access to diagnostic tools, and taking stock of essential supplies to make sure authorities don't run short. She added that Canada's course of action would be much the same whether the WHO declares a pandemic or not.

The WHO said today that China has reported 77,362 cases of COVID-19, including 2,618 deaths.

Outside China, there are now 2,074 cases in 28 countries, including 10 in Canada, and 23 related deaths.

Despite the rising numbers, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said officials are encouraged by the fact that the number of new cases continues to decline in China.

Tedros said a decision on whether to declare a pandemic is based on an ongoing assessment of the geographical spread of the virus, the severity of the disease and its impact on society.

"For the moment, we are not witnessing the uncontained global spread of this virus, and we are not witnessing large-scale severe disease or death," he said.

"Does this virus have pandemic potential? Absolutely it has. Are we there yet? From our assessment, not yet."

Tedros said labelling the outbreak a pandemic could create unnecessary fear.

Tam said that the goal now is to slow the spread of the virus, adding it's difficult to stop its spread because more countries are reporting people with no or mild symptoms.

Canada has been successful so far in detecting imported cases and preventing person-to-person spread within communities, but is preparing for other scenarios, Tam said.

4th case of coronavirus in Ontario confirmed
Tam said enhanced border control measures and messaging at airports will be broadened to include warnings to travellers returning from other countries with reported cases of coronavirus.

She said international travellers arriving at Canadian airports will be told to self-isolate if they're experiencing flu-like symptoms.

Tam said all travellers should take general precautions and plan ahead by, for instance, making sure they have enough medication for a trip.

She repeated the standard public health messages encouraging people to wash their hands frequently, cover coughs and sneezes, keep track of federal travel health advice posted online and share travel history with health-care providers in the event of becoming sick.

Guess what? Saying that they don't want to declare a pandemic out of fear of creating unnecessary fear CREATES FEAR!

Last Edited by Woodenboat on 02/24/2020 03:05 PM

Can’t have a pandemic if you don’t test for illness.

I'd like to recommend this germicidal (UV) bulb:
[link to www.amazon.com (secure)]

...and this base:
[link to www.amazon.com (secure)]

They've done a good job for two years now.

PS: I have it setup to turn on a 2 AM for 10 minutes (WEMO). Any longer than that and the ozone will run you off.

[link to virologydownunder.com (secure)]


Ian Mackay blog. Great read.

Past Time to Tell the Public: “It Will Probably Go Pandemic, and We Should All Prepare Now”

Posted on February 23, 2020 AuthorIan M Mackay, PhD (EIC)

Very serious indeed, if true. Likely is.

OK, woman with no symptoms and negative tests traveled from Wuhan. Infected family members, two of whom developed pneumonia. She had no positive test and lungs xray was OK too. Second test was positive.

"The study, published on Feb. 21, confirmed that a 20-year-old woman from the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the disease first broke out, traveled 400 miles north to Anyang City in January, where she infected five members of her family.

A scan of her chest by doctors showed no significant abnormalities, and her first coronavirus diagnostic result was negative. However, her second test came back positive, despite her displaying no symptoms whatsoever.

Meanwhile, five of the woman’s family members developed “moderate” COVID-19, and two developed severe pneumonia, according to Dr. Meiyun Wang of the People’s Hospital of Zhengzhou University and colleagues who conducted the study."

50% rule followed

[link to www.theepochtimes.com (secure)]

This is challenging. No positive test and no abnormalities. This is impossible to quarantine or block.

Got to move to another method of containment. Perhaps all wear bioweapons suits? JK

The picture is developing that the establishment is trying to get everyone to "know" that the pandemic announcement is forthcoming, so nobody gets alarmed. Maybe that old 95% rule, that the media doesn't break old stories (rumors proven true) until 95% of all of us have discussed it already. Then when the "bombshell" drops, nobody flinches.

Buy us motorhomes and lets go vacation in the forest with our pets and make anti corona damage drugs and excellent wines and cheeses and eat them.
Its dumb to "oh woe must be miserable" when it could be one of the best things that ever happened, govt gave everybody a year off and we played tom sawyer and huckleberry fin and shot foriegners

Where do you have this set up? Thank you.

Does anyone have any real numbers of what is happening in the US? I know the John Hopkins site is still showing 35 people. But since they started showing the 35 people, I know that more have come from cruise ships, etc.

And there has to be more.
Does anyone have a good estimate about the US?

I imagine it is somewhere in this thread, but obviously can't read every page. Thank you!!!

53 in the US including 36 from Diamond Princess, 3 from Wuhan quarantine.