26251 replies to this topic

[Rob Randall]

^You don't believe Tass? The Washington Generals of news?

[Victoria Watcher]

The province has recorded 85 new cases, as well as the first death from the coronavirus this month. The new cases are the most in a single day since April 25, when there were 95. Active cases in B.C. have now surpassed 500.

[Midnightly]

The province has recorded 85 new cases, as well as the first death from the coronavirus this month. The new cases are the most in a single day since April 25, when there were 95. Active cases in B.C. have now surpassed 500.

 

about 2 weeks ago was the long weekend... i wouldn't be surprised if a number of these are cases that could be traced back to events, gatherings, travel during and around the long weekend

[LJ]

There was a decade in the late 70's and early 80's where US cars were no better.

O/T

 

https://para-rigger....tries-1950-2019

[Mike K.]

China is doing it right. They’re ensuring cars sold there are built there.

[Victoria Watcher]

China is doing it right. They’re ensuring cars sold there are built there.

 

so protectionism?  if we have that we won't have much in canada.

[Victoria Watcher]

Canada is now at 92.25% recovery rate.  getting better.

 

Germany recovery rate is 95.75%.

 

 

 

 

 

i wonder what our recovery rate is if we took away the care home deaths?  98 or 99%?

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 13 August 2020 - 04:29 AM.

[Dexter]

I guess 99.6% and no I don’t have a source.

[Victoria Watcher]

This is scary; bound to happen sooner or later. Let's hope it's short lived compared to SARS.

 

 

january 20th.

[Victoria Watcher]

this virus is not all that easily transmitted. there will be no widespread western outbreak.

 

january 24th.

[Victoria Watcher]

as will always be the case with this type of virus. but i think it's also hard to trust chinese officials.

 

january 26th.

[Victoria Watcher]

I think there is room for some balance here. Coronovirus is very unlikely to kill millions of people. But if the death toll turns out to be (relatively) minor, that may be in part because health experts and government authorities recognized early the potential for it to be a devastating epidemic and reacted quickly. 

 

People love to cite Y2K as an example of overreaction. Y2K turned out not to be a big deal specifically because large numbers of IT experts spent a couple of years working diligently to make sure that didn't happen.

 

It is possible to believe *both* that there is no need to panic, and that it is prudent to treat this as a serious risk that should be diligently addressed.

 

january 27th.

[amor de cosmos]

Health officials warn of potential COVID-19 exposure at Levels Nightclub and on new flight out of Vancouver
https://www.cbc.ca/n...ouver-1.5684390
 

VICTORIA — British Columbia is hiring 500 health-care professionals to help with its COVID-19 contact tracing efforts ahead of the flu season and a potential surge in cases.

The new, temporary jobs will likely be filled by retired health-care professionals and recent graduates, Premier John Horgan said on Wednesday.

"During a pandemic, more resources are required," he said. "Our plan will allow health authorities to increase the number of public-health workers focused on COVID-19. It will also ensure that we have teams that we can deploy across the province as required."

Horgan said he supports the federal "COVID Alert," which does not yet work in B.C., but doesn't believe it is as effective as person-to-person contact tracing.

The announcement comes on the same day the province said there were 85 new cases, the third highest number of new cases in B.C. since the pandemic began.

A joint statement from provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix says the majority of the infections are young people in the Lower Mainland who were exposed to COVID-19 in the last week to 10 days.

"We are watching the cases climb, which is concerning. We need everyone to recommit to using the skills we've learned. Keep gatherings small, have a designated 'contact keeper,' limit time with others, maintain physical distance and always stay home if you're feeling unwell," the statement says.

https://www.timescol...cing-1.24185434

113 tattoos, like these





https://www.boredpan...avirus-tattoos/

swabbing robot



https://www.fastcomp...esnt-need-to-be

Africa begins continent-wide study of COVID-19 antibodies
https://medicalxpres...antibodies.html

COVID Risk Up to 7 Times Higher for Young Vapers
https://www.webmd.co...or-young-vapers

Scientists at SLAC invent low-cost emergency ventilator and share the design for free
https://medicalxpres...lator-free.html
 

Patients with undiagnosed flu symptoms who actually had COVID-19 last winter were among thousands of undetected early cases of the disease at the beginning of this year. In a new paper in The Lancet's open-access journal EClinicalMedicine, epidemiological researchers from The University of Texas at Austin estimated COVID-19 to be far more widespread in Wuhan, China, and Seattle, Washington, weeks ahead of lockdown measures in each city.

In the U.S., about a third of the estimated undiagnosed cases were among children. The researchers also concluded that the first case of COVID-19 in Seattle may have arrived as far back as Christmas or New Year's Day.

Lauren Ancel Meyers, a professor of integrative biology and statistics and data sciences who leads the UT Austin COVID-19 Modeling Consortium, worked with her team of researchers to extrapolate the extent of the COVID-19 epidemic in Wuhan and Seattle based on retested throat swabs taken from patients who were suffering from influenza-like illnesses during January in Wuhan and during late February and early March in Seattle. When the samples were analyzed later in each city, most turned out to be flu, but some turned out to be positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

*snip*

The new technique for estimating the amount of unseen COVID-19 based on the ratio of influenza cases to COVID-19 cases has also been used to determine how many children were actually infected in each city and the pace of the early pandemic in the U.S., Meyers said.

https://www.eurekale...a-eso081220.php
 

Prothrombotic autoantibodies were elevated in COVID-19 and linked to development of thrombosis, a small observational study showed.

Lupus anticoagulant (LA) appeared in 44% of COVID-19 patients tested versus 22% of other patients (30 of 68 vs 27 of 119, P=0.002), according to Morayma Reyes Gil, MD, PhD, of Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, and colleagues.

In the COVID-19 group, 63% of the LA-positive patients had documented arterial or venous thrombosis compared with 34% of the LA-negative patients (P=0.03), the group reported in JAMA Network Open.

C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were higher with LA positivity but not linked with thrombosis. On the other hand, LA remained a significant independent predictor of thrombosis after adjusting for CRP, with an odds ratio of 4.39.

"LA-positive individuals have a marked risk of arterial and venous thrombosis, and therapeutic anticoagulation should be considered in these patients," the group concluded.

https://www.medpaget...e/covid19/88044

6% of England's population had coronavirus: Study
Black, Asian, and minority ethnic people more likely to have been infected, as well as those living in London
https://www.aa.com.t...s-study/1940629

Carbon dioxide levels over Australia rose even after COVID-19 forced global emissions down. Here’s why
https://theconversat...eres-why-144119

An experimental vaccine is effective at preventing pneumonia in mice infected with the COVID-19 virus, according to a study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
https://medicine.wus...isease-in-mice/
https://www.scienced...00812094913.htm
 

Eric Ross and Sean Cascarina, biochemistry and molecular biology researchers at Colorado State University, have released a research paper identifying a protein encoded by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, that may be associated with the quick spread of the virus through cells in the human body.

Through powerful application of the foundational sciences and bioinformatic analysis their research highlights key characteristics of the virus that could one day be important in the development of a treatment for COVID-19.

*snip*

When Ross and Cascarina pivoted to study COVID-19 earlier this year, they found that the nucleocapsid, or N, protein in the SARS-CoV-2 virus has a low-complexity domain that may utilize liquid-liquid phase separation to facilitate the packaging of viral RNA into new virus particles that can infect neighboring cells.

The N protein may also be associated with reducing an infected cell’s anti-viral stress response. Cells often form something called stress granules, a type of biomolecular condensate, to respond to a change in their environment, and these granules may have an anti-viral effect.

“The cell can react to a stress event by making changes in the cellular environment,” said Ross, “including making these modifications to some proteins.”

“But viruses obviously want to avoid a cell’s defenses,” Cascarina added. “They want to be infectious, so sometimes they are able to regulate these stress granules.” By hijacking the normal stress response, the virus may be able to reduce the cell’s anti-viral response capabilities.

https://natsci.sourc...-through-cells/
https://www.scienced...00812161314.htm
 
India reported another record jump in its surging coronavirus cases on Thursday (Aug 13) with nearly 67,000 new infections, among them a religious leader who shared a stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a ceremony to launch construction of a grand temple
https://www.channeln...avirus-13018570
 

Doubling its list of “high-risk” countries, France is now requiring travelers from 16 more countries to take a PCR coronavirus test to cross into its borders.

The additions to the Health Ministry list announced today includes the Maldives, Colombia, Montenegro, Bolivia, Kosovo, the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Costa Rica, Chile, Equatorial Guinea, Kyrgyzstan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Palestine, Armenia, and Mexico.

People seeking to enter France can take the test before traveling or at the border, except for those from Chile, Bosnia Herzegovina, Moldova, and Armenia, who must take the test before leaving the country.

https://www.aa.com.t...untries/1940632

Workplaces top source of COVID-19 clusters in France, says doctor
https://www.channeln...france-13018588
 

Colombian officials say they have arrested two Florida men wanted in the United States on charges they illegally sold a bleach-like chemical as a miracle cure for the new coronavirus and other diseases.

The Colombian prosecutor's office said Tuesday that Mark and Joseph Grennon were arrested in the beach town of Santa Marta, and were shipping their "Miracle Mineral Solution" — chlorine dioxide — from there to clients in the United States, Colombia and Africa.

Mark Grenon is the archbishop of the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing, based in Bradenton, Fla., which is centred on use of the toxic chemical as a supposed sacrament it claims can cure a vast variety of illnesses ranging from cancer to autism to malaria and now COVID-19.

A Miami federal judge in April ordered the self-styled church to stop selling the substance, but it was ignored.

The organization also has operated in Mexico, Australia and other countries. Despite opposition from doctors and health experts, Bolivia's congress recently legalized use of the substance.

A federal criminal complaint filed in July charged Mark Grenon, 62, and his sons, Jonathan, 34, Jordan, 26, and Joseph, 32, with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to violate the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and criminal contempt.

https://www.cbc.ca/n...rrest-1.5684612

Jordan closes border with Syria due to virus concerns
The temporary closing of the Jaber border crossing coincides with concerns the coronavirus is spreading in Syria.
https://www.al-monit...s-crossing.html

Russian vaccine will protect from COVID-19 for at least two years, developer says
https://tass.com/society/1189201

The Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego is interested in producing a Russian vaccine against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
https://sputniknews....-governor-says/

Venezuela is ready to take part in the clinical trials of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine and, if the trials are successful, use it and promote it on the local market
https://tass.com/society/1189077
 

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) has reported significant international interest in information about the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine registered in Russia.
 
During the first 24 hours, the website about the Russian vaccine against the coronavirus was visited by users from 188 countries.
 
Among the requests that the site has received there are both proposals for joint production and distribution of the vaccine, as well as people offering to become volunteers in vaccine trials.

https://sputniknews....-188-countries/

Kazakhstan to discuss purchase of Russian COVID-19 vaccines
http://www.ecns.cn/n...we9698190.shtml

Beijing's major wholesale market to reopen after COVID-19 epidemic wanes
http://www.ecns.cn/n...we9698270.shtml
 

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday signed a presidential order to award epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan the Medal of the Republic, the highest state honor, for his outstanding contributions in China's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic.

This is the second time that China award the Medal of the Republic, following the first in 2019 when China awarded the medals to pharmaceutical chemist Tu Youyou, Yuan Longping, a Chinese agronomist and educator, and Shen Liangliang, a soldier of the Chinese peacekeeping force in Mali.

Along with Zhong, China's top medical adviser Zhang Boli, top Chinese vaccine researcher Chen Wei and Zhang Dingyu, dean of Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, were awarded national honorary titles.

The award shows China's national spirit of devotion, and insisting on giving recognition to science, and the unity that China possesses in the face of difficulties, observers said.

http://www.globaltim...t/1197434.shtml

Israel closes coronavirus drive-in testing centers over lack of demand
Health Ministry says the closure of testing centers operated by HMOs in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Be'er Sheva and Haifa is a result of a dramatic decrease in the number of Israelis asking to be tested; MDA's testing centers to continue operations for now
https://www.ynetnews...icle/SJmXF911zP
 

The number of COVID-19 cases among children in the United States has increased sharply recently as a new report by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Children's Hospital Association (CHA) showed a 90-percent surge in child cases over four weeks.

Leading experts told Xinhua on Wednesday that factors including high COVID-19 infections among adults, increasing gatherings among teenagers and returning to school during the pandemic may contribute to the high infections among children.

"The sharp increase in the number of cases among children is mainly concentrated in COVID-19 'hotspots' such as California, Florida and Arizona. The surge in adult cases in these states also led to an increase in children infections," Zhang Zuofeng, professor of epidemiology and associate dean for research with the school of public health at University of California, Los Angeles, told Xinhua.

According to the new report of the AAP and CHA, 179,990 new COVID-19 cases in children were reported from July 9 to Aug. 6, a 90-percent increase in child cases over four weeks.

http://www.ecns.cn/n...hw7471173.shtml

Pandemic Hoarding Has Led to a Nationwide Dr Pepper Shortage
https://www.eater.co...vid-19-shortage
 

Dozens of party people without face coverings took over an MTA bus in Queens early Sunday morning for an impromptu hookah dance party. The MTA says the incident happened around 3:35 a.m. on Sunday near the Grand Avenue Bus Depot (at 49th Place and Grand Avenue).

The MTA says the bus driver was departing the Grand Avenue Depot with no passengers when it was blocked by double parked cars. When the bus operator attempted to get the vehicles to move, revelers crowded into the bus, as you can see in the videos below.

Within 30 minutes, the crowd had dispersed; the MTA noted that the bus was later disinfected. The NYPD confirmed it is reviewing the videos as part of an investigation into the incident.

The MTA said that partiers violated multiple COVID-19 health and safety laws. "This group not only put themselves at risk, based on the fact that no one was wearing a mask, but more important to me, they put my bus operator at risk," said MTA Bus President Craig Cipriano. "Bus operators are out there moving the city—they've been doing so since March. In this egregious situation, they’re crowded in there, no one was wearing masks and it's important to keep that in mind as we take the next step in working with law enforcement."

https://gothamist.co...-come-on-people

[todd]

Never really seen the point of a tattoo.

[todd]

Never really seen the point of a tattoo.

That’s not true once at a party the person was not happy the next morning not friends with the tattoo artist anymore. He knew what the band logo looked like when he asked for it, it was a **************.

[VIResident]

Canada’s international pandemic alert back in operation, more than 400 days after falling silent. 

 

More than a year after it was silenced by the federal government, Canada’s international pandemic surveillance and alert system has been brought back to life.

Late last week, despite no official pronouncement from the government, the Global Public Health Intelligence Network (GPHIN) began issuing alerts about serious disease outbreaks for the first time since May 24, 2019, when it was effectively shut down.

The change follows a Globe and Mail investigation

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just more than two weeks ago that reported the GPHIN system, which had been lauded around the world for its ability to detect potentially dangerous outbreaks at their earliest stages – and provide continuing intelligence to decision-makers – had effectively been shelved amid shifting government priorities.

 

Canada’s international pandemic alert back in action, more than 400 days after falling silent

Auditor-General to probe lapse in Canada’s pandemic warning system

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The highly specialized unit, comprised of doctors and epidemiologists who scour global news feeds, online reports of symptoms, official health data and many other sources of intelligence to detect and track outbreak threats as they develop, had been called the cornerstone of Canada’s pandemic response capability. Faced with governments often reluctant to disclose outbreaks, the World Health Organization also relied on GPHIN for 20 per cent of its “epidemiological intelligence,” according to federal documents.  Read more:

https://www.theglobe...n-more-than-40/

 

"Though it’s difficult to know what impact GPHIN might have had on the COVID-19 outbreak in its earliest days, had the system been operating properly, the Public Health employee said the unit is designed to not only sound the alarm as early as possible on a problem, but as it worsens, so that governments can recognize the threat and speed up their response, including stepping up measures at airports, closing borders, physical distancing, the implementation of masks and other steps.

“The cumulative effect of all the alerts from GPHIN during the pandemic might have changed a few countries’ responses,” the PHAC employee said."

Edited by VIResident, 13 August 2020 - 12:43 PM.

[amor de cosmos]

British Columbia's COVID-19 curve is now climbing at a higher rate than the initial outbreak in March, and new provincial modelling shows B.C. could see a second wave bigger than the first by September.

The province's contact tracing efforts, however, could temper that growth, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Thursday, after announcing 78 new COVID-19 transmissions.

As restrictions have eased, Henry said, the number of contacts people are having are about 70 per cent of normal, despite the province recommending people keep their contacts to 60 per cent or lower to avoid a resurgence of cases.

Officials believed B.C. was at 30 per cent of its regular interactions in Phase 1 of its restart plan, when many non-essential services closed.

At the current 70 per cent contact rate, daily cases could climb to 100 by September, according to the modelling.

https://www.cbc.ca/n...st-13-1.5685525

2020 vs 1918

This cohort study found that the absolute increase in deaths over baseline (ie, excess mortality) observed during the peak of 1918 H1N1 influenza pandemic was higher than but comparable to that observed during the first 2 months of the COVID-19 outbreak in New York City.

However, because baseline mortality rates from 2017 to 2019 were less than half that observed from 1914 to 1917 (owing to improvements in hygiene and modern achievements in medicine, public health, and safety), the relative increase during early COVID-19 period was substantially greater than during the peak of the 1918 H1N1 influenza pandemic.

One limitation of this study is that a direct comparison of the native virulence of the 1918 H1N1 influenza strain and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is not possible. It is unknown how many deaths due to SARS-CoV-2 infection have been prevented because of modern interventions not widely available a century ago, including standard resuscitation, supplemental oxygen, mechanical ventilation, kidney replacement therapy, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. If insufficiently treated, SARS-CoV-2 infection may have comparable or greater mortality than 1918 H1N1 influenza virus infection.

These findings suggest that the mortality associated with COVID-19 during the early phase of the New York City outbreak was comparable to the peak mortality observed during the 1918 H1N1 influenza pandemic. Recent polling indicates that a majority of individuals in the US believe that some states lifted COVID-19 restrictions too quickly. Specifically, shutdowns did not adequately lower caseloads in many areas, meaning that subsequent spikes in new cases during the summer stretched US hospital resources in many areas. We believe that our findings may help officials and the public contextualize the unusual magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to more prudent policies that may help to decrease transmission by decreasing the effective reproduction number of SARS-CoV-2 and prevent the exhaustion of essential supplies of life-saving resources in the coming weeks and beyond.

https://jamanetwork....article/2769236
https://www.medpaget...e/covid19/88048
 

USC researchers have found the likely order in which COVID-19 symptoms first appear: fever, cough, muscle pain, and then nausea, and/or vomiting, and diarrhea.

Knowing the order of COVID-19's symptoms may help patients seek care promptly or decide sooner than later to self-isolate, the scientists say. It also may help doctors rule out other illnesses, according to the study led by doctoral candidate Joseph Larsen and his colleagues with faculty advisors Peter Kuhn and James Hicks at the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience's Convergent Science Institute in Cancer.

Recognizing the order of symptoms also could help doctors plan how to treat patients, and perhaps intervene earlier in the disease.

"This order is especially important to know when we have overlapping cycles of illnesses like the flu that coincide with infections of COVID-19," said Kuhn, a USC professor of medicine, biomedical engineering, and aerospace and mechanical engineering. "Doctors can determine what steps to take to care for the patient, and they may prevent the patient's condition from worsening."

https://www.eurekale...c-usi081320.php

SARS-CoV-2 particles and associated inflammation were seen in the olfactory nervous system of patients who had severe COVID-19, a report from Italy showed.

Minimally invasive autopsy with nasal endoscopic dissection showed viral particles and CD163-positive microglial cells in the olfactory complex of two COVID patients, reported Patrizia Morbini, MD, PhD, of University of Pavia, and co-authors in JAMA Otolaryngology.

"Our finding is important because it is the first evidence of a direct SARS-CoV-2 infection in cells of the olfactory bulb, in the central nervous system," Morbini said.

"Recent imaging studies have shown that this area of the nervous system is altered in a subset of COVID patients, while we have directly documented the presence of viral particles and associated severe inflammation," she told MedPage Today. "So far, one other case report has shown viral particles in the cells of the vessels of the central nervous system, but not specifically localized to the olfactory bulb."

The finding suggests SARS-CoV-2 "could actually have the capability of infecting the nervous system cells -- as was shown for other coronaviruses in experimental settings -- and could enter the central nervous system through the nervous fibers of the nervous receptors of the olfactory mucosa, which is particularly interesting in the view of the very common olfactory symptoms of COVID patients," she added.

https://www.medpaget...e/covid19/88050

Thailand Eyeing Russian Coronavirus Vaccine, Health Official Says
https://sputniknews....avirus-vaccine/

Vietnam to purchase Russian COVID-19 vaccine
According to the acting health minister, Vietnam plans to order from 50 to 150 million doses of the vaccine
https://tass.com/world/1189635

Moscow residents will be able to choose out of a few coronavirus vaccines — mayor
https://tass.com/society/1189427

More than 20 countries are interested in getting Russia's COVID-19 vaccine, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Thursday.
http://www.ecns.cn/n...we9698379.shtml

The French government has declared Paris and the Bouches-du-Rhone area around Marseille on the Mediterranean coast as "red" zones with a high coronavirus infection risk
https://www.channeln...9-zone-13020756

1 in 5 at Kashmir jail tests positive as India COVID-19 cases soar
https://www.channeln...n-jail-13021442

A full Israeli lockdown is serious prospect as covid-19 figures stay high
https://www.debka.co...ures-stay-high/

Mayor of the Venezuelan capital of Caracas Dario Vivas, who earlier tested positive for the coronavirus, has died at the age of 70
https://tass.com/society/1189509
 

SHENZHEN: The IBC Mall in Shenzhen's Luohu district was sealed off and under police supervision on Friday evening (Aug 14), with around 200 people queuing outside waiting for COVID-19 tests from medical personnel in protective suits.

An official Guangdong Health Commission WeChat account channel said the alert was prompted by a COVID-19 case at the mall.

The confirmed case was a 41-year-old woman who had been working inside the Alibaba-owned supermarket Freshippo as a temporary brand promotor until Aug 2, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The worker was diagnosed in her home city of Lufeng, in Guangdong, the commission said. Three of her family members also tested positive.

https://www.channeln...ckdown-13022094
 

A week ago, New Zealand was an exemplar for how swift and decisive action can stifle the spread of the coronavirus. No locally acquired cases of COVID-19 had been reported since the start of May. But the emergence this week of a cluster of cases — currently numbering 30 — has caught the nation by surprise, and is a blow to the government’s strategy to eliminate the virus.

Amanda Kvalsvig, an epidemiologist at the University of Otago in Wellington, has been assisting with the country’s COVID-19 response. She spoke to Nature about the rapid response to the new cases, and whether an elimination strategy is still possible.

How has the mood in New Zealand changed?

What has been the public-health response to these new infections?

What is known about the original source of the outbreak?

Could the virus have been spreading undetected in the community for some time?

What could genomics tell us about this latest outbreak?

New Zealand has adopted an elimination strategy. Does this latest outbreak suggest that isn’t possible?

https://www.nature.c...586-020-02402-5

Google adds re-opening and COVID-19 info to travel searches
Google will show the number of COVID-19 cases at your destination.
https://www.engadget...-202925840.html
 

A quarter of people in the UK report experiencing some kind of discrimination since lockdown began, find UCL researchers as part of the COVID-19 Social Study.

The most common forms of discrimination included being treated with less courtesy or respect than others, others acting as if they were afraid of them and receiving poorer service than others for deliveries or in stores.

People from BAME groups and those aged 18-30 (all ethnicities) were most likely to report facing discrimination, at 42% and 40% respectively. Women reported slightly higher levels of discrimination than men, and those in urban areas reported slightly higher levels than those in rural areas.

https://medicalxpres...ion-covid-.html

Drawing from a large number of national datasets, UCLA researchers have found that counties across the United States have 2.8% more COVID-19 cases and 2.9% more COVID-19–related deaths for every 1.0 percentage point increase in the population of Black residents
https://medicalxpres...-residents.html
 

Testing for COVID-19 in the US has decreased in recent weeks, according to statistics compiled by the COVID Tracking Project, a collaborative volunteer effort to track the pandemic in the US.

According to an analysis by Axios, based on data from the COVID Tracking Project, the number of tests performed nationally across all US states is currently 17% lower than it was at the end of last month.
 

At the end of July, the US was conducting around 800,000 tests a day. However, the latest data from August 12 shows that around 479,000 tests were performed that day.

Despite the decrease in testing, the hardest-hit states still have high proportions of tests coming back positive. According to an analysis by COVID Act Now, the positive test rate in Texas as of August 14 is 23.7%, which is a “relatively high percentage” and “indicates that testing in Texas is limited and that most cases likely go undetected.”

“At these levels, it is hard to know how fast COVID is actually spreading, and there is very high risk of being surprised by a wave of disease. More testing urgently needed,” the web-based initiative warned.

Similarly, Florida and Nevada have positive test rates of 17.7% and 14.3%, respectively, which indicate insufficient testing.

“Reductions in testing are not concerning when you have an already low positivity rate that is flat or further decreasing. But reductions in testing coupled with increasing positivity is disconcerting," Marta Wosinska, the deputy director of Duke University’s Margolis Center for Health Policy, told Axios.

“This means that a lot of viral activity is not being recorded just as we are trying to make critical decisions like whether to reopen schools,” she added.

https://sputniknews....ce-case-spikes/
 

A group of over 1,500 gym owners from across the state, including at least 500 located in New York City, have filed a class action lawsuit against Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York state, and the state attorney general in an attempt to force the state to allow them to reopen.

The businesses involved in the suit include CrossFit, Pilates studios, yoga centers and big box gyms. Attorney James G. Mermigis, who is representing the gyms, told the Staten Island Advance that in addition to getting gyms reopened immediately, they also are looking for compensation for lost revenue over recent months.

“All these gyms want the same thing. They want to be able to open up in the same way other businesses have been opening up,” Mermigis said. “They want to be able to open up their businesses to prove they can open up safely, just like all these other businesses—like Walmart, Target, etc...”

https://gothamist.co...or-cuomo-reopen

John McAfee, the creator of one of the most famous antivirus software applications that made him a multimillionaire, claims that he is unable to get the coronavirus although he attempted to contract the disease by licking the handles of grocery carts and the bottoms of his shoes
https://sputniknews....-grocery-carts/
 

As the Elmbrook School Board debated its reopening plans Tuesday night, a Brookfield mother said her children, whom she identified as Christian, should be exempt from the "pagan ritual" of wearing face coverings.

After being told by school board president Scott Wheeler that defamatory comments should be avoided, Heidi Anderson directly addressed board member Mushir Hassan, who is Muslim.

“This is not defamatory,” Anderson said. “I’m stating facts. You’re a leader of the Islamic community are you not? My kids are Christians. They are not subject to face coverings. Christian children should not be forced to wear face coverings any more than children who are Islamic or Muslim should be forced to — as you’ve put it — be subject to the American style of sexualization of children that have to wear less clothing than you’re comfortable with your children wearing.”

*snip*

Anderson was told several times to wrap up her statement, as she exceeded the allotted public comment time. People are allowed between two and three minutes to comment, according to school board vice president Jean Lambert.

Anderson also said social distancing and mask wearing are not proven to be effective, and that both precautions represent pagan rituals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that face masks and social distancing are two of the most effective ways to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

“Six-foot distance and wearing masks are pagan rituals of satanic worshipers,” Anderson said. “Our children do not practice satanic worship. We don’t have them stand 6 feet apart from each other with facial coverings.”

https://www.jsonline...ing/3366866001/

[Mike K.]

Rent repayment details:

Framework gives renters until July 2021 to repay arrears
Share Information Bulletin Victoria
Friday, August 14, 2020 8:30 AM
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Details on the new repayment framework for renters with outstanding rent from April to August 2020 are available on the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB) website, with the moratorium on evictions for non-payment of rent ending ahead of Sept. 1.

As announced on July 16, renters will be expected to pay rent in full on Sept. 1, 2020, as the moratorium on evictions for non-payment of rent will end on Aug. 18. Renters in arrears from rent due during the specified period of March 18 to Aug. 17 will have until at least July 2021 to pay back any rent they owe, with the first repayments not starting until October at the earliest.

The rental framework will protect renters by ensuring they cannot be evicted for a missed or late rent payment from March 18 to Aug. 17, unless a renter defaults on their repayment plan.

The terms of the repayment plan must include:

amount of outstanding rent;
start date of the repayment plan;
amount of each instalment; and
dates for each instalment.
The repayment instalments must begin at least 30 days after the date the plan is given by the landlord to the renter. It also must give renters until July 2021 for the final repayments to be made, unless the landlord and renter agree to a longer period. Similarly, while it will be paid in equal instalments, renters and landlords have the option of agreeing to smaller amounts being paid each month in the beginning of the repayment process.

Each monthly instalment must be paid on the same date the rent is due. For example, if a repayment plan is delivered to the renter on Aug. 29 and rent is due on the first of each month, the first instalment is due Oct. 1, 2020.

To further support renters at this time, the Province is continuing to temporarily prohibit landlords from charging rent increases until December 2020. A renter who has been issued a notice of rent increase for an earlier date should not pay the increase and continue to pay their current amount until then.

The Temporary Rental Supplement also remains available to people until Aug. 31, 2020. To date, the supplement has assisted more than 86,000 households with paying their rent during the pandemic.

Renters who are still experiencing a loss of income may also be eligible for either the Rental Assistance Program (RAP) or the Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters (SAFER) programs, which provide ongoing rental subsidies for low- and moderate-income families and seniors. Details on these programs are available through BC Housing at 604 433-2218 or toll-free from anywhere in B.C. at 1 800 257-7756.

[Victoria Watcher]

Active COVID-19 cases rising in B.C. as dozens more new infections reported

Active cases in B.C. have more than doubled since the end of July, hitting 629 on Friday, while 2,026 people are in isolation after coming in contact with someone who has COVID-19. This comes as the province announced 84 new cases, the fourth highest daily total since the pandemic started, but no new deaths.

[Victoria Watcher]

There are now 629 active cases in the province, with 12 people in hospital and four in intensive care, Henry and B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix said in a joint statement.

https://www.cbc.ca/n...began-1.5687210



you read that right. 12 in hospital.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 14 August 2020 - 05:48 PM.