Why Trump is at odds with his medical experts over Covid-19 drugs – STAT

Why Trump is at odds with his medical experts over Covid-19 drugs – STAT

Will warm weather really kill off Covid-19? – BBC News

Will warm weather really kill off Covid-19? – BBC News

March 25, 2020

Theres no evidence yet for a seasonal behaviour of Covid-19, says Colizza. The behavioural component may play a role, too. But she warns it is too early to know if the measures put in place will be enough to stall the spread of the virus. By itself, it may partially reduce effective contagiousness due to the reduction of contacts along which the disease could be transmitted.

And if cases of Covid-19 do indeed tail off over the coming months it could be for a number of reasons prevention measures such as isolation and lockdowns are being successful; there is growing immunity in the population; or it may be an effect of the season, as Alberts models suggest.

If there is a seasonal effect, it could mask the true impact of the other two, warns Albert. In countries where a strong lockdown has meant not many people have been exposed, then I wouldnt be surprised that we will see a second wave come the fall and winter.

Even if Covid-19 does show some seasonal variability, it is unlikely to disappear entirely over the summer months, as some have suggested. But a dip in cases might bring some benefits.

The steps we are taking to flatten out the curve are expensive in economic terms, but they could help us push this pandemic into the summer, says Albert. If there is some seasonality, it might buy health systems the time they need to prepare.

And in a world scrambling to cope with the rapidly rising number of cases, it might just be time we desperately need.

--

As an award-winning science site, BBC Future is committed to bringing you evidence-based analysis and myth-busting stories around the new coronavirus. You can read more of our Covid-19 coverage here.

--

Join one million Future fans by liking us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter orInstagram.

If you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter, called The Essential List. A handpicked selection of stories from BBC Future, Culture, Worklife, and Travel, delivered to your inbox every Friday.


More here: Will warm weather really kill off Covid-19? - BBC News
Protect older and vulnerable health care workers from Covid-19 – STAT

Protect older and vulnerable health care workers from Covid-19 – STAT

March 25, 2020

Since the Covid-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus emerged late in 2019, health care workers have been at particularly high risk of infection.

In China, more than 3,300 health care workers have been infected, including Dr. Li Wenliang, who died after being the first to sound the alarm. More than 4,800 health care workers have been infected in Italy, where harrowing stories from Italian physicians and nurses are being posted on social media.

As the pandemic now takes hospitals the U.S. by storm, two emergency physicians in the states of Washington and New Jersey were recently reported to be in critical condition due to Covid-19.

advertisement

Social distancing policies are being put in place to protect the oldest and most vulnerable members of society. But they arent permeating into the health system where many of these same members of society work, making them as susceptible to severe infection from Covid-19 as the patients they take care of.

Based on available data from Italy, we know that older adults and those with chronic medical conditions have a much greater risk of severe illness or death from Covid-19. In Italy, death rates from Covid-19 were three times higher for those between the ages of 50 and 59, and 10 times higher for those between the ages of 60 and 69, compared to those between the ages of 30 and 50.

advertisement

Among individuals over age 70, the risk of dying from Covid-19 are anywhere from 13% to 25%. For those with preexisting heart disease, mortality is 13.2% and between 8% and 9% for individuals with hypertension or diabetes.

In 2018, the last year for which there are complete data, there were 512,000 physicians over the age of 50 in the U.S., representing just over half of the entire U.S. physician workforce. The average age of nurses in the U.S. is 51 years. Knowing the probabilities of severe disease and death increase with age, what risk does the American health care system take on in the coming weeks by not taking overt action today to keep older and medically vulnerable providers safe at home?

In the absence of clear answers, some health care institutions have taken the lead. At some institutions, providers who feel that they may be at high risk for severe illness from Covid-19 have been allowed to request early vacation. Other institutions have taken half-measures, like not having pregnant or immunocompromised providers work in Covid-19 wards. But most institutions do not have set policies yet, and providers at high risk levels of severe illness from Covid-19 continue to report to work.

For health care organization that have not yet started having these discussions, the time is now. Even if efforts to flatten the curve are successful, we expect the battle with SARS-CoV-2 to continue for many months. Now is the time to reorganize health care to maximize efficiency and minimize risk for its workers. This means shifting physicians, nurses, and other health care providers who are over age 60 and those with comorbidities like diabetes, coronary artery disease, COPD, cancer, and other conditions from direct care for patients with Covid-19.

Older and vulnerable health care workers can help fight Covid-19 from a safer distance than they do today. Clinics across the U.S. have shifted to phone or virtual encounters; vulnerable health care workers could absorb some of this load to free younger ones with more robust immune systems to transition to clinical work in hospitals. In 2019 alone, medical schools hired close to 20,000 new faculty, most of them young professionals and most of whom do clinical work at affiliated hospitals.

In critical care wards, virtual rounds with senior physicians could allow social distancing while ensuring their continued guidance of younger colleagues. Similarly, in medicine wards, vulnerable clinicians could do virtual rounds by checking electronic medical records and receiving information directly from residents and interns. Senior physicians in emergency departments and critical care units could also leverage their skills to train others on procedures such as intubation and management of severe respiratory failure for those working in hospitals.

This isnt a problem for which weve been given time to work out the details: Covid-19 has arrived and is steadily mushrooming. And it may not be possible in every hospital, clinic, or other health care setting in the country. But we have a sizable health care work force of young and robust individuals who are willing to step up to the challenge and protect their older colleagues in this time of danger.

Older and vulnerable health care providers are a bedrock of the U.S. health care system, and their risk grows measurably by the day. We hope that we wont look back on this pandemic and ask if we could have done more to protect the lives of those in the medical work force at highest risk of complications from Covid-19.

As young physicians, we understand that our risk is much lower than our mentors, teachers, and older or vulnerable colleagues. We are willing to absorb their risk. We could not forgive ourselves if we do not act now and down the road stand mute at the burials of physicians, nurses, physician assistants, and countless others who have turned us into the providers we are today.

Aaron Kofman, M.D., and Alfonso Hernandez-Romieu, M.D., are infectious disease fellows in the Department of Medicine at Emory University in Atlanta.


Continued here: Protect older and vulnerable health care workers from Covid-19 - STAT
Reminder to avoid contact with others: COVID-19 updates from Public HealthSeattle & King County for March 24, 2020 – King County

Reminder to avoid contact with others: COVID-19 updates from Public HealthSeattle & King County for March 24, 2020 – King County

March 25, 2020

Story Staying home, to help others and yourself

COVID-19 is highly contagious and each face-to-face interaction is an opportunity for it to spread. Public HealthSeattle & King County reminds everyone to stay home to slow the spread of COVID-19. This applies even to people who are young and healthy.

For additional details, the State of Washington has created these resources

Public HealthSeattle & King County announced additional guidance for child care and early learning programs that are considered part of the essential workforce. In addition, King County will expand support services to providers.

New health and safety guidance for child care providers remaining open during the COVID-19 outbreak are available on a new website.

For more information, please see the news release from King County Executive Dow Constantine.

Cases reported today are an approximation. Case numbers draw from a Washington State Department of Health database that is in the process of being updated. We expect to have an official count tomorrow. Public HealthSeattle & King County is reporting the following estimated positive cases and deaths due to COVID-19 through 11:59 p.m. on 3/23/20.

Isolation and quarantine is a proven public health practice for reducing the spread of disease. Examples of people who may need this assistance include people who cannot safely isolate from a family member who is elderly or medically fragile, or people experiencing homelessness. Individuals can only be placed into the King County sites after a health professional with Public HealthSeattle & King County has determined that they need isolation or quarantine.

Five people are currently staying in a King County isolation and quarantine facility.

The number of people in King County's isolation and quarantine sites will be included in regular updates provided by Public HealthSeattle & King County. No other identifying or personal information will be provided.

For additional information about COVID-19 and the response in King County, be sure to check our webpage: www.kingcounty.gov/covid


Go here to read the rest: Reminder to avoid contact with others: COVID-19 updates from Public HealthSeattle & King County for March 24, 2020 - King County
Trump Disagrees With Top Immunologist Over Untested Drug Treatment for Covid-19 – The Intercept

Trump Disagrees With Top Immunologist Over Untested Drug Treatment for Covid-19 – The Intercept

March 25, 2020

At another unnerving White House briefing on Friday, Donald Trump publicly disagreed with the governments most senior immunologist, Dr. Anthony Fauci, on the likelihood that the anti-malarial drug chloroquine could be an effective treatment for Covid-19, the pandemic coronavirus respiratory illness.

Fauci was asked about the drug because the president had called it a potential game-changer on Thursday and claimed, incorrectly, that the FDA had already approved its use and the government would make that drug available almost immediately.

Moments after the doctor had made it clear that there were anecdotal reports but no clinical evidence that chloroquine might be effective or safe for patients with Covid-19, or could be used as a prophylaxis, as Trump had suggested, the president said, I think, without seeing too much, Im probably more of a fan of that, maybe than anybody.

When Peter Alexander of NBC News then noted that Fauci had made it clear that there is no magic drug for coronavirus, Trump said: I disagree. Maybe and maybe not.

I will say that I am a man that comes from a very positive school when it comes to in particular one of these drugs, and well see how it works out, Trump added. Im not saying it will, but I think people may be surprised. By the way, that would be a game-changer.

Trump, of course, has made a career out of marketing products of little value with unmerited hype, and seems unable to turn off that instinct, even in a time when accurate scientific information is at a premium.

Is it possible that your impulse to put a positive spin on things may be giving Americans a false sense of hope? Alexander asked him. Are you misrepresenting our preparedness right now?

After sarcastically deriding the question, Trump seemed to illustrate its premise by saying, I agree with the doctor, what he said: may work; may not work. I feel good about it. Thats all it is, just a feeling. Im, you know, a smart guy. I feel good about it. And were going to see, youre going to see soon enough.

Obviously, Trump added, I think I can speak from a lot of experience, because its been out there for 20 years, so its not a drug that you have a huge amount of danger with. Its not like a brand new drug thats just been created that may have an unbelievable, monumental effect, like kill you.

I sure as hell think we ought to give it a try, Trump concluded. I mean theres been some interesting things happened and some good, very good things. Lets see what happens, we have nothing to lose. You know the expression, What the hell do you have to lose?

When Alexander tried to follow up by asking Trump what message he had for millions of Americans who are scared, citing the latest death toll, the president replied: I say that youre a terrible reporter, thats what I say.

For the second day running, the president then used a briefing about a global public health emergency to attack the credibility of news organizations that have accurately reported on the slowness of his administration to tackle the threat he had spent weeks dismissing as no more dangerous than the flu.

I think its a very nasty question, Trump said, applying the label he now uses to dismiss any perceived criticism of his handling of the crisis. The American people are looking for answers and theyre looking for hope, and youre doing sensationalism, the president added, before launching into a tirade against Comcast, NBCs parent company. I dont call it Comcast, I call it Concast, Trump said. Lets see if it works. It might and it might not. I happen to feel good about it, but who knows. Ive been right a lot.

In response to a follow up question about the drug, Fauci was then forced to explain, delicately, that what the president had just said about its safety was not true. While chloroquine was only rarely dangerous for people with malaria, Fauci said, what we dont know, is when you put it in the context of another disease, whether its safe.

I think it probably is going to be safe, but I like to prove things first, Fauci added. Its the hope that it will work, versus proving that it will work.

On Saturday morning, Trump upped the ante by tweeting: Hydrocholoroquine and Azithromycin, taken together, have a real chance to be one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine, and urging his own government health agencies to put the drugs in use IMMEDIATELY.

Fauci was again forced to explain that there remains no clinical proof that the drugs would be safe and effective for those infected with covid-19. The president is talking about hope for people, Fauci said at another briefing on Saturday.

The question, he added, is, are you going to use a drug that someone says from an anecdotal standpoint, not completely proven, but might have some effect? There are those who lean to the point of giving hope and saying, Give that person the option of having access to that drug. And then you have the other group, which is my job as a scientist, to say, My job is to ultimately prove, without a doubt, that a drug is not only safe by that it actually works.'

On Friday, Trump also responded poorly to being asked about his governments most glaring failure, the ongoing lack of testing for the virus, which has been a key part of South Koreas far more successful effort to slow its spread. Two weeks after Trump claimed, falsely, that anybody that needs a test, gets a test, Yamiche Alcindor of PBS Newshour asked When will every American who needs a test, get a test be able to get a test?

Well, youre hearing very positive things about testing, Trump began, trying to change the subject to his administrations constant claims that testing capability was improving. Then he attacked the reporter for raising a failing he has tried hard distract attention from. Were well into this, he said, and nobodys even talking about it, except for you, which doesnt surprise me.

When Alcindor pressed him, saying There are Americans, though, who say they have symptoms and cant get tested, Trump suggested the problem was minor. Yeah, well, okay, Im not hearing it, he said.

Earlier in the briefing, however, Fauci had admitted that testing was still not meeting demand. That is a reality that is happening now, he said. We are not there yet, because otherwise people would be never calling up saying they cant get a test.

As Trump then directed Vice President Mike Pence to take the podium and repeat the administrations talking point I just cant emphasize enough about the incredible progress that we have made on testing Fauci and his fellow scientific expert, Dr. Deborah Birx, had a brief, whispered exchange behind the politicians.

Fauci, the veteran government scientist, also earned sympathy from many observers at another stage of the briefing, when Trump tossed in a gratuitous swipe at the nations career diplomats, referring to The Deep State Department, and the doctor was forced to conceal his response by hiding his face in his hand.

Updated: Saturday, March 21, 4:30 pm EDTThis article was updated to add comments from Donald Trump and Dr. Anthony Fauci on Saturday.


See the article here:
Trump Disagrees With Top Immunologist Over Untested Drug Treatment for Covid-19 - The Intercept
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – Symptoms and causes …

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – Symptoms and causes …

March 25, 2020

Overview Coronavirus Open pop-up dialog box

Close

Coronavirus is a family of viruses that can cause respiratory illnesses such as the common cold, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that can cause illnesses such as the common cold, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). In 2019, a new coronavirus was identified as the cause of a disease outbreak that originated in China.

The virus is now known as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The disease it causes is called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Cases of COVID-19 have been reported in a growing number of countries, including the U.S. Public health groups, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are monitoring the situation and posting updates on their websites. WHO declared a global pandemic in March 2020. These groups have also issued recommendations for preventing and treating the illness.

Signs and symptoms of COVID-19 may appear two to 14 days after exposure and can include:

Other symptoms can include:

The severity of COVID-19 symptoms can range from very mild to severe. Some people have no symptoms. People who are older or have existing chronic medical conditions, such as heart or lung disease or diabetes, may be at higher risk of serious illness. This is similar to what is seen with other respiratory illnesses, such as influenza.

Contact your doctor or clinic right away if you have COVID-19 symptoms, you've been exposed to someone with COVID-19, or you live in or have traveled from an area with ongoing community spread of COVID-19 as determined by CDC and WHO. Call your doctor ahead to tell him or her about your symptoms and recent travels and possible exposure before you go to your appointment.

Anyone with respiratory symptoms who hasn't been in an area with ongoing community spread can contact his or her doctor or clinic for further recommendations and guidance. Let your doctor know if you have other chronic medical conditions. As the pandemic progresses, it's important to make sure health care is available for those in greatest need.

It's unclear exactly how contagious the new coronavirus is. It appears to spread from person to person among those in close contact. It may be spread by respiratory droplets released when someone with the virus coughs or sneezes.

It may also be spread if a person touches a surface with the virus on it and then touches his or her mouth, nose or eyes.

Risk factors for COVID-19 appear to include:

Complications can include:

Although there is no vaccine available to prevent infection with the new coronavirus, you can take steps to reduce your risk of infection. WHO and CDC recommend following these precautions for avoiding COVID-19:

CDC doesn't recommend that healthy people wear a face mask to protect themselves from respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19. Only wear a mask if a health care provider tells you to do so.

WHO also recommends that you:

If you have a chronic medical condition and may have a higher risk of serious illness, check with your doctor about other ways to protect yourself.

If you're planning to travel internationally, first check the CDC and WHO websites for updates and advice. Also look for any health advisories that may be in place where you plan to travel. You may also want to talk with your doctor if you have health conditions that make you more susceptible to respiratory infections and complications.


Original post: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) - Symptoms and causes ...
Coronavirus live updates: $2 trillion stimulus deal; Prince Charles sick; US deaths top 800 – USA TODAY

Coronavirus live updates: $2 trillion stimulus deal; Prince Charles sick; US deaths top 800 – USA TODAY

March 25, 2020

We answer the often searched question: "What are the symptoms of coronavirus versus the flu?" USA TODAY

The Senate will reconvene at noon to take up the$2 trillion stimulus deal reached Wednesday that includesdirect payments tomost Americans and an unprecedented amount of money to small businesses.

Also Wednesday,it was revealed that Britain's Prince Charles tested positive for the virus. And stocks opened higher followinga historic rally Tuesday.

The stimulus deal was revealed at about 1 a.m. following five days of talks. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called it a "bipartisan agreement on the largest rescue package in history."The Senate will hold a vote to end debate and clear the way for final Senate passage, likely later Wednesday.

After its expected passage, the bill goes to the House for a vote before heading to President Donald Trump's desk.The deal comes as confirmed cases in America, now over 55,000, have been climbing at an exponential rateespecially in New York and more are expected as the U.S. increases testing.

The U.S. death toll was at 802early Wednesday after eclipsing 600 on Tuesday. Globally, more than 19,600people have been killed by the virus according to the Johns Hopkins University data dashboard.

Our live blogis being updated throughout the day. Refresh for the latest news.More headlines:

People earning less than $75,000 per year will get $1,200 checks under the stimulus agreement. Married couples earning less than $150,000 will get $2,400 and children will be worth another $500 each under the deal. The final language is still being crafted but the package includes $367 billion for small businesses, $500 billion for loans to larger industries, $100 billion for hospitals and the health care system and$600 more per week in unemployment benefits for those out of work.

Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer said the goal is to ensure that every worker who is laid off or furloughedcan pay their bills.

"And because so many of them will be furloughed rather than fired, if they have benefits, they can continue, and extremely important they can stay with the company or small business," he said.

Britain's Prince Charles, heir to the throne, has tested positive for the coronavirus, his official royal residencesaid in a statement.The statement said that Prince Charles, 71,has "been displaying mild symptoms but otherwise remains in good health." His wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, does not have the virus, a testshowed.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth has canceled a number of diary events "as a sensible precaution" amid the outbreak, but as late as last week she was still holding "audiences" with members of the public. Britain's monarch is 93.

Kim Hjelmgaard

Autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions

Italy saw a jump in its daily death toll following two straight days of declines, the nation's civil protection chief said Wednesday. Tuesday saw 743 deaths, up from 601 on Monday and 653 on Sunday. More than 6,800 have died since the outbreak swept into Italy last month. In Spain, where an ice rink has been converted into a morgue, 738 more deaths were reported for a total of 3,434 overall, surpassing China's total.

Iran reported 122 deaths, bringing the total there to more than 2,000.United NationsHigh Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warned that U.S. sanctions are impeding Irans efforts to fight coronavirus and are putting the entire world in danger. "In a context of global pandemic, impeding medical efforts in one country heightens the risk for all of us," Bachelet said.

U.S stock opened higher Wednesday followingthe Dow Jones Industrial Average's biggest surgesince 1933. Global markets roared, however, with Japan's Nikkei 225 index jumping 5.3%, Hong Kong adding 3% and Sydney climbed 3.6%.Tokyo share prices were also boosted by the decision to postpone the 2020 Olympics to July 2021 in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

That followed a stunning 11.4% surge Tuesday in the Dow. The S&P 500 index leaped 9.4% as a wave of buying around the world interrupted what has been a brutal month of nearly nonstop selling.

Waffle House, known for weathering many a natural disaster, said it's closing 365 of its restaurants.The chain posted a map on social media showing the closed restaurants, while another 1,627 across the southeastern U.S. remained open. The posts also featured the hashtag "#WaffleHouseIndexRed. The Facebook Post drew almost 1,000 comments, most of the reflecting alarm, such as"Oh geez, now we can worry" and "It's getting real sir."

The chain has its own"Waffle House Index"used during natural disasters to assess damage. If a store is closed, it's likely in an area with significant damage.

Most of them wont attendclasses in person, but thousands of Liberty University students will returnto the evangelical Virginia campusamid the coronavirus pandemic.

Most of the students are not at-risk because of their age, President Jerry Falwell Jr. argued in an interview withthe News and Advance in Lynchburg. The president of the private, Christian collegeis a prominent supporter of President Donald Trump.

Liberty's move is remarkable as the coronavirus spreads acrossthe United States.Hundreds of universities have closed their campuses and asked students to leave crowded dorms.Some have allowed students who cant move back homeinternational students or those without secure housing but most campuses are becoming emptier, not fuller.

Chris Quintana

Early evidence suggestsclosing bars, restaurantsand other businesses to keep people apart in places including New York City,has slowed the incidence of fevers thatare an early indicator of coronavirus, according to a newanalysis of fevers and symptoms across the U.S.

Data from health technology company Kinsa, which did the analysis using its digital thermometers, show the number of people with flu-like illness atypical fever and symptoms began dropping almost immediately after mandatory social distancing measures were implemented in some areas.

The companydownloads fever readings from more than 1 million thermometers in use around the U.S. Itpredicted the 2018 spread of the flu and bad colds that were often mistaken for the flu last winter.

"When you shut down schools and businesses, you are breaking the chain of infections," said Kinsa CEO Inder Singh. "The data are showingit is working and the clusters of fever we were seeing are leveling off and diminishing within days."

Jayne O'Donnell

Members of the coronavirus task force are advising anybody who has been intheNew York metropolitan area recently to self-quarantine for two weeks to avoid spreading the virus.Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator,said recent visitors may have been exposed to the virus and should take measures to avoid infecting others.

"This will be very critical, that those individuals do self-quarantine in their homes over these next 14 days to make sure they dont pass the virus to others based on the time they left New York,'' Birx said. "So if they are four days out, it is just 10 more days.

AnthonyFauci,director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said people in the New York City metro area have beeninfected at a rate eight to 10 times higher than elsewhere.

Erick A. Smith

New York University will offer senior medical students an opportunity to graduate a few months early provided theyve met all their requirements and have all their credits to put more doctors in the field to fight the coronavirus.

Students were told Tuesday night via email that details were still being worked out, but that they might be able to start working as soon as April.

NYUs Grossman School of Medicine has made the offer to students in response to Gov. AndrewCuomos directive to get more physicians into the health system more quickly," the school said in a statement, according to media reports.New York state could be just two weeks from seeing 40,000 patients requiring intensive care in facilities equipped for only 3,000, Cuomo warned.

We are not slowing it. And it is accelerating on its own, he said in New York City. "We are now looking at a bullet train."

Lindsay Schnell

Alaska and Hawaii are the first two states tomandate a 14-day quarantine for all visitors and residents arriving at state airports.Alaska's order goes into effect Wednesday and will be reviewed by April 21. Hawaii's order is effective Thursday.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also issued an executive order requiring anyone flying to Florida from New York, New Jersey or Connecticut to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival. That mandate took effect Tuesday.

Nicquel Terry Ellis

Cases of COVID-19(Photo: USA TODAY)

Contributing: The Associated Press.

Autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions

Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/03/25/coronavirus-live-updates-stimulus-deal-done-us-deaths-stocks-trump/2909339001/


See the original post:
Coronavirus live updates: $2 trillion stimulus deal; Prince Charles sick; US deaths top 800 - USA TODAY
Youve Got Mail. Will You Get the Coronavirus? – The New York Times

Youve Got Mail. Will You Get the Coronavirus? – The New York Times

March 25, 2020

Representatives of the big three package deliverers in the United States U.P.S., FedEx and the Postal Service insisted there is no need. The C.D.C. has advised that there is a low risk of transmission on packages, said Matthew OConner, a spokesman for U.P.S. FedEx, in a statement. The guidance from the W.H.O. is that the likelihood of an infected person contaminating commercial goods is low, and the risk of catching the virus that causes COVID-19 from a package that has been moved, traveled, and exposed to different conditions and temperature is also low.

David Partenheimer, a spokesman for the Postal Service, noted that the surgeon general, Dr. Jerome M. Adams, along with the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization, has indicated that there is currently no evidence that COVID-19 is being spread through the mail.

This is because many scientists think it is quite unlikely that you can catch the coronavirus by touching a surface that has the virus on it and subsequently touching your own mouth or nose. (One review of scientific publications on the subject concluded that hand washing seems to cut the risk of respiratory infection by a mere 16 percent but added that the studies examined were of poor quality and more research was urgently needed.)

The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment Germanys equivalent of the F.D.A. advises that while the virus could, theoretically, be transmitted through this kind of smear infection, as opposed to the standard droplet infection, there have been no known cases in which individuals have caught the coronavirus by touching a contaminated surface and then transferring the virus to their mouth or nose. Then again, contact transmission is notoriously difficult to study and document.

A paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine last week shed more light on the subject. A group of researchers from the National Institutes of Health, the C.D.C., Princeton University and the University of California, Los Angeles, misted virus particles into a rotating drum and studied how long the floating particles survived on various surfaces. They found that the SARS-CoV-2 virus survived for up to 24 hours on cardboard three times longer than its cousin, the original SARS.

In that light, you might expect the virus to remain viable for hours but probably not days on mail, said James Lloyd-Smith, one of the studys authors. But there are important caveats.

Among these: The study specifically looked at aerosolized virus particles, rather than the fine droplets that infected people emit with each cough or sneeze. The line between aerosols and droplets is fuzzy, but, broadly, droplets are bigger and settle more quickly, while aerosols are smaller and float for longer.


Read the original here: Youve Got Mail. Will You Get the Coronavirus? - The New York Times
What I Learned When My Husband Got Sick With Coronavirus – The New York Times

What I Learned When My Husband Got Sick With Coronavirus – The New York Times

March 25, 2020

I am texting the doctor. I am texting Ts five siblings on a group chat, texting my parents and my brother, texting Ts business partner and employees and his dearest friends and mine, in loops and loops, with hearts and thankful prayer-hands emoji. He is too exhausted, too weak, to answer all the missives winging to him at all hours. Dont sugarcoat it for my family, he tells me. He has asked for the gray sweater that was his fathers, that his father wore when he was alive. He will not take it off.

Its as if we are in a time warp, in which we have accelerated at 1 time speed, while everyone around us remains in the present already the past to us and they, blissfully, unconsciously, go about their ordinary lives, experiencing the growing news, the more urgent advisories and directives, as a vast communal experience, sharing posts and memes about cabin fever, about home-schooling, about social distancing, about how hard it all is, while were living in our makeshift sick ward, living in what will soon be the present for more and more of them. I took out the kitty litter, CK says, and I saw some people standing on the corner, and I was like, I want to see strangers! And then I heard them saying: Its actually been really nice. Its been a chance to connect as a family. And I was like, No, actually, I dont want to see strangers, and I came back in.

CK and I confine ourselves to the half bathroom, the one with the litter box, which she is now in charge of. Over the past days and days, drifty, dreamy CK has become my chief assistant on my nursing/housekeeping/kitchen rotations, feeding the cat and cleaning the litter box, folding laundry, preparing Ts small meals, washing dishes and pots, coordinating with me in a complicated choreography when I come out of the sickroom holding dishes so we can get them into the dishwasher without my touching the handles or having to wash my dry, raw hands even more. I feel like were talking to each other more like equals now, she says. She is right.

I am consumed with trying to keep us safe. I wipe down the doorknobs, the light switches, the faucets, the handles, the counters with disinfectant. I swab my phone with alcohol. I throw the days hoodie into the laundry at night as if it were my scrubs. I wash all our towels, again and again. When CK wants to shower, I wipe down the whole main bathroom where T refills his water cup, where he has had diarrhea, where he coughs and spits out phlegm with bleach, take out Ts washcloth, towels and bathmat and replace them with clean ones, telling CK to try not to touch anything, to shower and go right back to her room. Then I do the same. If T needs to use the bathroom before were ready to shower, I do the whole bleach routine again before we go in. Twice, in the first week of the illness, I eased him into an Epsom-salt bath. But not since then. He is too weak. It would be too much. There is no way. When he shuffles down the hall from the bedroom to the bathroom, he lists against the wall. He splashes water on his face in the bathroom, and that has to be enough.

I run through possibilities. Im not so worried about CK getting sick. I can nurse her too. Its if I get sick. I show her how to do more things, where things go, what to remember, what to do if What if T is hospitalized? What if I am? Could a 16-year-old be left to fend for herself at home, alone? How would she get what she needed? Could she do it? For how long?


View post: What I Learned When My Husband Got Sick With Coronavirus - The New York Times
Coronavirus Spurs a Wave of Suspect Websites Looking to Cash In – The New York Times

Coronavirus Spurs a Wave of Suspect Websites Looking to Cash In – The New York Times

March 25, 2020

Though Shopify has been policing the new sites, it also encourages its customers to go into the dropshipping business. It offers a guide for starting such a business and makes money from them by charging a monthly fee and a percentage of sales. The Canadian company is one of the largest turnkey e-commerce sites in the world, bringing in $1.5 billion last year. In February, Shopify announced that it had hosted over a million businesses.

New sites selling coronavirus products come online every day. A majority of the sites tracked by The Times appeared over the past two weeks, including over 70 registered since Wednesday, according to data from DomainTools, a cyberforensics company. The sites target users around the world and are in English, French, Spanish, German, Romanian, Icelandic and other languages.

The registrations are part of a larger increase in Coronavirus-related activity, said Chad Anderson, senior security researcher at DomainTools. In February, he said, he saw about 100 new websites a day related to the pandemic. Now, the figure is 2,000. Their systems have flagged about half of those as likely related to malware, ransomware or phishing.

Its a massive uptick, Mr. Anderson said.

The operator of another Shopify dropshipping site, covid-defender.com, who would identify himself to The Times only as Radwan, said he lived in Denmark and had run Facebook ads for his site. The site sells face masks for $30 to $40, including one marketed for children described as Kid Mask Protection Against Virus and Bacteria With N95 Standards.

He said he believed the suppliers statements that the masks were certified to the standards claimed. It doesnt say by any means that it provides 100 percent protection, he said.

He said he had not heard of shortages of the masks he sold. If I had heard of any shortage anywhere on the planet I would not sell it, he said. Even so, he said, it was up to his customers to vet the products before buying.

They shouldnt trust these stores, and they have to find the proper information themselves, he said.


See the article here: Coronavirus Spurs a Wave of Suspect Websites Looking to Cash In - The New York Times
To Fight the Coronavirus, Cut the Red Tape – The New York Times

To Fight the Coronavirus, Cut the Red Tape – The New York Times

March 25, 2020

One expeditious way to accomplish this task is to give epidemiologists access to anonymized data that is being created by the GPS tracking on our smartphones. If companies can use this data to market services to you, shouldnt health agencies use it to track the spread of this disease?

One example of how smartphone data could be taken another step forward comes from Singapore, which has been one of the most successful countries in fighting the coronavirus, deploying numerous tools including widespread testing. Lately authorities there have added a new tool to their arsenal. As reported by The Financial Times, the government started TraceTogether, an app that uses Bluetooth technology to record distance between users as well as the duration of their encounters. People consent to give the health ministry the information, which is encrypted and deleted after 21 days. The department can then contact users in case of probable contact with an infected individual.

Note that this is a service people opt into. Both of us would gladly sign up. We dont think anyone should be forced to use it, but we do think it should be legal.

Many countries have adopted data privacy regulations, some of which can prevent the creation of tools that use data to help fight the pandemic. Of course, like all of our other suggestions, we recommend this only as a temporary change, although similar measures might be necessary in another health crisis.

Although we have tried to educate ourselves about the issues raised here, we are not experts in medicine or health care, so our suggestions might not be the best ones. The people on the front lines are better suited to identify the factors inhibiting their progress.

It is standard practice in the federal government (and some state governments) to request comments before new regulations are issued. This ensures that regulators receive proper feedback before laws are written.

Ideally, governments would do the opposite now: open up sites to request comments not on new regulations, but on existing ones that are limiting our ability to fight the virus. Let people on the front lines report the regulations that are hindering them. Of course, everyone is busy right now, so to help we have set up a website where anyone with a possibly useful idea can make suggestions for ways to eliminate the red tape that is making it harder for medical workers to do their jobs. We hope readers will submit their ideas and add comments on the ideas of others.

Some of our ideas may seem radical, but crises require new ways of thinking.

Sendhil Mullainathan is a professor of behavioral and computational science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Follow him on Twitter: @m_sendhil.

Richard H. Thaler, a professor of economics and behavioral science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, won the 2017 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. Follow him on Twitter: @R_Thaler.


See the original post:
To Fight the Coronavirus, Cut the Red Tape - The New York Times