Category: Corona Virus

Couples whose nuptials were put on hold by COVID-19 are turning to a fresh trend in the bridal industry: micro weddings. (July 29) AP Domestic

Images of packed beaches, lakes and bars have made the rounds on traditional and social media for much of the summer, drawing scorn from those concerned about the coronavirus spreading among those crowds.

Less prominent but also troubling are the growing instances of case clusters arising from smaller gatherings.

Contact tracing yields information about the sources of infections as the USA, by far the world leader in total COVID-19 cases and deaths, grapples with how to keep its population safe while propping up a flagging economy. More than 182,000 Americans have been killed by the disease.

The hasty reopening of businesses across much of the nation after the spring shutdown was largely blamed for a summer surge in infections, but social functions of various sizes among relatives, friends and co-workers may have been a contributing factor as well.

Public health experts soundthe alarm as the Labor Day weekend approaches.

People dont think of it in the same way as the (President) Trump rally in Tulsa, a bunch of people on the beach or in the bars, but these small events add up to a lot. Its just invisible,said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, a professor of medicine at the University of California-San Francisco who specializes in infectious diseases.

Theres no generally accepted definition of whats a small gathering it may range from five to 30 people and the majority of these activities take place behind closed doors. That makes it difficult to garner hard data about them.

Double trouble: Coronavirus Watch: Evacuating from Hurricane Laura amid COVID-19

In late July, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said contact tracing revealed 44% of those testing positive for the virus in the state reported attending a family activity and 23% a house party, but the size of the events was not specified.

Students gather in a parking lot at a school in Austin, Texas, on April 5, 2020.(Photo: Jay Janner, Austin American-Statesman via USA TODAY Network)

Plenty of anecdotal evidence supports the notion that getting together with people outside the immediate household, even in fairly limited numbers, can lead to a rash of infections. Chin-Hong said several of the COVID-19 patients he treated believe they caught the virus at barbecues.

Weddings have been more troublesome, including a100-guest event in San Francisco in early July that resulted in at least 10 people contracting the virus, among them the bride and groom.

Smaller events, such asfamily, office and graduation parties, have yielded COVID-19 cases as well.

In Alabama, eight of 11 relatives who went to a lake house together in July tested positive for the coronavirus.

In the Washington, D.C., area, the host of abackyard dinner in June for about 25 came down with COVID-19, as did some of her guests.

And in Houston, seven members of a family that went out for a Fathers Day meal developed COVID-19.

Education issues: Chaos reigns in some schools with in-person learning. Many kidslearnat home

Small gatherings are a concern because theres so many of them. They may account for a much greater proportion of the cases than we think right now, said Dr. George Rutherford, a colleague of Chin-Hongs at UCSF and the principal investigator for Californias contact tracing program.

Rutherford emphasized the need for those planning to attend or host functions on Labor Day weekend to practice social distancing and wear masks as much as possible, but hes even more wary of what may be in store after Thanksgiving.

Extended families traditionally convene on that holiday, often after traveling from far away, and sit around for long stretches, be it eating or watching NFL games on TV. The dinners are almost always held indoors, wherelimited ventilation makes it easier to contract the virus.

Everybodys going to be there with their belts undone and the top button off their pants, snoring and laying without masks onwatching football in some tiny little den, Rutherford said. Its not a pretty picture. There could be a lot of transmission. And Christmas is going to be exactly the same. Its unfortunate, but this is not the year for family gatherings.

Given human nature, its nearly impossible to prevent them.

Thanksgiving dinners, usually a time of family rejoicing and reunions, could be the source of COVID-19 infections this year.(Photo: Getty Images / skynesher)

Matt Lambert, an emergency room physician based in Washington, D.C., said he would advise against any gatherings bigger than 25 people, small enough for the hosts to inquire about symptoms before the event.

Those seeking to congregate for special occasions could take extreme measures, like a couple Lambert heard of who held their wedding at a zoo, where the staff enforced distancing regulations.

Even then, its hard to keep people apart.

Loading up: Americans buyMace, RVs, bulk foods as COVID-19 pandemic drags on

Were not made that way, Lambert said. You get extended loved ones together, especially at a wedding, and theres going to be some hugging going on.

Lambert said he has treated patients who contracted the virus at a dinner with only eight participants, although he noted the party was held indoors and guests sat close to each other.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization posted guidelines for gatherings, and Chin-Hong said relatively safe barbecues can be held ifthe hosts and guests take precautions.

He pointed out that, besides mask usage, the main determinants of risk when people assemble are the size of the group, the type and duration of the activity, where its held (indoors or outdoors), whether alcohol is served, whether there is shouting or singing and how well participants know each other.

Chin-Hong suggested inviting no more than two or three groups, each from a single household, and having them stay in their own pods,at least 6 feet apart from the other participants. The event should be outdoors, hand sanitizer should be readily available, and either a host wearing a mask should serve the food, or the members of each pod could serve themselves while maintaining distance from the rest. Anybody using the bathroom should wear a mask.

Its fine to have a barbecue if you do it in a modest way and think about these risk aspects of keeping the pods apart from each other, Chin-Hong said. Im not against barbecues at all, but you can make it safer by not having a big event. Dont try to have a class reunion barbecue right now.

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'Small events add up to a lot': Limited gatherings quietly emerge as source of coronavirus infections - USA TODAY

The coronavirus is most deadly if you are older and male new data reveal the risks  Nature.com

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The coronavirus is most deadly if you are older and male new data reveal the risks - Nature.com

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It might feel like the COVID-19 pandemic has been going on forever. But the disease caused by the novel coronavirus is still relatively new. Questions abound, and information from public officials is at times contradictory or confusing.

As the weeks and months push on, we want to know what questions you might have about COVID-19, and we want to help answer them.

Have a question of your own? Fill out the form at the bottom of this article.

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, which reports all of the states COVID-19 data, recently changed the way it reports testing data.

Before, the department reported all of the test results it received each day on that day. Now, instead of displaying results based on the day the department received them, it is displaying them based on the day the tests were conducted.

Doing so better portrays when people are getting tested and smooths out day-to-day variability caused by lags in test completion, such as fewer tests being completed on weekends or labs that might have backlogs, according to the department.

Since COVID-19 tests can take a few days to return results, it looks like there were fewer tests conducted recently. But officials at the department say thats because they just dont have the results for the most recent tests yet.

The states health department sends out a recap of the previous weeks COVID-19 data every Wednesday, which helps paint a more specific picture of the pandemic in the 49th state.

In their most recent summary, Alaska health officials wrote that in March, many of the states cases were related to travel. In April and May, fewer Alaskans traveled but as more Alaskans have started to travel since June, more cases are now again tied to travel.

The most recent week saw 61% of Alaskas cases tied to secondary or community transmission. And, the largest increase in cases has been among people in their 20s and 30s.

The spread of COVID-19 among people at social gatherings, community events, churches and bars in addition to the spread of the virus within families has significantly contributed to Alaskas rising case counts, a previous report said.

Anchorage continues to see cases citywide, Anchorage Health Department medical officer Dr. Bruce Chandler said during a briefing on Aug. 21. He said Anchorage had identified infectious cases at a child care facility, an adult care facility, a shelter and an athletic team group residence, as well as cases involving employees at several local businesses.

Im sure there are others that havent come to our attention, Chandler said.

There are thousands of people who are still at a high risk for the virus in Anchorage. Plus, even if people have no symptoms at all, they can be highly infectious to others nearby, he said.

Seven people from Anchorage had died with COVID-19 in the past month, Chandler said Aug. 21 a number that has since risen.

I think some of those people would well be alive if wed done a better job of protecting them from the virus, Chandler said.

Inbound passengers Alex Koehler and Melissa Engelhardt listen to instructions from Marvell Robinson at the COVID-19 testing site in the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport on July 17, 2020. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

For context: Alaska has changed its rules for incoming travelers. Since Aug. 11, nonresidents arriving into the state have been required to take a COVID-19 test before departing or pay $250 for a test at the airport.

So far, the state hasnt had to deal with someone refusing to get tested at the airport after arriving without proof of a test, according to Coleman Cutchins, clinical pharmacist and testing coordinator with the state.

But if people do refuse, the airport screeners will ask for their contact information so the state can come up with a plan, he said on an Aug. 20 call with reporters. If a person truly cannot afford a test, the state might find a way for the person to get tested for free and quarantine until they get their results, he said.

False positive test results showing that someone has the illness when they actually dont are not common in coronavirus testing. The test for the virus is highly specific, according to the states health department, meaning it almost never gives a false positive.

However, false negatives, which show that someone doesnt have the virus when they really do, can happen. This might happen if its too early in someones illness to detect COVID-19.

Jesse Guyer, left, and Callie Palmer, right, hike Little O'Malley Peak in Chugach State Park on Aug. 22, 2020. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

The states epidemiologist, Dr. Joe McLaughlin, uses Anchorages trail system, he said during a recent public video call. Navigating the outdoors comes down to personal choice, he said.

If someone tests positive for COVID-19, anyone who was within 6 feet of them for more than fifteen minutes is deemed a close contact, which means walking past someone on the trail doesnt fit that category.

Now, certainly, if the person is breathing hard and were to cough right on you, like give you a direct face shot of a cough, you might get exposed to COVID if theyre infected, McLaughlin said.

When hes out hiking, McLaughlin said, hell step off the trail, turn his head or will even hold his breath if he starts to get too close to someone.

But, if someone is at a higher risk for COVID-19, he said they should take more precautions.

Similarly, the states chief medical officer, Dr. Anne Zink, said her kids use the grumpy dog theory, meaning to stay away from people the way youd keep a grumpy dog away from people along trails. They often dive into the woods and go 6 feet off the trail, Zink said.

She also keeps a mask around for crowded trailheads and wears one if she goes blueberry picking by a trail where others might show up.

Read more:

Alaska coronavirus Q&A: How are people here getting COVID-19? And what's the deal with testing numbers? - Anchorage Daily News

Editors note: The Salt Lake Tribune is providing free access to critical stories about the coronavirus. Sign up for our Top Stories newsletter, sent to your inbox every weekday morning. To support journalism like this, please donate or become a subscriber.

With 458 new coronavirus cases reported on Saturday, Utahs rate of new cases went up slightly, as the states death toll from the virus remained at 407, the same as Friday.

For the past week, Utah has averaged 366 new positive test results per day, the Utah Department of Health said. Gov. Gary Herbert had said he wanted the state to get below 400 new cases per day by Sept. 1 and with just two days to go, new cases would need to continue to rise to miss that target.

Since public schools began opening on Aug. 13, there have been seven outbreaks in schools, affecting 54 patients with one new outbreak, eight new cases and one new hospitalization reported by the state health department in the past day.

The Uintah School District also announced on Saturday that a second confirmed case of COVID-19 had been confirmed at Discovery Elementary School. But it said contact tracing showed neither person contracted the virus at the school and the TriCounty Health Department had concluded the cases were not related.

Those who were in direct, prolonged contact with the two people have been notified, the school district said. State policy calls for students and staff who have been in close contact to stay home for 14 days.

A quarter of the slightly more than 200 COVID-19 cases reported in the region in Uintah, Duchesne and Daggett counties, and among members of the Ute Indian Tribe have been residents age 25 or younger, the TriCounty Health Department said.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been 99 patients infected in 18 school outbreaks, with an average age of 18. Six of those patients have been hospitalized; none have died.

Hospitalizations did not change significantly on Saturday, with 119 Utah patients concurrently admitted, UDOH said. On average, 124 patients have been receiving treatment in Utah hospitals each day for the past week continuing a decline from the peak average of 211 patients hospitalized each day at the end of July.

In total, 3,057 patients have been hospitalized in Utah for COVID-19, up 16 from Friday.

Per population, the virus appears to be spreading the most rapidly in Utah County, where there have been, on average, 16.5 new cases a day per 100,000 people for the past week. Utah County is followed by Salt Lake County, at 13.3 new cases daily per 100,000 people, and then Summit County, where new cases are slowing after an August outbreak at a private party.

The virus also appears to be becoming more prevalent in Davis County, where the average number of new cases has risen from 25 per day to 36 per day over the past week and a half or from seven to 10 new cases daily, per 100,000 people.

Of 51,406 Utahns who have tested positive for COVID-19, 43,342 are considered recovered that is, they have survived for at least three weeks after being diagnosed.

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Utah coronavirus case numbers spike to 458 on Saturday, with another hospitalization tied to a school outbreak - Salt Lake Tribune

The scary thing finally happened: someone caught the coronavirus twice and got sicker the second time around. A 25-year-old man in Nevada got COVID-19 in March, got better in April, and got sick again in May. He had worse symptoms on the second bout, bad enough that he had to be hospitalized.

Three other cases of confirmed reinfection were also reported this week: one in Hong Kong (the first documented case) and two in Europe. These dont necessarily make me any more worried about our vaccine prospects, though, and they dont mean the pandemic will go on forever. We have four documented cases of reinfection. But thats out of the 24 million cases of this disease so far, and rare shit happens. Most experts expected that wed see at least a few.

For months, there have been occasional, anecdotal reports of people testing positive for COVID-19 twice. None of those were proven to be reinfections. For most of those people, the second test probably picked up residual, dead virus that was still floating around in peoples noses and throats after their first infection.

In these reinfection cases, though, researchers actually analyzed the virus from the first time the people got sick and compared it to the virus from the second time they got sick. In each case, the two viruses had slightly different genetic sequences, showing that the second positive tests werent just leftover virus.

Heres the other important thing: in the Hong Kong case, the second infection caused no symptoms at all. That means his immune system probably recognized the virus from the first infection and kept it in check. We dont know why that didnt happen for the man in Nevada. He wasnt tested for antibodies the first time he got sick, so its possible that he just didnt make any. Thats the more encouraging option. The other possibility is that he had antibodies, but they made the infection worse (it happens with other viruses, like dengue).

Case studies only answer one question: can you catch COVID-19 twice? But thats about all they do. Mostly, they raise questions rather than answer them. How common is reinfection? How infectious are people if they get sick a second time? Are people who dont generate many antibodies the first time they contract the virus the only people who can catch it again?

The pandemic feels like its gone on for 1 million years, but in a more real way, the coronavirus has only existed in the human population for about nine months. Scientists have learned so much, so fast, but theres still a long way to go. The human immune system is weird and confusing, and its squaring off against a new, never-before-seen virus. Its going to take time to understand whats happening.

Oh, and the other thing this is a reminder that even if youve already had COVID-19, you still need to be careful.

Heres what else happened this week.

Biogen conference likely led to 20,000 COVID-19 cases in Boston area, researchers say

In February, before we knew the extent of COVID-19 in the US, 175 biotech executives gathered for a conference in Boston. At that meeting, the virus spread from attendee to attendee and the outbreak eventually led to tens of thousands of cases all around the world, according to one analysis. The study shows that even a small gathering can have wide-ranging, devastating ripple effects on the course of the pandemic. (Jonathan Saltzman / The Boston Globe)

Four scenarios on how we might develop immunity to Covid-19

Months into the pandemic, scientists still arent sure what happens to our immune systems after we recover from COVID-19. Most researchers think people will have some protection against the virus, but they still dont know what that protection will look like. Stat News broke down some of the possibilities. (Helen Branswell / Stat News)

FDA authorizes Abbotts fast $5 COVID-19 test

The Food and Drug Administration authorized a $5, 15-minute COVID-19 test that works like a pregnancy test: a nasal swab gets inserted into the bottom of a test card and a colored line appears if the sample is positive for the coronavirus. Its a big step forward, experts say. (Nicole Wetsman / The Verge)

Moderna Says Covid-19 Vaccine Shows Signs of Working in Older Adults

The drug company ran a small study testing their COVID-19 vaccine candidate in people over the age of 56, and it found they produced the same types of immune response that younger people did. This doesnt mean that theyre protected from infection with the coronavirus we still need data from much bigger trials to prove that. But it is a promising sign: older peoples immune systems are weaker than younger peoples, and vaccines sometimes dont work as well for them. (Peter Loftus / The Wall Street Journal)

What if the First Coronavirus Vaccines Arent the Best?

While companies like Moderna and Pfizer are racing to collect data on their COVID-19 vaccine candidates by the end of the year, dozens of other companies are moving at a slower pace. Theyre building their vaccines using different types of technology than the ones at the head of the pack, and some researchers think they may have more staying power. The first vaccines may not be the most effective, Ted Ross, the director of the Center for Vaccines and Immunology at the University of Georgia, told The New York Times. (Carl Zimmer / The New York Times)

What happened in Room 10?

Reporter Katie Engelhart investigated the deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the Life Care Center of Kirkland, Washington, the first virus hotspot in the United States. Something clearly went wrong but who was to blame?

Later, the story of the Life Care outbreak would be flattened by the ubiquitous metaphors of pandemic. People would say that COVID-19 hit like a bomb, or an earthquake, or a tidal wave. They would say it spread like wildfire. But inside the facility, it felt more like a spectral haunting. A nurse named Chelsey Earnest said that fighting COVID was like chasing the devil.

(Katie Engelhart / California Sunday)

Were Living The News: Student Journalists Are Owning The College Reopening Story

On college campuses around the country, student journalists are tirelessly documenting reopening plans and COVID-19 outbreaks. It takes a toll. We are scared because not only is this news that were writing about for other people to hear, were also hearing about it ourselves for the first time usually when were writing about it, Brandon Standley, managing editor at UNCs The Daily Tar Heel, told NPR.

(Elissa Nadworny and Lauren Migaki / NPR)

More than numbers

To the more than 24,775,245 people worldwide who have tested positive, may your road to recovery be smooth.

To the families and friends of the 837,908 people who have died worldwide 181,779 of those in the US your loved ones are not forgotten.

Stay safe, everyone.

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A case of coronavirus reinfection shows the complexities of the pandemic - The Verge

A coronavirus outbreak linked to a wedding reception has infected at least 87 people in Maine, according to the state Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Robert F. Bukaty/AP hide caption

A coronavirus outbreak linked to a wedding reception has infected at least 87 people in Maine, according to the state Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

A coronavirus outbreak originating from a wedding reception in Maine earlier this month continues to grow. Health officials say cases linked to the event have spread to a rehabilitation center and a jail.

At least 87 coronavirus cases are associated with an outbreak from the Aug. 7 wedding at a church in Millinocket and a reception at the Big Moose Inn, Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said Thursday.

"What concerns me in this situation is the fact that the number of individuals who were affected from that initial setting ... was higher than we would have anticipated," he said during virtual press briefing. "It suggests that there was already community transmission happening in Penobscot County by the attendees, and when they came together, it was kind of like a powder keg that was giving off sparks, and generated a higher-than-expected number of cases."

The risk now is that this outbreak could "spiral," and these 87 cases could keep growing, Shah said. State data show that so far, Maine has recorded 4,436 cases of the coronavirus and 132 deaths.

The outbreak affected those who attended the wedding events, and also nine cases at the Maplecrest Rehabilitation & Living Center in Madison and 18 cases associated with the York County Jail complex, Shah said. At least one person has died after contracting COVID-19 from someone who attended the wedding, Millinocket Regional Hospital said in a statement.

"Because we have identified an epidemiological link between and among all of these cases, they constitute a single outbreak," Shah said.

Of the 65 people who attended the wedding, 30 people contracted COVID-19, Shah said. They infected 35 other people, and those people infected 22 more people. Among the 87 people total who were infected, 59 of them have shown symptoms.

The state suspended the Big Moose Inn's business license on Wednesday, said Jeanne Lambrew, commissioner of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. The inn's license was reinstated on Friday, according to a local media report.

State authorities initially issued a health hazard citation to the venue for hosting the wedding reception that exceeded the 50-person limit on indoor gatherings in the state, Lambrew said.

Officials said health inspectors discovered additional public health violations on a follow-up visit to the inn, which led to the suspension. Dining room tables were placed indoors within 6 feet of each other, and employees were not wearing face coverings.

"We are working with the Big Moose Inn to bring them into compliance because all of our public health emergency enforcement tools is less about punishment and more about prevention," Lambrew said.

Shah urged Maine residents and businesses to comply with restrictions on indoor and outdoor gatherings to prevent the spread of the virus. He said the duration and density of an event are the two factors that drive the potential for an outbreak.

"What we saw here was an event a wedding and then a reception so a long-duration event with a fair number of individuals, greater than the 50 that are allowed," he said. "When we see those two factors combine, time and time again, not just in Maine, but across the globe, we see the potential for outbreaks."

Maine's positive rate for the virus remains less than 1% on average over seven days, Shah said. Testing volume in the state has also jumped by 53% in the past 30 days, with 44% of that growth happening over the past seven days.

Shah emphasized the importance of testing in tracing the virus. Despite new guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Shah said Maine will continue to test asymptomatic patients who were potentially exposed to the virus.

"Our view is that you don't stop the plows in the middle of the storm, you keep plowing," he said. "Or in this setting, you keep testing."

Read the original:

Coronavirus Outbreak From Maine Wedding Spreads To Jail, Rehabilitation Center - NPR

Earlier this summer, Maines top public health official offered some advice for any young people who might have been thinking it was safe to hold a large party or get-together.

While they might feel safe to do so, Nirav Shah said, such gatherings could result in them catching COVID-19 and spreading the disease to their parents, grandparents or others with less robust immune systems.

When Shah broadcast that warning on July 30, Maine hadnt traced any outbreaks to house parties or large social gatherings, although that kind of transmission was happening in many other states that had already loosened their coronavirus restrictions on bars, night clubs and gatherings.

We havent identified a singular one yet, said Shah, who heads the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

But just a week later, a young couple got married at a church in East Millinocket. Afterward, they celebrated the milestone with a 62-person dinner at an inn outside Baxter State Park.

Now, after a summer in which Maine controlled the coronavirus better than almost every other state, that couples fateful decision has spawned the states most far-reaching outbreak of COVID-19 yet.

It has infected at least 123 people and caused secondary outbreaks at a rehabilitation center in Madison and, more than 200 miles to the south, at the York County Jail in Alfred. One woman who did not attend the wedding has now died from the disease.

So far, the outbreak has not erased Maines progress in flattening the COVID-19 curve. Despite recent growth in daily case numbers, Maines infection rate throughout the pandemic exceeds only that of Vermont. But the wedding outbreak has caused a growing number of ripple effects, including many hours of work by state health investigators who must trace the spread of the disease, a delayed opening for schools in the Millinocket area and the states reassessment of whether its safe for schools in Penobscot and York counties to reopen full-time in person.

It has also created fear in the Katahdin region, which had seen few coronavirus cases in recent months. Following the outbreak, East Millinockets infection rate the number of cases for every 1,000 residents shot to fourth in the state, according to the states town-by-town case data. As of Sunday, its rate was 11.7 cases for every 1,000 residents. Medway, which had an earlier wave of 12 cases in the spring, now has the seventh highest rate in the state.

On a deeper level, the outbreak also has provided Mainers with a reminder of the rapid way in which COVID-19 can spread, even between people who dont show any symptoms. During the early part of the pandemic, the most dramatic examples of that spread came in nursing homes, homeless shelters and other congregate living settings.

Now, the state has a sobering example of how the same rules can apply when people get together for more festive reasons and how it can spread even when no one feels sick.

Before the wedding guests entered the Big Moose Inn the Millinocket Lake venue which hosted the reception on Aug. 7 they all were given temperature checks that came back normal, a state health inspector later found. Some of the guests who came from out-of-state may have also provided documentation that they had tested negative for COVID-19.

Then, about a week after the wedding, guests started to feel sick, Shah said this week. But of the 87 people who had tested positive as of Thursday in connection with the outbreak, just 59 were showing symptoms.

But while the outbreak may have started with a celebration, it has now reached more vulnerable populations.

State investigators have found that an employee of the York County Jail attended the Katahdin-area wedding and was one of the first people to test positive in the jails outbreak, which has spread to at least 54 workers and inmates. Until now, Maine had avoided large outbreaks in correctional facilities, where some of the nations largest coronavirus outbreaks have happened.

Investigators have also determined that a wedding guest passed the virus to a parent, who passed it to another child who is an employee of Maplecrest Rehabilitation and Living Center in Madison. There are now five cases among residents and four among the centers staff.

The outbreak has also driven home the importance of measures that public health experts have long recommended for preventing the spread of COVID-19 including wearing face masks, avoiding large gatherings and staying at least 6 feet away from others but that apparently were ignored when the guests went to the Big Moose Inn for the reception, according to the health inspector who visited the inn on Aug. 18.

The wedding stood out in a year when many couples have chosen to postpone or dramatically scale back wedding plans or even drop elaborate plans in favor of eloping.

On Thursday, Maine Health and Human Services Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew acknowledged the special nature of weddings where people converge on a single place from all over to celebrate a couple. But for anyone who is still planning a wedding in the coming days and weeks, she said that there are important reasons for the states rules limiting large gatherings.

As weve seen in the last few weeks, there are deadly consequences associated with uncontrolled gatherings, she said.

Originally posted here:

How a single wedding changed the contours of Maine's coronavirus outbreak - Bangor Daily News

Find developments on the coronavirus pandemic and the plan for recovery in the U.S. and Washington state.

SEATTLE

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases globally has topped 25 million.

Thats according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.

The U.S. leads the count with 5.9 million cases, followed by Brazil with 3.8 million and India with 3.5 million.

The real number of people infected by the virus around the world is believed to be much higher perhaps 10 times higher in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention given testing limitations and the many mild cases that have gone unreported or unrecognized.

Global deaths from COVID-19 stand at over 842,000, with the U.S. having the highest number with 182,779, followed by Brazil with 120,262 and Mexico with 63,819.

The coronavirus has upended everyday life in ways big and small. What happens when those disruptions overlap with voting? Thousands of state and local election officials across the U.S are sharing ideas and making accommodations to try to ensure that voters and polling places are safe amid an unprecedented pandemic.

Some are finding ways to expand access to voter registration and ballot request forms. Others are testing new products, installing special equipment or scouting outdoor voting locations.

As summer starts to wind down and more state coronavirus restrictions are lifted, people may be more inclined to meet up with family and friends who they haven't seen in months.

Public Health King County - Seattle officials say they've seen an increase in coronavirus cases with parties and gatherings at homes.

Dr. Jeff Duchin, the public health officer at King County, said that social events are particularly risky to spread the virus. However, that doesn't mean you need to forgo them completely.

Visit link:

What you need to know about coronavirus Sunday, Aug. 30 - KING5.com

The novel coronavirus outbreak

Thousands of people gather for an electronic music festival at a water park in Wuhan, China, on Saturday, August 15. The novel coronavirus was first reported in Wuhan late last year.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

A health worker administers a Covid-19 test in the Indian village of Kusumpur on Monday, August 17.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

People gather in Little Venice on the Aegean Sea island of Mykonos, Greece, on Sunday, August 16.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

Funeral workers in Peru's Uchumayo District bury a coffin in a massive burial ground for low-income people and unidentified victims of Covid-19.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

A man receives an injection while taking part in a vaccine trial in Hollywood, Florida, on August 13.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

Election officials sort absentee ballots in Atlanta, where there were several runoffs taking place on August 11.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

Gravediggers bury a coronavirus victim at the Pondok Ranggon cemetery in Jakarta, Indonesia, on August 10.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

Kindergarten students wear face masks and play in screened-in areas at the Wat Khlong Toey School in Bangkok, Thailand, on August 10.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

Medics wait to transport a woman with possible Covid-19 symptoms to a hospital in Austin, Texas, on August 7.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

A coronavirus victim is lowered into the ground during her funeral in New Delhi on August 7.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

Resident doctors and interns attend a rally in Seoul, South Korea, on August 7. They were protesting the government's plan to expand admissions to medical schools a policy meant to address a shortage in physicians.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

A health worker performs a Covid-19 test at a gymnasium in Navotas, Philippines, on August 6.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

A worker disinfects a public school in Brasilia, Brazil, on August 5. The local government has begun preparations for the reopening of schools in early September.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

Cemetery workers carry the coffin of a Covid-19 victim at a graveyard in Comas, Peru, on August 5.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

The novel coronavirus outbreak

Elementary school students walk to class in Godley, Texas, on August 5. Three rural school districts in Johnson County were among the first in the state to head back to school for in-person classes.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

Poll worker Debra Moore sanitizes her workspace during a primary election in Detroit on August 4.

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A stylist from Grey Matter LA cuts a client's hair on a rooftop parking lot in Los Angeles on August 4.

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Paul Adamus, 7, waits at the bus stop for his first day of school in Dallas, Georgia, on August 3.

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Beds are seen at a temporary field hospital set up in Hong Kong on August 1. AsiaWorld-Expo has been converted into a makeshift hospital that can take up to 500 patients.

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Medical workers in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, showcase designs during a fashion show of personal protective equipment on August 1. The fashion show was held as a form of gratitude for all medical personnel who have been fighting Covid-19.

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A volunteer disinfects a rooftop area in Rio de Janeiro on August 1.

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Volunteer health workers disinfect a mosque prior to Eid al-Adha prayers in Kabul, Afghanistan, on July 31.

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A casket carrying the body of coronavirus victim Lola M. Simmons is placed into a hearse following her funeral service in Dallas on July 30.

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Relatives of Covid-19 patients line up to recharge oxygen cylinders in Villa Maria del Triunfo, Peru, on July 29.

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People watch the film "The Prestige" from a gondola boat in Venice, Italy, on July 28. Around the world, many films are being shown outside so that people can practice social distancing.

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A health worker tests a child for Covid-19 at a school in New Delhi on July 27.

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Portraits are taped onto seats to help theatergoers spread out in Nicosia, Cyprus, on July 27.

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The casket of a coronavirus victim is carried from a funeral home in Johannesburg on July 26.

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Worshippers of Legio Maria attend a prayer at their church in Nairobi, Kenya, on July 26. Places of worship have reopened in Kenya under strict guidelines.

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A casket containing the remains of a coronavirus victim waits to be removed from a mortuary in Soweto, South Africa, on July 24.

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Commuters wear face masks and face shields while traveling on a public bus in Lima, Peru, on July 22. Peru has mandated masks and shields on public transportation.

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Undertakers push the casket of a coronavirus victim during a funeral in Soweto, South Africa, on July 21.

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A worker measures a man's temperature before allowing him to enter La Vega market in Santiago, Chile, on July 19.

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Indigenous nurses in Santarem, Brazil, administer a Covid-19 test on Chief Domingos from the Arapium tribe on July 19.

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People watch a video projection in Avignon, France, on July 18. Since the Avignon Theatre Festival has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, the festival's organization has been projecting plays that made its history.

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Doctors from the Palestinian Ministry of Health take blood samples in Hebron, West Bank, on July 15.

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Health workers in Mumbai, India, screen residents for Covid-19 symptoms on July 14.

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Ultra-Orthodox Jews gather for a July 13 protest over lockdown measures in Jerusalem.

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Members of the Bungoma County Isolation Team stand by the coffin of Dr. Doreen Lugaliki during her funeral in Ndalu, Kenya, on July 13. Lugaliki, 39, died from complications related to the novel coronavirus.

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The boxed cremated remains of Mexicans who died from Covid-19 are covered before a service at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York on July 11. The ashes were blessed before they were repatriated to Mexico.

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Cars line up in the Hard Rock Stadium parking lot so drivers could be tested in Miami Gardens, Florida, on July 6.

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Peruvian migrant Jose Collantes cries as he watches cemetery workers bury his wife, Silvia Cano, in Santiago, Chile, on July 3. She died of coronavirus complications, according to Collantes.

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More:

Europe's fight against Covid-19 shifts from hospitals to the streets - CNN

A week passed, then another, and Mr. Loaiza still did not know if the aid had arrived. On June 23, the landlord texted him. Jhon, u said u were vacating the home last weekend. Is the home vacant now?

Mr. Loaiza felt emptied out and powerless; impotent, he told me. He began to lose sleep, and the stress snaked through his body like poison. Mr. Loaiza thought seriously about killing himself. He had never before entertained that obliterating thought, but the sheer hopelessness of the situation was suffocating. Marshals that carry out evictions are full of suicide stories: the early morning rap on the door followed by a single gunshot from inside the apartment, the blunt sound of giving up. From 2005 to 2010, years when housing costs were soaring across the country, suicides attributed to eviction and foreclosure doubled.

Mr. Loaiza pushed through it, the pull to sleep, to bury himself, and with the rent assistance seemingly stalled, he began calling friends in San Antonio, asking if they would consider taking his family in. No one had room. Finally, friends in Florida offered two rooms in their home and storage space in their garage. Mr. Loaiza and Ms. Bedoya began packing and scrubbing the apartment, hoping to receive their security deposit back. To afford the U-Haul, Mr. Loaiza jumped at the first job opportunity he found, joining a construction crew working inside a large building.

Jhon, Is the home now vacant? Mr. Acosta again texted on July 1. It was. At dawn, the family had begun their trek east. Mr. Loaiza drove the U-Haul, while Ms. Bedoya and the girls followed in the family car. A few hours in, Mr. Loaiza began to feel sick, feverish. It got so bad that Ms. Bedoya took to keeping her husband on the phone to make sure he was lucid.

A legal aid lawyer from St. Marys volunteered to represent Mr. Loaiza and Ms. Bedoyas case in their absence. The day before the eviction court hearing, the lawyer called the Neighborhood and Housing Services Department to inquire about the familys stalled rental assistance payment. She learned that $3,000 had in fact been issued to the landlord, and that he had cashed the check weeks earlier, on June 19, days before he texted Jhon about vacating the house. (Mr. Acosta did not consent to an interview, despite multiple requests, but he did tell me by text that the tenant vacated the home in order to find work elsewhere. The court records will show that. Mr. Loaiza told me that he moved because he felt forced from his home and that he had never told Mr. Acosta that he was moving for job opportunities.)

All this pain the stress so crippling that suicide begins to appear as relief, the severing of church and school ties, friendships; uprooting a family from community and work it wasnt for $3,190. If it was for anything, it was for $190. The lawyer tried calling Mr. Loaiza, over and over, but she couldnt reach him. By that time, he was already in Florida, lying in a hospital bed with Covid-19.

Rent its the greediest of bills. For many families, it grows every year, arbitrarily, almost magically, not because of any home improvements; just because. Demand, they say, when they hand you a new lease with a stiff rent hike. Or costs are rising. What they mean is: Because I can. And unlike defaulting on other bills, missing a rent payment can result in immediate and devastating consequences, casting families into poverty and homelessness. If you cant afford enough food, you can usually qualify for food stamps. If you miss a mortgage payment, you typically have 120 days before your bank can initiate the foreclosure process. But if you cant pay your rent, you can lose your home in a matter of weeks. During the first half of July, landlords collected 37 percent of total rent from families living in Class C properties typically older stock, home to low- and moderate-income workers compared with 80 percent during the first three months of the year.

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When the Threat of Eviction Meets the Threat of Coronavirus - The New York Times