Category: Corona Virus

After large protests sent people streaming into downtown Seattle over the weekend to demonstrate against racial injustice, experts and public-health officials are cautioning that the demonstrations, the first large gatherings since the pandemic was declared, could set back the regions recovery from the novel coronavirus.

Many demonstrators wore face coverings, but crowds filled cityscapes that made social distancing all but impossible.

With the virus still coursing through the community, King County approached the weekends protests on precarious footing. The infection rate remained too high in recent weeks for King County to advance to the second phase of Gov. Jay Inslees Safe Start plan to reopen society, unlike most counties in the state.

King County, the states most populous county, has reported 8,092 total cases and 567 deaths, accounting for 50.7% of the states death toll as of the end of the day Saturday. State health officials confirmed 353 new COVID-19 cases in Washington on Saturday, with no new deaths.

The update brings the states totals to 21,702 cases and 1,118 deaths, according the Department of Healths (DOH)data dashboard.

So far, 360,899 tests for the coronavirus have been conducted in the state, per DOH. Of those, 6% have come back positive.

The following graphic includes the most recent numbers from the Washington State Department of Health, released Sunday.

For those who have attended protests or large gatherings, officials atPublic Health Seattle & King Countyhave offered answers to questions they've received about those events and the spread of COVID-19.

The questions and answers were released Monday on the agency's blog,Public Health Insider.

Q: If people chose to attend a protest, are there steps to take to help lower the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in our community?

A: Outdoor gatherings are lower risk than indoor gatherings. The larger the gathering, and the longer youre there, the higher the risk of catching or spreading COVID-19.

People who have been at group gatherings should monitor their health for 14 days afterwards. Anyone who develops symptoms of COVID-19 should gettested right away, whether theyve been at a protest or not.

Remember that physical distancing and other measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 are not all-or-nothing even if you attended large group gatherings, its just as important that you continue to stay home whenever possible, remain at least 6 feet away from others and wear a face covering when in public, wash your hands, and avoid touching your face.

Q: Do people who have attended protests need to get tested for COVID-19?

A: If you currently dont have any symptoms, you do not need to get tested right now. However, if you develop even mild symptoms such as a cough, congestion or runny nose, you should contact your health provider to help evaluate symptoms and need for testing. There arenumerous low-barrier testing sitesfor people who cannot access testing through their regular health care provider.

Those having trouble accessing COVID-19 testing or have other medical questions related to COVID-19 are advised to call the Public Health information line at206-477-3977.

To read the complete blog post,go here.

Nicole Brodeur

Gov. Jay Inslee today issued higher education and workforce training requirements in Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the state's reopening.

The guidelines do not apply to higher education institutions, but only to workforce training programs that require in-classroom/lab practicums, according to a statement issued by Inslee's office.

Before the higher education and workforce training programs can restart, all school are required to develop a "comprehensive Phase 1 COVID-19 exposure control, mitigation, and recovery plan," the statement said.

Higher education institutions and workforce training providers remain "strongly encouraged" to to continue remote learning to limit in-person interactions. The plan must also include policies for PPE utilization; on-site physical distancing; hygiene and site decontamination procedures, among other measures. Employees and students must also be trained on the safety protocols before activities begin.

Failure to meet the requirements could result in sanctions, including work and instructional activities being shut down.

Through the Washington "Safe Start"plan, more businesses and activities will re-open in phases, withadequate safety and health standards in place. Each phase will be at least three weeks.

Additionally,counties with less than 25new cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents over a 14-day spancan apply to move to Phase 2 of Safe Start before other parts of the state. County variance applications will be approved or denied by the secretary of the Department of Health.Twenty-six counties have been approved to move to the next phase.

WASHINGTON Federal health authorities have received reports of nearly 26,000 nursing home residents dying from COVID-19, according to materials prepared for the nations governors. That number is partial and likely to go higher.

A letter from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports more than 60,000 cases of coronavirus illness among nursing home residents. A copy of the letter and an accompanying chart were provided to The Associated Press.

The numbers, which had been promised by the end of May, are partial. The letter said the data are based on reports received from about 80% of the nations 15,400 nursing homes.

CMS, which is responsible for nursing home quality standards, also told the governors it is increasing penalties for nursing homes failing to comply with longstanding infection control requirements.

Read the full story here.

The Associated Press

More testing for COVID-19 will be available at the Tacoma Dome throughout the month of June, as the QFC and Fred Meyer grocery stores are offering free drive-thru tests.

The service will be available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Anyone who would like to get tested may sign up online. Health insurance is not required.

Test results will be available within 48 hours.

Michelle Baruchman

CHICAGO In the weeks since America began reopening on a large scale, the coronavirus has persisted on a stubborn but uneven path, with meaningful progress in some cities and alarming new outbreaks in others.

A snapshot of the country on a single day last week revealed sharply divergent realities. As the United States marked the tragic milestone of 100,000 deaths from the coronavirus on Wednesday, the contrasting picture was unmistakable a murky, jumbled outlook depending on ones location.

Around Chicago, Wednesday was one of the most lethal days of the pandemic, with more than 100 deaths. Among the dead: a woman in her 30s, and four men past their 90th birthdays.

In the Boston area, where an alarming crisis of a month ago has given way to cautious optimism, businesses were reopening that day and new cases numbered in the dozens, no longer the hundreds.

Around Rogers and Springdale in northwest Arkansas, which the virus had barely touched in the pandemics early weeks, poultry workers spent part of Wednesday planning a protest as outbreaks in at least two plants were driving a sudden surge in infection numbers.

The dizzying volatility from city to city and state to state could continue indefinitely, with vastly different policy implications for individual places and no single, unified course in sight.

Read the full story here.

The New York Times

Frontier Airlines on Monday will begin creening the body temperature of all passengers and crew prior to boarding flights.

Those with a temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher will not be allowed to travel. Face coverings will continue to be required for all passengers and crew and must be worn throughout the entire flight.

Temperature screenings are the latest addition to our comprehensive, multi-layered approach to supporting the health and well-being of everyone onboard our aircraft, said Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle, in a news release, while pushing for the Transportation Security Administration to conduct screenings before individuals reach their gate.

Temperature screenings will be administered through touchless thermometers. Riders and crew members with readings of 100.4 degrees or higher will be given time to rest before undergoing a second check, if time permits.

Passengers whose flights are canceled may rebook a flight for a later date.

Michelle Baruchman

Nearly 6 in 10 Americans say the coronavirus outbreak has exacted a severe economic toll on their communities, but a majority of a divided country still says controlling the viruss spread is more important than trying to restart the economy, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll.

The nationwide survey finds that despite the shared disruption of their daily lives since stay-at-home orders began, partisans differ sharply on how the country should move forward.

In the starkest split, 57% of Americans overall and 81% of Democrats say trying to control the spread of the coronavirus is most important right now, even if it hurts the economy. A far smaller 27% of Republicans agree, while 66% of them say restarting the economy is more important, even if it hurts efforts to control the virus. Nearly 6 in 10 independents say their priority is trying to control the viruss spread.

Read the story here.

The Washington Post

The coronavirus pandemic has created a slew of negatives in 2020, as millions of U.S. residents are unemployed, and deaths have surpassed 100,000 nationally. But theres also a gem of a friendship and bonding with a family that never would have been cultivated without the virus.

It serendipitously lined up, Chris Settle of Seattle said of welcoming a budding Malawian soccer standout, Lughano Nyondo, to quarantine with his family of five, including his daughter Ruby.

Its all sort of a gift to have this special kid in our lives, he continued. Its the farthest thing from an imposition. With everything that everyone is dealing with (during the pandemic), to have her around is inspiring to stay positive. She helps us get through this.

The plan was for Lughano pronounced Lu-WAH-no to stay with the Settles in their North Seattle home for two weeks. The 15-year-old was discovered at age 12 by Ascent Soccer academy in Mzuzu, Malawi, receiving a scholarship through the nonprofit to attend Indian Mountain School (IMS) in Connecticut.

During the private boarding schools spring break, Lughano flew to Seattle to reunite with friend Ruby Settle, work out with her OL Reign Academy team and see the regions sights.

This was a reunion, as the pair already had met in Lyon, France, as part of filming for a docuseries titled, This Girl Wears Cleats.

Laura Carriker, a Mercer Island-based director, had selected five Puget Sound-area girls and five from across the globe to film the past three years as they either tried to make their respective national teams or developed in the sport like Ruby and Lughano. Seven of the girls, with a few parents as chaperones, then met each other in France, attending the World Cup semifinal and final together. The series does not have a release date.

Four days after her March 7 arrival in Seattle, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic. Suddenly the weeks stretched to months and frayed to uncertainty as schools closed and travel concerns prevented Lughano from returning to Malawi.

Read the story here.

Jayda Evans

A Seattle-based factory trawler cut short its fishing season off the Washington coast after 85 of 126 crew tested positive for COVID-19, according to a statement released Sunday by American Seafoods, which operates the vessel.

The test results for the FV American Dynasty are a somber finding for the North Pacific fishing industry, which has been trying to keep the novel coronavirus off the ships and shore-based plants that produce much of the nations seafood. The outbreak also underscores the toll coronavirus continues to take on the food-processing industry across the nation. In Washington state, outbreaks in meat plants and fruit and vegetable fields and packing facilities prompted Gov. Jay Inslee to order new protections for agricultural and food processing workers.

As part of the effort to keep outbreaks from impacting the seafood industry, the American Dynasty crew, prior to heading off to sea May 13, were screened for the viral infection and underwent quarantines of at least five days. They also underwent additional testing for the antibodies created by the virus.

Only if there were no signs that they were actively infected or contagious were they cleared to board their vessel, said American Seafoods chief executive Mike Dunham, in a written statement.

Somehow, the virus still found its way on board.

Read the story here.

Hal Bernton

Starting Monday, Sound Transit is reintroducing fares on Link light rail and Sounder, but at a temporarily reduced cost

The agency is also increasing Link train service to one run about every 20 minutes during the day and every 30 minutes on the evenings and weekends, according to the transit agency.

The agency is introducing the temporary recovery fares as the region prepares for the next phases of recovery and the expected gradual return of riders.

The fare of $1 on Link and $2 on Sounder is available from ticket vending machines through June 30.

In addition to ticket vending machines, Recovery Fare tickets are available on a contact-free basis through the Transit GO Ticket app.

Riders using ORCA cards, including ORCA LIFT, will continue to be charged full fare that can be used for transfers. Recovery Fare paper tickets and Transit GO tickets cannot be used for transfers.

The agency said in an emailed statement that it hopes charging reduced fares will mitigate the "dramatic increase in unsanitary conditions, rider complaints and incidents of vandalism" reported after fares were temporarily suspended in March. "The issues have been associated in part with riders taking repetitive trips without apparent destinations," the agency said.

Transit staff will continue to wear face masks, and all Sound Transit passengers will be directed to wear face coverings consistent with expanded public health directives, the agency said.

"Under current health directives customers are reminded to limit travel to essential trips. Riders should also follow social distancing and other critical health guidelines to protect the community. Sound Transit will continue expanded disinfecting of transit vehicles and facilities, with particular emphasis on ticket vending machines and other high-touch areas including hand rails."

Christine Clarridge

Read the original:

Coronavirus daily news updates, June 1: What to know today about COVID-19 in the Seattle area, Washington state and the world - Seattle Times

What you need to know Monday:

Gov. Greg Abbott announced Sunday afternoon that the entire state of Texas will be placed under a disaster declaration in response to demonstrators in several Texas cities protesting the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed Monday in Minneapolis police custody.

The declaration allowed Abbott to designate federal law enforcement officers to perform the duties of peace officers in Texas.

Thousands of protesters marched in Texas cities on Friday and Saturday, outraged after Floyd was filmed crying out for help as a white police officer pinned him to the ground with a knee to his neck. The officer, Derek Chauvin, was later arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. Alex Samuels

Gov. Greg Abbott had given El Paso County and the Amarillo area two of the state's biggest recent COVID-19 hot spots a temporary reprieve from implementing Texas' next phase of reopening. That reprieve was set to last until last Friday, both areas were required to implement the newest phase of reopening that took effect in the rest of the state the previous week.

While Abbott said the Amarillo area had "turned a corner," the picture in the El Paso area wasn't as clear. County Judge Ricardo Samaniego said officials have made good progress in increasing testing for the new coronavirus amid a surge in new cases this month. But he said he hadnt seen enough improvement to be sure the county is ready for the expanded opening. El Paso Mayor Dee Margo, on the other hand, said the situation in El Paso is more manageable now. A spokesman for Abbott echoed that optimism, citing a decline in the infection rate and stability with hospital capacity Julin Aguilar

Texas officials will release their latest total of people who have tested positive for the new coronavirus on Monday. Texas reported 1,949 more cases of the new coronavirus Sunday the highest increase since the state began reporting coronavirus case counts.

Almost every county in Texas has reported at least one confirmed case of the virus. Harris County has reported the most cases, 12,220, followed by Dallas County, which has reported 10,006 cases. The Tribune publishes maps of the latest case numbers for each county and case rates per 1,000 residents.

The state has reported 24 additional deaths, bringing the statewide total to 1,672. Harris County reported three additional deaths Sunday, bringing its total to 231 deaths, more than any other county.

As of Sunday, 1,684 patients are known to be hospitalized in Texas. Thats a decrease of 68 patients from Saturday. Mandi Cai

Read more from the original source:

Coronavirus in Texas: No consensus on whether El Paso is ready to reopen - The Texas Tribune

Rent the Runway has temporarily closed stores during the pandemic as customers have shied away from using its clothing rental service. Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for Rent the Runway hide caption

Rent the Runway has temporarily closed stores during the pandemic as customers have shied away from using its clothing rental service.

Kim Timko used to rely on Rent the Runway for dresses for weddings and parties, outfits for date nights, and professional clothes for her job as a lawyer in New York. She said the clothing-rental service is "a nice way to have expensive clothes without having to buy."

But weddings have been postponed, parties canceled, and Timko is working from home during the coronavirus pandemic. Like many others, she has put her Rent the Runway subscription on hold. She may even cancel it.

She said renting expensive clothes just isn't worth the money right now or the risk of getting the virus as unlikely as that may be.

"Any packages I get, I wipe them down," Timko said. "You can't really do that with a dress. A $600 dress or something you can't, like, Lysol it."

Rent the Runway CEO Jennifer Hyman said in a statement: "While there is no evidence to suggest that [COVID-19] is spread via surfaces like fabric, all our garments, accessories, hangers, and reusable packaging are meticulously cleaned and steamed each time they are returned to us, and then sealed in plastic to protect them from any elements including human touchthat they may encounter in transit to the next customer."

Still, the company has taken a big financial hit from the pandemic. It has laid off and furloughed employees, and temporarily closed its retail stores.

Like Uber and Airbnb, Rent the Runway was founded in the wake of the Great Recession. Fueled by mountains of private capital, these companies tapped the power of smartphone apps to make it easy for strangers to share their cars, homes and even clothing. Along the way, they upended the traditional taxi, hotel and retail industries.

Now the pandemic may upend them. As another recession looms this one paired with a health crisis these businesses' survival depends on convincing customers it is safe to share at a time when health authorities are warning everyone to keep their distance.

The new safety regime: disinfectants and masks

Rent the Runway is not the only company emphasizing its cleanliness and safety rules to reassure customers.

Airbnb has created new cleaning protocols for hosts, including training on how to disinfect a home in partnership with former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy.

Uber and Lyft now require drivers and passengers to wear masks. They are also giving cleaning supplies to drivers. Uber is even using facial scanning technology to ensure drivers are complying.

These measures are meant to address the immediate concerns of stopping the spread of the virus. But businesses built around sharing also are being forced to adapt to a reality where customers are far more cautious about anything that brings them in proximity with other people and, potentially, the virus. Some companies are seeking new ways to win over people's trust.

As lockdowns lift, Airbnb sees a rise in weekend getaways

International travel is pretty much off the table right now. So is renting a shared room or apartment. The short-term rental platform Airbnb expects its sales this year to be, at best, half of what they were last year. It has cut 25% of its workforce as it tries to squeeze costs.

But Airbnb said people have started to plan trips again. As evidence of a rebound, it said the number of future stays booked by people in North America was down just 20% on May 19 from the same date a year ago. Notably, though, the company has not said how much bookings plummeted at the lowest point of the pandemic.

In a reflection of the ongoing threat of the coronavirus, about half of recent bookings are for rentals within 200 miles of where people live. In other words, they are choosing destinations to where they can drive.

Murry Evans got tired of being cooped up in his Atlanta apartment.

"I'm sitting in my condo here in Atlanta, just on Zoom all day long," he said. He has used Airbnb for a couple of weekend getaways to the North Georgia mountains.

"It's just been to get out of the house and get into the outdoors where I can go hiking," he added.

He said staying at an Airbnb in the mountains feels like less of a risk than going to movie theaters, which have recently reopened in Georgia. He brings along disinfectant wipes to clean frequently touched surfaces such as doorknobs and refrigerator handles.

"My sense is if I take the proper precautions, it's going to be just like I'd take the precautions when I'm in my own home," he said.

Trading a crowded bus for car-sharing app Turo

For some sharing companies, the pandemic may even create opportunities for more business.

The app Turo lets users rent other people's cars. Alexis Jordan is using it to commute from her Washington, D.C., home to her job at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland a trip that she took by bus before the pandemic.

Jordan said she does not feel comfortable on public transportation right now.

"A lot of people would get on the bus and not wear a mask. And I just felt like Metro wasn't really taking the proper precautions," she said. "I felt more exposed."

She considered taking Uber or a taxi but was reluctant "because I'm still in close proximity with someone else," she said.

Now she wears a mask when picking up her car and, like Evans, carries wipes to clean the steering wheel and door handles.

In early April, Turo's bookings had dropped 75% from a year ago similar to the ridership drops Uber and Lyft reported at the height of the pandemic. But Turo said demand is starting to come back, with bookings over Memorial Day weekend down 11% from a year ago. Uber is also seeing more rides during rush hour in cities that are lifting stay-at-home orders, according to Andrew Macdonald, head of its global rides business.

At Turo, the rebound is being driven by local trips, thanks to commuters such as Jordan and others who just want to get out of the house.

People want to take "leisurely drives," said Andrew Mok, Turo's chief marketing officer. "They book a car, they drive up Pacific Coast Highway or they drive down to Santa Cruz from San Francisco and they drive back home."

The economic toll of the pandemic could also encourage more people to start renting their cars on Turo, Mok said.

"In a recession, folks are going to be looking even harder to make ends meet," he said. "If they can share their cars for a few days a week or a few days a month to offset all or most of their vehicle expenses, they're going to really consider doing that. We think that's going to be a huge tail wind for car-sharing on Turo."

Jordan may be one of those people. "I don't really see myself getting on any public transportation for a while, maybe a year or two," she said.

She said she is thinking about buying a car and renting it out on Turo.

Excerpt from:

From Airbnb To Rent The Runway, Coronavirus Upends Sharing Economy - NPR

A woman is tested for the coronavirus at Harlem's Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City. Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

A woman is tested for the coronavirus at Harlem's Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City.

Earlier in this pandemic, the shortage of tests for the coronavirus was a major problem in fighting the spread of COVID-19. The shortage was such that many hospitals and clinics would test only someone who had traveled to a country with an outbreak, had a known exposure to a positive case or showed symptoms of the disease.

But access to tests has improved significantly, and in some places, people can now get tested without having to show any symptoms at all. So if you can get tested, should you?

The answer is a little complicated. One point to clarify: We're talking here about the diagnostic or PCR test, used to diagnose people who are currently sick with COVID-19. We're not talking about antibody or antigen tests, which are different.

The short answer to the question is: Sure, get tested if you want. But the tests are not perfect, and the result will tell you only so much.

Let's say you test positive. Your doctor will likely instruct you to self-isolate at home. Since you're not showing symptoms, it could mean that you happened to be tested at just the right time and are infected with the virus but are asymptomatic. You could also be presymptomatic and develop symptoms in the coming days. The CDC says that if you continue to have no symptoms, you can end self-isolation 10 days after your test.

A positive result could also mean you were sick weeks earlier, fully recovered and are not infectious. The PCR test has sometimes shown positive results weeks after someone recovers, says Dr. Abraar Karan, a physician at Harvard Medical School: "The test could be detecting RNA [of the virus] even in people who are recovered but that doesn't mean that they're infectious."

Now let's say you test negative. That news would probably come as a relief. Perhaps you're hoping a negative result would free you to do certain activities without fear say, return to work or visit an older family member you haven't seen in months.

But Dr. Emily Landon, a hospital epidemiologist and infectious diseases specialist at University of Chicago Medicine, warns that a negative test shouldn't be seen as your ticket to stop being cautious.

"We don't know how good these tests are in individuals who don't have symptoms," she says. "We know they're pretty good at picking up COVID when it's present in people who have symptoms. But we have no idea what a negative test means in an individual that doesn't have symptoms."

"We are certain that there are people who test negative even though they are definitely contagious," she says. "A positive test can make us relatively certain that you are shedding COVID. But a negative test does not mean the opposite." It could be that you were tested too early in the disease process or that the swab didn't pick up your infection.

Landon says it takes at least three to five days after exposure to test positive. What's more, some people test positive, then negative, then positive again. Hospitals often test people with symptoms twice to try to be more certain about the finding.

The imperfections in test results have made it difficult to know how often health care workers need to be tested, she says, because a negative test doesn't mean you don't have the virus or "that you can just stop wearing your mask and not worry about it anymore."

In other words, she says, if you're getting tested to get peace of mind, a negative test shouldn't give you much peace of mind.

Nonetheless, Robert Hecht, a professor of clinical epidemiology at Yale University, offers "an encouraging thumbs-up" to anyone who decides to get tested for the virus just because.

"This idea that you should be both concerned about your own status and recognize that you can be infected without symptoms and that states should try to make more testing capacity available for people like that," he says. "I think those are all good things in general."

From a public health perspective, Landon says, there is some value in the odd asymptomatic person being tested and finding out whether they are indeed infected with the coronavirus. "It gives you a better idea of how many people are sick. It helps us to understand the test dynamics better. And anytime somebody is positive, you can remove them from the equation [of transmission]," she says, by taking precautions so they don't infect others.

But since the negative test doesn't tell you for sure that you don't have the virus, it's not a 100% guarantee that it's safe to visit your 80-year-old grandparent.

More here:

Coronavirus Testing: Should I Go For It Even If I Have No Symptoms? : Goats and Soda - NPR

By Christopher Burns, BDN Staff June 1, 2020 12:01 pm Updated: June 1, 2020 3:30 pm

Click here for the latest coronavirus news, which the BDN has made free for the public. You can support our critical reporting on the coronavirus by purchasing a digital subscription or donating directly to the newsroom.

Another 24 cases of the new coronavirus have been detected in Maine, health officials said Monday.

There have now been 2,349 cases across all of Maines counties since the outbreak began here in March, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Thats up from 2,325 on Sunday.

Of those, 2,093 have been confirmed positive, while 256 are likely positive, according to the Maine CDC.

[Our COVID-19 tracker contains the most recent information on Maine cases by county]

No new deaths were reported Monday, leaving the statewide death toll at 89.

So far, 284 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Of those, 52 people are currently hospitalized, with 17 in critical care and 10 on ventilators, according to the Maine CDC.

Meanwhile, 1,586 people have fully recovered from the virus, meaning there are 674 active and likely cases in the state, according to the Maine CDC. Thats down from 684 on Sunday.

A majority of the cases have been in Mainers over age 50, while more cases have been reported in women than men, according to the Maine CDC.

As of Saturday, there have been 51,041 negative test results out of 53,843 overall. About 5 percent of all tests have come back positive, Maine CDC data show.

The coronavirus has hit hardest in Cumberland County, where 1,189 cases have been confirmed and where the bulk of virus deaths 50 have been concentrated. It is one of four counties the others are Androscoggin, Penobscot and York, with 304, 100 and 391 cases, respectively where community transmission has been confirmed, according to the Maine CDC.

There are two criteria for establishing community transmission: at least 10 confirmed cases and that at least 25 percent of those are not connected to either known cases or travel. That second condition has not yet been satisfied in other counties.

Other cases have been detected in Aroostook (10), Franklin (36), Hancock (11), Kennebec (128), Knox (20), Lincoln (20), Oxford (33), Piscataquis (1), Sagadahoc (30), Somerset (22) Waldo (51) and Washington (2) counties. Information about where another case was detected wasnt immediately available Monday.

As of Monday morning, the coronavirus has sickened 1,795,555 people in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as caused 104,484 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.

Watch: What Maine says about people of color being affected by coronavirus

Excerpt from:

24 more coronavirus cases have been detected in Maine - Bangor Daily News

Prince Joachim, 28, who is a nephew of Belgium's King Philippe, attended a social event with the family of a Spanish female friend, his lawyer's office confirmed to CNN on Monday.

"I would like to apologize for travelling and not having respected the quarantine measures," the prince said in a statement released by the Crdoba law office of Mariano Aguayo.

"I did not intend to offend or disrespect anyone in these very difficult times and deeply regret my actions and accept the consequences."

The prince had traveled from Belgium to Spain on May 24 and attended a social gathering with "12 or 27 guests" on May 26, the palace press office said. He tested positive for Covid-19 two days later.

Under Spain's state of emergency, travelers arriving in the country, with a few exceptions, are required to go into quarantine for two weeks.

In addition, gatherings of more than 15 people who don't live together are not currently permitted under the confinement rules in place in Crdoba.

Authorities are now investigating whether the social event the prince attended had more than 15 people in attendance, the spokeswoman for Rafaela Valenzuela, the Spanish government's chief representative in Crdoba, told CNN Monday.

The spokeswoman added that regional health authorities had informed the Spanish government that there may have been up to 27 people at the event.

Police in Spain have the power to fine individuals who break confinement rules. Amounts vary across the country but several hundred thousand fines have been issued since the state of emergency began on March 14.

But a spokeswoman for the prince's law office told CNN there were two social events on consecutive days last week at which the prince met with the family of a female friend. Neither event was attended by more than 15 people, she added.

The prince is now in isolation with mild coronavirus symptoms, the spokeswoman said.

Prince Joachim is the third child of Princess Astrid, the younger sister of King Philippe.

Spain has been one of the European countries hit hardest by Covid-19, with more than 239,000 confirmed cases and more than 27,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

As the infection rate has declined, the government has slowly eased confinement restrictions, while focusing on early detection through increased testing and contract tracing to quickly stamp out any new outbreaks.

CNN's Abel Alvarado, Laura Perez Maestro and Helena de Moura contributed to this report.

See the rest here:

Belgian prince with coronavirus apologizes for breaking quarantine and attending party - CNN

Governors, mayors and public health officials across the US are raising fears of a surge in coronavirus cases arising from escalating protests over the death of George Floyd.

Floyd, 46, died in Minneapolis on Monday during an arrest by four police officers. The killing focused a fierce light on police brutality towards African Americans, and stoked protest and violence in most major cities.

According to figures from Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, the US has seennearly 1.8m infections and nearly 104,000 deathsin the Covid-19 pandemic. In a country that does not have universal healthcare, the crisis has disproportionately affected minorities, particularly those who live in crowded urban areas.

Images of demonstrators in close proximity, many without masks, have therefore alarmed leaders to the point where some are pleading with those on the streets to protest the right way, in order to better protect themselves.

Im concerned that we had mass gatherings on our streets when we just lifted a stay-at-home order and what that could mean for spikes in coronavirus cases later, Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington DC, said in a press conference on Sunday.

Im so concerned about it that Im urging everybody to consider their exposure, if they need to isolate from their family members when they go home and if they need to be tested because we have worked very hard to blunt the curve.

Bowser said protests in her city, which has seen violence several days in a row at the White House and other areas, were a mixed bag.

While I saw some people with masks last night, others didnt, she said. I saw some people social distancing, other people were right on top of each other. So we dont want to compound this deadly virus and the impact its had on our community.

Weve been working hard to not have mass gatherings. As a nation, we have to be concerned about rebound.

Bowsers message was echoed by Larry Hogan, the governor of Maryland, and by Keisha Lance-Bottoms, the mayor of Atlanta, who said she was extremely concerned about Covid-19 spreading, and that protests had distracted her from dealing with the pandemic.

On Saturday, Bottoms said at a press conference: If you were out protesting last night, you probably need to go get a Covid test this week.

On Sunday, she told CNNs State of the Union: I realised that I hadnt looked at our coronavirus numbers in two days. And thats frightening, because its a pandemic, and people of color are getting hit harder.

We know whats already happening in our community with this virus. Were going to see the other side of this in a couple of weeks.

According to the Georgia health department, more African Americans have contracted Covid-19 in the state than any other race.

The question is: how do we do protesting safely? Dr Ashish Jha, the director of the global health institute at Harvards TH Chan school of public health, told CNN. I think masks are a critical part of it.

In New York, by far the state hardest hit by Covid-19, Governor Andrew Cuomo reported 56 new coronavirus deaths statewide, the lowest number since 23 March. He did not express fears for a resurgence of the virus as a result of the protests, but figured the lockdown was a contributory factor to their proliferation.

Its not a coincidence the unrest happens in the midst of a pandemic, Cuomo said at his daily press briefing. People have lost their jobs. They are isolated at home. People are stressed and worried. It is all of that.

Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York City, said he supported the publics right to demonstrate peacefully, but added that the protests meant an uncertain future.

You have all the frustrations about injustice, combined with the frustrations about the injustice within the pandemic, because the pandemic displayed immense disparity combined with the fact that people spent two months cooped up indoors, he said.

We dont know what the summer brings.

Dr Theodore Long, leading the citys contact tracing strategy, offered advice.

We strongly encourage anybody who is out in the protests to wear a mask, practice proper hand hygiene and to the extent possible, socially distance, though we know thats not always going to be feasible, he said.

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Fears grow of US coronavirus surge from George Floyd protests - The Guardian

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For the past several months, the news cycle has been dominated by little other than the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Over the past week, obviously, other issues have come to the forefront.

But the novel coronavirus does not take a break for issues of social justice.

On Sunday, the Utah Department of Health reported 264 new positive cases of COVID-19 in the state the fourth consecutive day of more than 200 new cases, and the third-highest single-day total recorded in Utah since the pandemic began.

UDOH also reported one new death a male adult younger than 65 years old from Wasatch County. That now lifts Utahs death total from COVID-19 to 113.

The bulk of the new cases, as usual, came from Salt Lake County, with 124 of them coming from the states most populous area. However, Utah County also saw a sizable increase, with 59 new cases beyond the figures provided Saturday.

Worryingly, the Two-Week Cumulative Incidence Rate is now showing previously unseen hot spots in places from Logan to St. George. High rates (more than 100 cases per 100,000 people) have been established in Blanding, Logan, Monticello, north Orem, Payson, west Provo, San Juan County, St. George, Wasatch County and Washington City.

The Bear River area has shot up from 102 cases to 218 in seven days.

There has been a significant spike in new cases since May 16, when most of the state moved to the low-risk yellow category for COVID-19 restrictions, encouraging more people to leave their homes. That trend has escalated further still over the past week.

Indeed, with those four consecutive days now of 200-plus new cases, the seven-day average of new cases in the state is 200.71 the highest it has been since the pandemic began. By way of comparison, just a week ago, on May 24, the seven-day average was 164.86. And a week before that, on May 17, the average was 141.

In all, Utah has seen 1,405 new cases this past week; that compares with 1,154 last week, and 987 the week before. The weekly number of deaths decreased by one from 17 a week ago to 16 this week.

One potentially positive development is that hospitalizations in Utah have not seen an increase corresponding with the new-case totals. As of Sunday, it was reported that there 98 positive COVID-19 cases currently hospitalized. On May 24, there were 95 hospitalizations; on May 17, there were 98.

Nationwide, the figures are staggering, but perhaps also promising.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan tweeted, Marylands #COVID19 positivity rate has dropped to 10.9%, down 54.49% from its peak on April 17. Our states current total COVID-19 hospitalizations one of the states key recovery metrics have dropped to 1,183, their lowest level since April 15.

Fifty days ago, on April 12th, we lost 800 people from COVID. Yesterday, we lost 56. Sixty days ago, we had 3,400 people come into our hospitals. Yesterday, we had 191, Cuomo said. The number of lives lost is down to 56, which is in this absurd reality we live in actually very, very good news. This reduction in the number of deaths is tremendous progress. Weve gone through hell and back, and were on the other side.

Of course, given all the mass demonstrations that have erupted across the country over the past week in response to the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, The Associated Press wrote that health experts fear that silent carriers of the virus could unwittingly infect others at protests where people are packed cheek to jowl, many without masks, many chanting, singing or shouting. The virus is dispersed by microscopic droplets in the air when people cough, sneeze, sing or talk.

Whether theyre fired up or not, that doesnt prevent them from getting the virus," Bradley Pollock, chairman of the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of California, Davis, told the AP about protesters.

By comparison, whites account for 78% of Utahs population, but just 37.2% of its COVID-19 cases as of Sunday.

And, finally, UDOH reported that the total number of Utahns tested is 213,914 meaning there is a 4.6% rate of positives. It also noted 6,137 of our cases are considered recovered. " A case with a diagnosis date of more than three weeks ago, who has not died, is considered recovered.

Originally posted here:

Utah is averaging more than 200 new coronavirus cases a day over the past week as hot spots flare up from Logan to St. George - Salt Lake Tribune

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Fears about catching coronavirus from contaminated surfaces have driven some people to become compulsive about cleaning countertops and wiping down their groceries. As the pandemic took hold, some poison centers even reported increased calls about excessive exposure to cleaning agents.

In recent weeks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention appeared to adjust its stance on surface transmission of the coronavirus. New language on its website was interpreted as deemphasizing concerns, creating some confusion about the risk of catching covid-19 from frequently touched objects.

Pittsburgh-based infectious disease and critical care physician Dr. Amesh Adalja said that while the contact spread of the virus can certainly occur, it is not responsible for the bulk of transmission.

Weve always known that there is a small contribution from contaminated surfaces. I think the CDC guidance reflects the fact that were trying to focus on the main route of how this virus gets from person to person. It is from another person directly, Adalja said. Our public health strategy needs to be focused on eliminating the person-to-person spread,and there can be less emphasis on contact spread.

After some news outlets ran with the idea that the CDC was no longer concerned about surface transmission, the agency issued a statement clarifying that contact with a contaminated surface is still one way to catch covid-19.

It may be possible that a person can get covid-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose or possibly their eyes. But this isnt thought to be the main way the virus spreads, the statement said. The change on the website was intended to make it easier to read, and was not a result of any new science.

Dr. Arvind Venkat, an Allegheny Health Network emergency physician, observed that we live in a hyper-connected world, and social media can create controversies that arent always there. So, the combination of not having consistent communication and an environment in which everything is so fragmented is a bad combination in a public health crisis.

Venkat also past president of the Pennsylvania College of Emergency Physicians said public health authorities must communicate carefully and accurately to maintain trust with the public.

Since this is a new virus, were still learning as we go along. The fact that there is contradictory and changing data is to be expected, Venkat said. So, when something changes, we need to make sure that we convey that in a systematic way so that it doesnt get perceived as going back and forth.

So, what are the chances of catching covid-19 from an object or surface laden with germs?

I think the relative risk of picking it up from common things given the precautions that everybody is taking is much lower, said Seema Lakdawala, assistant professor of microbiology and molecular genetics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

But if you are a health care worker and you are working in a hospital setting with patients that are symptomatic and coughing and sneezing large volumes of the virus into their environment then, yes, the risk of catching it from a surface is much higher.

The feeling among medical experts who spoke with the Tribune-Review is people are unlikely to catch the virus from doing things like grocery shopping. Lakdawala, an expert in virus transmission, said she does not wipe down her groceries.

Everyone has their own comfort level. If somebody is taking the time to wipe down every single material three times, I would say that is a waste of their time, Lakdawala said. I think its important for the general public to understand, What kind of information do I need to make a risk assessment for myself?

Adalja said that while its important for people to continue to take protective action, they can be a little less concerned about contaminated surfaces they may have touched.

I think people can be less worried about making sure they scrub their groceries. Thats less likely to be impactful than other things, like washing your hands and trying to avoid crowded spaces and other social-distancing measures.

Paul Guggenheimer is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Paul at 724-226-7706 or pguggenheimer@triblive.com.

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Western Pa. experts weigh chances of catching coronavirus from contaminated objects - TribLIVE

When experts recommend wearing masks, staying at least six feet away from others, washing your hands frequently and avoiding crowded spaces, what theyre really saying is: Try to minimize the amount of virus you encounter.

A few viral particles cannot make you sick the immune system would vanquish the intruders before they could. But how much virus is needed for an infection to take root? What is the minimum effective dose?

A precise answer is impossible, because its difficult to capture the moment of infection. Scientists are studying ferrets, hamsters and mice for clues but, of course, it wouldnt be ethical for scientists to expose people to different doses of the coronavirus, as they do with milder cold viruses.

The truth is, we really just dont know, said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Columbia University in New York. I dont think we can make anything better than an educated guess.

Common respiratory viruses, like influenza and other coronaviruses, should offer some insight. But researchers have found little consistency.

For SARS, also a coronavirus, the estimated infective dose is just a few hundred particles. For MERS, the infective dose is much higher, on the order of thousands of particles.

The new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, is more similar to the SARS virus and, therefore, the infectious dose may be hundreds of particles, Dr. Rasmussen said.

But the virus has a habit of defying predictions.

Generally, people who harbor high levels of pathogens whether from influenza, H.I.V. or SARS tend to have more severe symptoms and are more likely to pass on the pathogens to others.

But in the case of the new coronavirus, people who have no symptoms seem to have viral loads that is, the amount of virus in their bodies just as high as those who are seriously ill, according to some studies.

And coronavirus patients are most infectious two to three days before symptoms begin, less so after the illness really hits.

Some people are generous transmitters of the coronavirus; others are stingy. So-called super-spreaders seem to be particularly gifted in transmitting it, although its unclear whether thats because of their biology or their behavior.

On the receiving end, the shape of a persons nostrils and the amount of nose hair and mucus present as well as the distribution of certain cellular receptors in the airway that the virus needs to latch on to can all influence how much virus it takes to become infected.

A higher dose is clearly worse, though, and that may explain why some young health care workers have fallen victim even though the virus usually targets older people.

The crucial dose may also vary depending on whether its ingested or inhaled.

People may take in virus by touching a contaminated surface and then putting their hands on their nose or mouth. But this isnt thought to be the main way the virus spreads, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That form of transmission may require millions more copies of the virus to cause an infection, compared to inhalation.

Coughing, sneezing, singing, talking and even heavy breathing can result in the expulsion of thousands of large and small respiratory droplets carrying the virus.

Its clear that one doesnt have to be sick and coughing and sneezing for transmission to occur, said Dr. Dan Barouch, a viral immunologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

Larger droplets are heavy and float down quickly unless theres a breeze or an air-conditioning blast and cant penetrate surgical masks. But droplets less than 5 microns in diameter, called aerosols, can linger in the air for hours.

They travel further, last longer and have the potential of more spread than the large droplets, Dr. Barouch said.

Updated June 1, 2020

Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid, says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. When you havent been exercising, you lose muscle mass. Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home.

States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you arent being told to stay at home, its still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people.

Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus whether its surface transmission or close human contact is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.

Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.

If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)

More than 40 million people the equivalent of 1 in 4 U.S. workers have filed for unemployment benefits since the pandemic took hold. One in five who were working in February reported losing a job or being furloughed in March or the beginning of April, data from a Federal Reserve survey released on May 14 showed, and that pain was highly concentrated among low earners. Fully 39 percent of former workers living in a household earning $40,000 or less lost work, compared with 13 percent in those making more than $100,000, a Fed official said.

The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people dont need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks dont replace hand washing and social distancing.

If youve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.

Charity Navigator, which evaluates charities using a numbers-based system, has a running list of nonprofits working in communities affected by the outbreak. You can give blood through the American Red Cross, and World Central Kitchen has stepped in to distribute meals in major cities.

Three factors seem to be particularly important for aerosol transmission: proximity to the infected person, air flow and timing.

A windowless public bathroom with high foot traffic is riskier than a bathroom with a window, or a bathroom thats rarely used. A short outdoor conversation with a masked neighbor is much safer than either of those scenarios.

Recently, Dutch researchers used a special spray nozzle to simulate the expulsion of saliva droplets and then tracked their movement. The scientists found that just cracking open a door or a window can banish aerosols.

Even the smallest breeze will do something, said Daniel Bonn, a physicist at the University of Amsterdam who led the study.

Observations from two hospitals in Wuhan, China, published in April in the journal Nature, determined much the same thing: more aerosolized particles were found in unventilated toilet areas than in airier patient rooms or crowded public areas.

This makes intuitive sense, experts said. But they noted that aerosols, because they are smaller than 5 microns, would also contain much less, perhaps millions-fold less, virus than droplets of 500 microns.

It really takes a lot of these single-digit size droplets to change the risk for you, said Dr. Joshua Rabinowitz, a quantitative biologist at Princeton University.

Apart from avoiding crowded indoor spaces, the most effective thing people can do is wear masks, all of the experts said. Even if masks dont fully shield you from droplets loaded with virus, they can cut down the amount you receive, and perhaps bring it below the infectious dose.

This is not a virus for which hand washing seems like it will be enough, Dr. Rabinowitz said. We have to limit crowds, we have to wear masks.

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Its Not Whether You Were Exposed to the Coronavirus. Its How Much. - The New York Times