Category: Covid-19

Photo by Gregory Bull / Associated Press

Above: Nurse practitioner Debbi Hinderliter, left, collects a sample from a woman at a coronavirus testing site near the nation's busiest pedestrian border crossing in San Diego. Aug. 13, 2020

San Diego County public health officials reported a record-high 1,091 new COVID-19 infections and eight deaths Friday, raising the region's totals to 69,231 cases and 960 deaths.

Four women and four men died between Nov. 1 and Nov. 19. Their ages ranged from early 50s to early 90s. All had underlying medical conditions.

Friday was the 10th consecutive day more than 600 new coronavirus cases were reported by the county, and the most reported in a single day. On Sunday, 1,087 cases were recorded, 922 were reported Wednesday and 899 on Thursday.

"The virus is widespread and every element of our community is impacted," said Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county's public health officer. "Now more than ever it is vital that San Diegans avoid gatherings and crowds, wear a face covering when they are out in public and stay home if they are sick."

RELATED: New Virus Rules Threaten Californias October Job Gains

The last seven days have marked the highest daily case counts in San Diego County since the start of the pandemic, with 736 cases reported on Saturday, 833 on Monday and 718 on Tuesday.

On Nov. 11, a then-record 661 cases were reported surpassing the 652 cases reported Aug. 7. Another 620 cases were reported Nov. 12.

A total of 34,021 tests a new record were reported Friday and 3% of those came back positive, dropping the 14-day rolling average of positive tests to 4.7%

The number of COVID-19 cases in the hospital continues to rise, with 440 currently hospitalized in the county and 127 in intensive care nearly double the numbers a month ago.

Wooten said anyone hosting a gathering should keep it small, short and safe.

"Small" meaning gatherings should be limited to a maximum of three stable households. "Short" meaning the gathering should last two hours or less. And "safe" meaning that people should stay outdoors as much as possible and wear a face covering when they are not eating or drinking.

Of the total number of cases in the county Wednesday, 4,329 or 6.3% have required hospitalization and 981 patients or 1.4% of all cases had to be admitted to an intensive care unit.

RELATED: Judge Rules San Diego County Can Keep COVID-19 Outbreak Locations Secret

Eleven new community outbreaks were confirmed Friday, three in business settings, three in faith-based settings, two in childcare settings; one in a TK-12 school setting, one in a restaurant/bar setting and one in a gym setting. A community outbreak is defined as three or more COVID-19 cases in a setting and in people of different households over the past 14 days.

County officials announced Thursday law enforcement will step up COVID- 19 compliance protocols, including education and citations, amid spiking coronavirus cases.

Sheriff Bill Gore said Thursday four two-deputy teams will begin making "a full-time commitment" to the county's 18 cities and unincorporated areas, ensuring compliance with public health orders. Several cities have already confirmed they will send officers to assist deputies in their duties, Gore said.

The county has issued 52 cease-and-desist orders since Monday, including five Thursday to Alliance MMA and Functional Republic, both in Chula Vista, Crunch Fitness in Serra Mesa, The Element Dance Center in La Mesa and IB Fitness in Imperial Beach. Residents can report egregious violations of the health order on the county complaint line at 858-694-2900 or email SafeReopeningComplianceTeam@sdcounty.ca.gov.

Gore said deputies would not be going door-to-door but, rather, follow up on complaints. Education about public health orders will be the first method used, Gore said. Citations could follow.

"The bottom line is: wear those damn masks out there and social-distance," he said.

The announcement about increased enforcement measures came on the day Gov. Gavin Newsom announced California counties in the state's "purple" tier will be subject to a curfew prohibiting all "nonessential" activities and gatherings between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

The limited Stay At Home Order applies to all counties in the most restrictive tier of the state's coronavirus monitoring system, purple, which includes Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. The order will take effect at 10 p.m. Saturday and remain in effect until 5 a.m. Dec. 21.

California updated its four-tier COVID-19 reopening statistics Monday, with San Diego County among those sinking further into the purple tier of the state's four-tier economic reopening roadmap.

RELATED: California Imposes Nighttime COVID-19 Curfew But Some Resist

The county had a rate of 12.1 new daily coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents, an increase of 2.1 compared to last week. The state-adjusted daily case rate increased to 10.7 per 100,000 population from 8.7 last week.

The region has an adjusted rate due to a significant effort to increase the volume of testing. The county officially entered the purple tier and its associated restrictions just after midnight Saturday.

San Diego County's rate of positive tests increased from 2.6% last week to 4.3% Tuesday. The health equity metric, which looks at the testing positivity for areas with the least healthy conditions, remained steady at 6.5%.

In response to rising cases statewide, Newsom on Monday pushed the vast majority of California counties into the purple tier.

With purple-tier restrictions in place, many nonessential businesses were required to move to outdoor-only operations. These include restaurants, family entertainment centers, wineries, places of worship, movie theaters, museums, gyms, zoos, aquariums and cardrooms.

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Record 1091 COVID-19 Cases Reported As Officials Urge Caution Over Thanksgiving - KPBS

The flu and COVID-19 have many of the same symptoms. But there are differences. Wochit

As COVID-19 cases surgeacross Colorado, here's what to know about getting tested for the virus in Larimer County:

The Larimer County health departmentprovides no-cost drive-thru testing three days a week, with prioritization given to those who pre-register ahead of time.

However, testing will be limited during Thanksgiving week (see the next section for details). Normal hours are:

An update on outbreaks: Larimer County sees 25 new COVID-19 outbreaks in latest state data

Testing through the Larimer County health department will only be offered from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday at 2350 Research Blvd. in Fort Collins, with walk-ins being accepted only from 9 to 10:30 a.m.

Testing through the county will also be available at The Ranch in Loveland from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, with walk-ins also only being accepted from 9 to 10:30 a.m.

There will be no COVID-19 testing atSalud Family Health Centers on Nov. 26 and 27. UCHealth drive-thru testing sites will be closed Thanksgiving Day.

COVID-19 tests from UCHealth are currently only available to people with a provider's order or thoseexperiencing symptoms like fever, shortness of breath or a new cough. UCHealth COVID-19 testing sites require all patients to have either an order or an appointment for a test. If you show up outside of your scheduled appointment, you may not receive your test. A nasal swab test at UCHealth costs $85, though many insurance providers cover COVID-19 testing. Antibody blood tests cost $100.

COVID-19 supplies and test results are free at Salud, but your insurance company may be billed for the provider time. No co-pay will be collected. Salud requires online registration in order to get a COVID-19 test.

Fort Collins:1830 Laporte Ave.; 970-484-0999; drive-thru and walk-up testing available (weather and staff permitting) from 1 to 3:30 p.m.Tuesdays,Thursdays and Fridays.

You can schedule a COVID-19 test in Fort Collins or Loveland through Banner Health by calling 1-844-549-1856.

Wellington: 7950 Sixth St.; 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. COVID-19 tests at this site are free for those without insurance as part of the federal CARES Act. Patients are encouraged to pre-register for a test online.

As COVID-19 surges, Larimer County begs: Don't gather in person for Thanksgiving

King Soopers, which has various locations in Larimer County,recently began offering rapid antibody testing in its pharmacies. Conducted using a finger-prick blood sample, the tests are $25 and typically provide results within 15 minutes. Anyone who believes they have been previously infected with COVID-19 and are not currently experiencing symptoms are eligible for the test.

UCHealth offers antibody testing at the following locations:

Erin Udell reports on news, culture, history and more for the Coloradoan. Contact her at ErinUdell@coloradoan.com. The only way she can keep doing what she does is with your support. If you subscribe, thank you. If not, sign up for a digital subscription to the Coloradoan today.

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Got a cough, headache or fever? Here's where you can get a COVID-19 test in Larimer County - Coloradoan

Doctors are criticizinga hearing held this week by U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, about controversial treatments forCOVID-19, including hydroxychloroquine a drug that studies have found tobe ineffective and in some cases dangerous when treating the disease.

During the hearing, Johnson pushed a baseless theory that the medical community was working to deny patientsdrugs such as hydroxychloroquine because they were cheaper than other treatments.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration revoked the emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine in June because of its lack of effectiveness and cited its potential for serious cardiac adverse events and other potential serious side effects.

Track COVID-19 in Wisconsin:See the latest numbers and trends

How to interpret COVID-19 data:What experts say about positive cases, deaths and hospitalizations

Michael Carome,a former FDA advisory committee member, slammed Johnson over the hearing.

"Facts dont matter,"Caromesaid of the hearing's approach. "Evidence doesnt matter. It is just outrageous that they continue to cling to this notion that hydroxychloroquine can be effective."

Johnson, chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, also raised questions during the Thursday hearing about the response of federal agenciesto the coronavirus pandemic.

"I believe international, federal and state medical agencies and institutions have let us down," Johnson said. "I fear too many have been close-minded bureaucrats, potentially driven by conflicting interests and agendas."

The three witnesses Johnsoninvited to the hearing, which was titled, "Early Outpatient Treatment: An Essential Part of a COVID-19 Solution," have promoted the use of hydroxychloroquine and other controversial treatments for the virus.

The fourth witness, Ashish Jha, was invited by a Democratic senator.

Jha,a physician, health policy researcher and a deanof the Brown University School of Public Health,later tweeted, "Today was a very, very odd day."

He added that"the hearing was a testament to how politicized science has become."

"I shared evidence of studies that have failed to find benefit of HCQ," Jhatweeted. "Threeother witnesses shared personal experiences. And suggested my testimony was reckless because it would deny people access to lifesaving HCQ."

He added,"I found myself defending evidence, doctors, and scientists. There are key issues we need Congress to be airing right now. Hydroxychloroquine isn't one of them."

Rigorous, well-controlled studies have consistently shown that hydroxychloroquine is not effective in treating COVID-19. Some research suggests it actually may be dangerous when used to treat COVID-19 patients.

Since the start of the pandemic, the FDA has received more than 2,700 reports of serious adverse events involving COVID-19 patients being treated with hydroxychloroquine. In 462 of these cases, the patient ultimately died. The vast majority of the reports are from Spain, the U.S. and France.

Despite a lack of proof, President Donald Trump promoted the drug early on in the pandemic.He has alsoclaimed without evidence that hydroxychloroquines benefit was being suppressed to hurt him politically and that doctors are inflating the coronavirus death count for monetary gain.

Jerry Avorn, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, said hydroxychloroquine isn't being recommended for good reason; it is ineffective and potentially dangerous.

"The idea that scientists are discouraging the use of (hydroxychloroquine) because its cheap is about as crazy as the Presidents contention that the number of COVID-19 cases is being inflated because doctors make more money by doing so," Avorn said.

"We need to base policy on reality rather than on crazy conspiracy theories, whether its about the pandemic or elections," he said.

It was the first hearing Johnson's committee has held on the pandemic.

"What he is doing is outrageous," Carome said.

Carome, a physician and director of the health research group of Public Citizen, a patient advocacy and watchdog organization, said it was offensive to claim that the doctors are not using hydroxychloroquine because it is inexpensive.

He noted that doctors are using the inexpensive steroiddexamethasone, which is proved to reduce deaths in COVID-19 patients.

In March,Johnson accused the media of focusing too much on deaths linked to COVID-19, saying, "I'm sure the deaths are horrific, but the flip side of this is the vast majority of people who get coronavirus do survive."

Johnson, who tested positive for COVID-19 in October, argued last month that Wisconsin had "flattened the curve" during the pandemic, saying "generally deaths are still pretty flat because... we've gotten better at treating it."

Doctors have made strides in treating COVID-19 patients, but new cases, hospitalizations and deaths have spiked in Wisconsin as the state has faced one of the worst outbreaks in the country in recent months.

Another 78 Wisconsinites died Friday, bringing the state's COVID death toll to 2,954 lives lost.

Robert Freedland, a Wisconsin ophthalmologist and member of theCommittee to Protect Medicare, said he was extremely concernedby Johnson's hearing.

Freedland said Johnson and others should be promoting mask wearing and physical distancing rather than disinformation, and he criticized Johnson's past comments about the curve being flattened, saying, "I don't think he took the same geometry course I did."

A spokesman for Johnson did not respond to a request for an interview Friday.

The witnesses invited by Johnson to testify at Thursday's hearing were Peter McCullough, a cardiologist and Vice Chief of Medicine at Baylor University Medical Center; Harvey Risch, professor of epidemiology at Yale University; and George Fareed, a physician at Pioneers Medical Center.

During the hearing, they stressed what they called the need for early treatment of COVID-19, includinghydroxychloroquine.

Risch, for example, said "government research institutions have invested billions of dollars in expensive patent medication and vaccine development but almost nothing in early outpatient treatment."

Fareed said:"I have not seen a single negative cardiac event and few other side effects, despite what we hear in the media."

The comments of the three doctors were praised as "heroic testimony" by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, a conservative medical group.

The group which is opposed to the Affordable Care Act and othergovernment involvement in health care,includingmandatory vaccination programs hassued the FDA, arguing in onecourt filing that "theDeep State has improperly interfered with access to HCQ for COVID-19."

Use of hydroxychloroquine peaked in late March, when the drug was granted emergency use authorization, with an estimated 73% ofhospitalized COVID-19 patients being treated with the drug, according to a study published this month on Epic Health Research Network.

The use of the drug then began to fall sharply as questions arose about its effectiveness and safety.

By June 15, when the emergency use authorization was revoked, an estimated 6% of patients were being treated with the drug, according to the study. Its use has since steadily declined and it now is rarely used.

The study was based on information from 457 hospitals in 27 U.S. states that use Epics system for electronic health records.

G. Caleb Alexander, a drug safety expert and professor atJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said it was "case-closed when it comes to whether or not hydroxychloroquine helps people hospitalized with COVID-19. It doesn't."

"This has nothing to do with profit motives or economic markets it has to do with science and public health, which is especially vital when there are tens of thousands of lives on the line."

Daphne Chen of the Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.

Contact Mary Spicuzzaat (414) 224-2324 ormary.spicuzza@jrn.com. Followheron Twitter at @MSpicuzzaMJS.

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

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'What he is doing is outrageous': Doctors slam Sen. Ron Johnson over hearing on COVID-19 treatments - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

At a joint virtual meeting of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), ECOSOC President Munir Akram pointed to the impact on the poorest countries and the poorest people.

Obviously, our first priority is to control and defeat the virus. Some countries have done well, and others, not so well. The virus is still out of control. We must act together and we must act with urgency, he stressed.

At the national level, he urged governments to help the vulnerable, especially the people in the informal sector, and small and medium sized enterprises. At the international level, vulnerable countries must be provided with fiscal space to avert economic collapse, he added.

Our first priority is to control and defeat the virus ...we must act together and we must act with urgency ECOSOC President Munir Akram

Turning to recovery from the pandemic, Mr. Akram spoke of the need to use the crisis as an opportunity to build forward better, calling on the international community to demonstrate willingness to address the structural challenges and inequalities that are the underling causes of many of the economic challenges, and the threats to peace and security.

The joint meeting of the two UN bodies served as a forum for Member States to exchange views on a wide range of topics related to durable peacebuilding and sustainable development, and ways to address the challenges. This year, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on development and peacebuilding gains featured prominently in the deliberations.

Speaking alongside Mr. Akram, Bob Rae, Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), outlined the specific challenges faced by post-conflict countries, where the Commission is engaged.

Several countries where the PBC is engaged are at risk of seeing double digit contractions in economic growth, and small and medium enterprises, which employ 90 per cent of the workforce in Africa, have suffered severe consequences, he said.

This requires us to fundamentally rethink our approaches, and to put livelihoods, economic security for citizens, and inclusive economic development at the heart of peacebuilding, Mr. Rae urged.

Several countries where the PBC is engaged are at risk of seeing double digit contractions in economic growth PBC Chair Bob Rae

The PBC Chair also highlighted that the need for sufficient funding to support nationally-owned and nationally-led initiatives, which address root causes of the conflict, and sustain peace and development over the long term.

He warned that the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened risks of fragility globally and added new pressures on already scant peacebuilding resources.

Demand is outpacing the supply for funding, Mr. Rae said, underlining the urgent need for commensurate financial support, including through increased support to the UN Peacebuilding Fund.

Inga Rhonda King, President of the Security Council for the month of November, highlighted the important roles played by the PBC and ECOSOC in assisting Member States advancing their peacebuilding priorities and for mobilizing comprehensive development responses to peacebuilding challenges at the local, national and regional levels.

The Security Council, for its part, worked to address possible security implications related to the impact of the pandemic by adopting resolution 2532 which reinforced the Secretary-General's calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities, she continued.

Ms. King also spoke of the recent high-level open debate on the Contemporary Drivers of Conflict and Insecurity, where Security Council members were united in their calls for adequately financed, integrated and sustainable approaches to conflict prevention and peacebuilding in line with the principles of international law.

As we endeavor to fulfil the aspirational goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, our primary blueprint for a peaceful and prosperous world, we need, more than ever a comprehensive and collective approach, added the Security Council President.

In a pre-recorded video message to the meeting, UN Deputy Secretary-GeneralAmina Mohammedsaid Member States are currently negotiating resolutions on the next Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review and the 2020 review of the peacebuilding architecture, and that the 2016 resolutions on the matter led to greater coherence between development, humanitarian and peacebuilding actions.

As a result, she declared: the United Nations system is better equipped to achieve lasting impact in contexts where development and peace efforts are integrated. She warned Member States that the COVID19 pandemic drives fragility and conflict, underscoring the need for strong collaboration between ECOSOC and PBC.

To that end, the organs must reconcile short-term humanitarian and stabilization needs, with longer-term peacebuilding and development processes.

Let us seize the opportunity to increase collaboration between humanitarian, development and peace actors, at all levels, to leave no one behind, she said.

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Collective, conflict-sensitive responses vital to address COVID-19 pandemic and its fallout - UN News

(CNN) "Are we there yet?"

"My family will not be together this year for the first time in 27 years. It'll be me and my wife in our bubble, and we'll have a nice Zoom gathering, I suspect, to see how everybody is doing," Dr. Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, told CNN's Wolf Blitzer Tuesday.

The surge of new Covid-19 infections and hospitalizations in the United States is "substantially steeper than anything we saw back in the spring with New York and New Jersey or in the summer with the Southeast," Collins said.

"This is significantly worse. It's moving faster. It is basically putting everybody in the country at risk," he said. "People need to be deciding right about now, if they haven't already, how are they going to keep themselves and their families safe at this time of great peril."

1. Weigh the decision to travel

To be sure you're not sick and taking the virus along with you to your loved ones, quarantine with your family or traveling companions for two weeks -- that's the typical amount of time it takes for the virus to replicate and subside, even if you have no symptoms.

Some 48 million Americans are expected to hit the road for Thanksgiving this year, AAA predicts.

Alex Wong/Getty Images

"The more cases at your destination, the more likely you are to get infected during travel and spread the virus to others when you return," the CDC says.

2. Prep the car in advance

Avoid potential car problems that might involve unintended contact with others along the way by having your car fully serviced before your trip -- at minimum check oil, fluids, breaks, tires and antifreeze.

Pack several back-up phone chargers, and just in case you lose cell service in some remote area, download your main maps to your phone or GPS.

Experts advise travelers to avoid dining inside on road trips to reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission.

Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

3. Don't forget to safeguard the humans

Prep a first-aid kit for the humans in the car, too, along with plenty of water and healthy snacks, as well as extra masks for travelers older than 2.

Along with that highly protective mask, you should definitely bring disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer with greater than 60% ethanol or 70% isopropyl alcohol. According to the CDC, that's the level needed to kill most coronaviruses.

4.. Carefully plan your route

5. Try not to stop

If it's at all possible, try to complete your road trip without stopping.

"Making stops along the way for gas, food or bathroom breaks can put you and your traveling companions in close contact with other people and frequently touched surfaces," warns the CDC.

That's obviously not going to happen if you are traveling with little kids for more than a few hours.

Bathroom breaks can be tricky -- some gas stations and fast-food restaurants have closed their restrooms -- so If the opportunity to use the toilet presents itself, encourage everyone in the car to do so.

6. Sanitize everything you touch

Always wear a mask when you leave your car, suggests the American Academy of Pediatrics, and carry sanitizing wipes and hand sanitizer to wipe down door handles and knobs and toilets.

After using the restroom, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds (the amount of time it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" twice), open the bathroom door with a hand towel, and use hand sanitizer before touching your car keys or door handles after leaving the facilities.

When refilling at a gas station, use sanitizing wipes on the gas nozzle handles and payment buttons at the pumps before you touch them, then sanitize your hands immediately after you're finished.

7. Keep the windows cracked

Traveling in a car is obviously "a very tight, enclosed space," said Dr. Henry Wu, an associate professor of infectious diseases at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.

That's less of an issue if you're traveling with immediate family from your quarantine bubble. In cases where that's unavoidable, everyone in the car should be masked.

In either scenario, crack the windows, even if it's cold or rainy, said Joseph Allen, director of the Healthy Buildings program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

He and his team studied airborne transmission inside cars and found "rolling down the windows just a couple inches" can boost air flow and dilute the virus.

Allen also warns against using the recirculation button in your car on the trip. That's the symbol of a car with an arrow in the middle.

"if you're going to have the air conditioning or the heater on be sure that you don't have the recirculating option selected so you're breathing the same air," Allen said. "You want fresh outside air to enter the car."

Packing your own food to eat outside or opting for drive-through dining is safer than eating inside.

Mariah Tauger/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

8. Have a dining plan

When it comes to reducing the risk of contracting Covid-19 while eating on the road, it's always going to be safer eating outside, where the virus can dissipate into the open air, experts say.

The partitions and six-foot spacing installed in many indoor restaurants isn't enough protection, said Linsey Marr, the co-author of a paper on airborne transmission of Covid-19 via very small droplets called aerosols that can float for hours.

"I think the six feet indoors is not enough by itself" and "plexiglass panels protect against large droplets, but they do not protect against aerosols," said Marr, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech.

"You have to have good ventilation in that bar or restaurant," she added. "And since I can't wear a mask while I'm eating, I'm just avoiding indoor restaurants until this is over."

Getting takeout or using a drive-through and eating in your car or sitting outside is a better option, experts say.

Hotel chains have upped their disinfecting measures. Experts advise steering clear of common areas.

Courtesy Marriott International

9. Choose your hotel carefully

If you have to stay at a hotel during your trip, consider booking one with outdoor access, Marr suggests.

"This is the time to stay in one of the cheaper motels that has the outdoor corridor so you don't have to go indoors, through the lobby, into the elevator or through the hallways," Marr said.

"You just go up the stairs outside to your room," she added. "And those types of rooms usually have their own air conditioning or heating systems so there's no exchange of air between different rooms."

If you can do it, book a room that's been vacant for more than 24 hours as well as cleaned and disinfected. That's an extra precaution, as is bringing your own pillows and pillowcases and even an extra sheet set.

"In terms of the air quality, I think the longer the room's been vacant, the safer it should be," said Emory's Wu.

Try to avoid other guests as much as possible, Wu advises. Many hotels have closed common spaces such as pools, restaurants and public bathrooms, but you can also avoid interactions with others by checking in and out during off hours.

Carry disinfecting wipes with you as you navigate shared spaces, then use hand sanitizer or wash your hands with soap and water for a full 20 seconds.

When you get to the room wipe down door handles, light switches, remote controls and bathroom fixtures with disinfecting wipes before using them, Wu suggests.

10. Take precautions when you arrive

Ideally, you've quarantined before you left and taken proper safety precautions during your road trip. If not, then try to quarantine when you arrive.

"Don't rely on a negative test on Tuesday before Thanksgiving and think that clears you," said pediatrician Dr. David Rubin, who directs PolicyLab, a research and public policy center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia that's tracking Covid-19 cases in communities across the country.

"Hunkering your family down for a week and a half is your best way to assure that you're likely to be negative," Rubin added.

"The decisions we make now around the Thanksgiving holiday really determine just how bad the depths of winter are when it comes to the spread of the virus," Allen said.

"If we're irresponsible for a short-term gain through the holidays, it really can come back and bite us weeks later with an expansion of cases," Allen said. "And cases lead to hospitalizations and hospitalizations lead to death."

CNN's Shelby Lin Erdman contributed to this report.

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10 ways to avoid Covid-19 during your holiday road trip - CNN

The Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine candidate has 95% efficacy according to the latest analysis offered by the companies.

By Jon CohenNov. 18, 2020 , 6:45 AM

Sciences COVID-19 reporting is supported by the Pulitzer Center and the Heising-Simons Foundation.

Not to be outdone by a rival with a similar product, Pfizer and BioNTech today provided an update on the previously announced success of their COVID-19 vaccine. The U.S. pharma giant and its German biotech partner now report 95% efficacy for their vaccine candidate, drawing on the final analysis of a 43,000-person study. And dont worry about the elderly not responding to the vaccine; the efficacy only drops to 94% in people older than 65, the companiessaid in a press release.

As opposed to the vague initialreportlast week that their vaccine had greater than 90% efficacy, Pfizer and BioNTech are providing more specific data now that the study has reached enough COVID-19 cases to end. In all, the trial had 162 confirmed cases of symptomatic COVID-19 in the placebo group versus eight among those who received the two scheduled doses of the vaccine. The efficacy, which was measured 7 days after the second dose of the vaccine, was the same in different races and ethnicities, the companies sayalthough subgroup analyses always have more uncertainty. Nine of the 10 people who had severe cases of COVID-19 during the trial received the placebo, which indicates that even if the vaccine fails to prevent symptomatic disease, it still offers powerful protection from serious harm. No serious side effects surfaced, the companies report, although 3.7% of the vaccinated reported fatigue after the injections.

The results are nearly identical to preliminary findingsreported by Modernaon 16 November from its ongoing efficacy trial. Both its vaccine and the Pfizer/BioNTech candidate contain messenger RNA (mRNA) that codes for the surface protein of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The strategy is novelno medicines made from mRNA have been approved for widespread human use so far.

The Pfizer/BioNTech collaboration says it will submit within days a request to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization (EUA) of its vaccine. If recent history repeats itself, Moderna will follow suit about 1 week later. FDA has said it will convene its independent vaccine advisory committee to review any COVID-19 EUA requests, and the first meeting could occur as early as 9 December, an agency official tellsScienceInsider.

This is a remarkable and very reassuring situation that we find ourselves in, says Trudie Lang, who directs the Global Health Network at the University of Oxford. To go from identifying a new virus to having several vaccines at the point of applying for regulatory approval is an incredible milestone for science.

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'Incredible milestone for science.' Pfizer and BioNTech update their promising COVID-19 vaccine result - Science Magazine

Even while being intubated and unable to speak, Grover Wilhelmsen wanted to show his gratitude to the health care workers at McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden.

The 70-year-old patient used pen and paper to communicate with a nurse and had one request.

While the request took some planning and approval by doctors, Sase was ultimately able to grant him his wish. She stayed in his room and monitored him as he played church hymns and the "Tennessee Waltz," according to the news release.

"It brought tears to my eyes. For all the staff to see a patient doing this while intubated was unbelievable," Sase said. "Even though he was so sick, he was still able to push through. You could see how much it meant to him. Playing kind of helped to soothe his nerves and brought him back to the moment."

Staff in the ICU gathered around the closed glass doors of Wilhelmsen's room to listen and watched as the retired teacher played.

"It was honestly shocking to be there when he picked up the violin," Matt Harper, a RN at the hospital, said in the news release. "It felt like I was in a dream."

"I'm used to patients being miserable or sedated while being intubated, but Grover made an unfortunate situation into something positive. This was by far one of my favorite memories in the ICU that I've had. It was a small light in the darkness of COVID."

The hospital said he was able to play a few times before he became too sick and required sedation.

Diana, Wilhelmsen's wife of 47 years, told CNN on Wednesday that it didn't surprise her at all that he had requested his musical instruments.

"That's just Grover," she said. "He wanted to play it to thank them."

The couple from Harrisville both contracted the virus at the same time in early October. Diana said she was able to manage her symptoms at home, but the virus impacted Wilhelmsen's lungs.

"It is real," she said, when asked what she wanted people to know about battling the virus. "It affects so many people differently."

Wilhelmsen spent a month in the hospital on a ventilator before being transferred to a long-term acute care facility last week, Diana Wilhelmsen said. While is he doing well, she said, he is still on the ventilator. They are working on weening him off of it.

Diana Wilhelmsen wasn't able to see her husband at the hospital due to the visitor restrictions, but now they are able to see each other through the glass window of the care facility.

"We can stand outside the window and call him on the phone," she said. "He can't speak but he will write on a piece of paper."

She said she hopes he will be able to be home for Christmas.

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An intubated Covid-19 patient played the violin in the ICU to thank health care workers - CNN

Seven countries are now reporting mink-related Sars-CoV-2 mutations in humans, according to new scientific analysis.

The mutations are identified as Covid-19 mink variants as they have repeatedly been found in mink and now in humans as well.

Uncertainty around the implications of the discovery of a Covid-19 mink variant in humans led Denmark, the worlds largest mink fur producer, to launch a nationwide cull earlier this month.

The cull was sparked by research from Denmarks public health body, the Statens Serum Institut (SSI), which showed that a mink variant called C5 was harder for antibodies to neutralise and posed a potential threat to vaccine efficacy.

Denmark, the Netherlands, South Africa, Switzerland, the Faroe Islands, Russia and the US have all reported cases of mink-related mutations.

Despite a political backlash the cull has continued, and farmers have until midnight on Thursday to cull all mink in the country. However, the row over the cull has forced the resignation of the Danish agriculture minister, Mogens Jensen.

SSI director Kre Mlbak has also said he would resign. It was the SSIs findings on reduced antibody efficacy that led to the cull order. Mlbak told local media he is retiring because he is 65 and denied it was related to the mink cull.

Until now there had been no widespread reports of mink variants in humans outside Denmark. But scientists uploading virus sequencing and variant information to Gisaid, a global database initiative, said there have been signs of the mink variants around the world.

We knew there were these mink variants in seven countries, but we only had about 20 genomes of each, which is very few. Then last week the Danes uploaded 6,000 genome sequences and with those we were able to identify 300 or more of the mink variant Y453F in viruses having infected humans in Denmark, said University College London (UCL) Genetics Institute director Francois Balloux.

Asked about the implications of the findings, Balloux said it was an indication of the need to cull farmed mink. A bigger host reservoir means more infections in humans. The main point here, I think, is that although the mutation might not be scary, there is still very good reason to get rid of the mink reservoir. We just dont need it. In Denmark, he added, they have a lot of mink, over three times more than humans.

The prevalence of Danish mink-related mutations is evident in the Gisaid database. Denmark has 329 F-variant sequences, which roughly maps to as many individuals, although there may be some duplicates, said Prof Seshadri Vasan from the University of York, who analysed the database for the mink variants. The Netherlands has six. South Africa and Switzerland have two each, while the Faroe Islands, Russia and Utah [US] have one each.

Asked how the spread might have happened, Vasan said that given some of the human and mink F-variants were from samples collected in Denmark in June, it might be that movement of people, animals or goods could have spread the F-variant to other countries.

But, because the Gisaid database includes only patchy patient information and no travel history and as some of the samples lack collection dates he said it is impossible to say exactly how and when the spread took place, although local scientists might be better placed to understand.

Last month, Vasan and his team published a global template aimed at improving the collection and sharing of de-identified patient information in a bid to improve data quality.

Viruses are known to mutate, but variants alone are not necessarily a problem. Most importantly, said Prof Joanne Santini, a microbiologist at UCL, we still dont know whether this mutation happened in mink or humans first.

In a joint email this week to the Guardian, Santini and UCL colleague Prof Sarah Edwards, a bioethicist, said the Sars-CoV-2 Y453F variant in the spike protein is unlikely to pose any serious risk to the expected efficacy of current candidate vaccines, or itself pose a new public health threat on its own.

If, however, the variant originated in mink and spread to humans, then we would have to doubt our ability to manage outbreaks in otherwise seemingly contained farm animals once detected.

Constant mutations could be a source of concern too. The email added that multiple additional variants in the spike protein could indeed have concerning implications for how infectious the virus is to humans and also to animals, potentially posing new threats to the expected efficacy of our candidate vaccines.

The early observations by CSIRO [Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation] scientists demonstrate the possible implications for the wider spread of Sars-CoV-2 variants between humans and animals, she said.

Although Denmark is the only country to order a nationwide mink cull, others, including the Netherlands, Spain and, most recently, Greece, are killing mink with Covid-19. On Tuesday, Reuters reported mandatory mink testing had started in Poland, despite industry fears that tests could lead to a nationwide cull.

On the business side, the Danish cull has had immediate effects. Last week, Denmarks breeder association and worlds largest fur auction house, Kopenhagen Fur, announced a controlled shutdown over the next three years, while Danish thinktank estimates put the cost of mink farm closures at about DKK3bn (360m).

Sign up for the Animals farmed monthly update to get a roundup of the best farming and food stories across the world and keep up with our investigations. You can send us your stories and thoughts at animalsfarmed@theguardian.com.

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Covid-19 mink variants discovered in humans in seven countries - The Guardian

HONOLULU (KHON2) A Honolulu police officer is in the hospital fighting COVID-19. This comes as HPD confirms an outbreak at the Wahiawa Police Station with 11 police officers testing positive this month.

Officer B.J. Miralles is assigned to the Wahiawa police station. Friends and family say hes taken a turn for the worse and is now in the hospital.

He is sedated and intubated. Its a preventative measure to kind of give his body some relief and some rest. The family is in good spirits, but obviously down. This has taken a major toll, especially with other members of BJs family who have tested positive for COVID as well, said Jason Mike, a family friend.

He and his wife Kortney are still in disbelief and are doing what they can to support the Miralles family. Jason and B.J. graduated from the police academy together six years ago. The couples became friends soon after and BJs family welcomed them as part of their own.

We didnt have any family in Hawaii and his family became our hanai family. As far as Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years, we were part of the family, our kids were part of the family. So for us hes definitely a brother to me, said Mike.

Mike and his family have been trying to do everything they can to support B.J.s wife, Rochelle, who still has to take care of their three young daughters.

Just wondering how hes doing because right now he cant have visitors. So the unknown to them has been the hardest part, at least thats what Rochelle has expressed to me. Of course, just not having her best friend with her has also been one of the hard parts for her, said Kortney Mike.

They say B.J., a Mililani High School graduate, is in his 30s and was in good health leading up to his battle with coronavirus. The family says this is a sobering reminder to take the virus seriously. It also emphasizes the additional risks now for frontline workers.

Now were having to deal with almost an invisible enemy sort of speak, that theyre possibly gonna contract and take back home to their family. So its scary for a lot of law enforcement right now, said Mike.

HPD says that of the 11 officers infected in Wahiawa, nine have returned to work. The source of exposure remains unknown. Friends have set up a fundraiser for the Miralles family to help pay his hospital bills.

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HPD officer in hospital with COVID-19, part of cluster at Wahiawa station - KHON2

The Loudoun County Health Department is tracking at least three outbreaks of COVID-19 resulting from Halloween parties put on by kids, said Health Department Director Dr. David Goodfriend.

Goodfriend told county supervisors on Nov. 17 that those were among a number of outbreaks in Loudoun over the past several weeks that were preventable.

COVID-19 cases in Loudoun continue to climb, with the Health Department reporting the latest seven-day rolling average of new cases as 65.7 new cases a day as of Nov. 18. While cases are climbing, they have not reached the peak of new infections Loudoun saw at the end of May, when there were more than 100 new cases a day.

That puts Loudoun in a better place than the state at large, which has already far exceeded the first surge of COVID-19 cases and is setting new records for the viruss spread, with an average of 1,761 new cases a day across Virginia.

Loudoun so far is also more fortunate than some other areas of the country; in some areas, some hospitals are already nearing capacity. That has meant hospitals in the DC region are absorbing patients from other areas; HCA StoneSprings Hospital Chief Nursing Officer Amy Paratore said that hospital has been getting patients transferred in from southwest Virginia, Spotsylvania, and West Virginia.

So far Loudouns healthcare systems are not yet stressed, Goodfriend said, but he warned winter weatherand its accompanying surge in respiratory diseases of all typesis not yet here.

Right now, were a relief valve for some of the other areas that dont have capacity, Goodfriend said. As opposed to what was going on earlier in the year, this is a national problem right now, so as we get over overwhelmed, there really arent many places to offload cases to out of the National Capital Region.

He said the best thing to do now is try to keep COVID cases as low as possible, away from people who are most likely to be hospitalized with it.

As opposed to April, May and June, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, Goodfriend said. Thats vaccination. But theres going to be unfortunately, significant darkness before we get to that light, and we really need everyone to participate in these next couple months.

But one bright spot, Goodfriend said: Currently health officials are not aware of anyone who contracted COVID-19 by voting in November. He commended Loudouns elections officers, who worked together with his office to make the election as safe and smooth as possible.

This is the time when folks really need to take those steps, as was mentioned by the hospitals, of keeping your distance, wearing your mask, and if youre at all feeling sick, stay home and get a test, Goodfriend said. []Lets learn from Halloween. If we dont have to travel at Thanksgiving, lets not, and lets not put on parties.

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Halloween Parties Caused at Least 3 COVID-19 Outbreaks - Loudoun Now