Category: Covid-19

Editor's Note Because of the unpredictable nature of the pandemic and governments' varied responses to it, the information in this story is subject to frequent change. It was current at the time of publication on November 13.

Then there are the nations that have shut the gates to would-be tourists.

This list covers many of the nations or territories not open to tourists at all or whose conditions are so restrictive they make any traditional vacations there almost impossible to pull off. Some of these have never been big draws. But many others, especially in Asia, were some of the most popular places to visit in the world before the pandemic.

Until they reopen, we'll have to be satisfied with photos and videos to fuel our dreams of future visits. They're listed alphabetically by continent or major region and then country or territory. Click on the links for details:

Africa

There are 54 recognized sovereign nations on this vast continent, along with territories and de facto independent states. Some popular countries -- such as Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa and Tanzania -- are accepting visitors or will soon do so.

CNN Travel will expand the Africa section as more information becomes available. Meanwhile, these are some of the countries still not open to tourists yet:

Asia

Asia has some of the world's most visited destinations, but it's also the continent with the strictest limits on tourism during the pandemic:

Bhutan is noted for its incredible scenery -- a hiker's paradise.

Blue Poppy

The hotel rooms and suites of the Umaid Bhawan Palace in Rajasthan, India, feel plucked from a bygone era, featuring Old World furnishings, plush upholstery and dramatic taxidermied animals.

The tea fields of Sri Lanka are a rich, gorgeous green.

Courtesy Sri Lanka Tourism

Sake is more than just a drink. See what happens when one of Vietnam's top chefs get creative and uses this rice wine in his dishes.

Australia and South Pacific

Here's the no-visitors status of one the world's most remote and beautiful regions, where Covid-19 containment is taken very seriously.

Cape Reinga is the northernmost point of the North Island of New Zealand. Thelighthouse is a beloved tourist attraction.

Shutterstock

The famed land divers of Vanuatu inspired bungee jumping.

Ian Lloyd Neubauer/CNN

Europe

Middle East

The Middle East has long captured travelers' imaginations. But here's a quick list of popular places you'll have to wait on:

The southwestern coastline of the Dead Sea in Israel. This body of water has fascinated people for millennia.

Bill Weir/CNN

North America

North American nations and territories have had a widely varying response regarding tourists, but most are at least partially open now. Here are the places you'll have to wait to see:

South America

South American favorites such as Peru and Brazil are open, but some nations are still off-limits:

When it reopens, the charms of Uruguay's capital of Montevideo await.

Shutterstock

More resources

Here are some links where you can find out additional details:

Some countries might not appear on this round-up because CNN Travel could not confirm with official government or tourism sources the status of their restrictions or because they had a very limited tourism traffic before the pandemic. This list will be updated periodically as more information becomes available or situations change.

Link:

These countries and territories are still keeping tourists at bay during the Covid-19 pandemic - CNN

Thanksgiving can be a wonderful time of year: A time for family, a time for tradition a time when older family members get together with their germ-infested grandkids for a huge meal and a lot of close-talking.

But of course, this is a pandemic year. And none of that is ideal during a pandemic.

Minnesota is seeing its worst COVID-19 numbers since coronavirus arrived in the state just in time for the winter holiday season, and just as state officials are clamping down on large events and social gatherings.

So, how do we handle family gatherings in the era of COVID? Should we cancel?

According to Dr. Jill Foster, director of the University of Minnesotas Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology, the answer is: Probably yes. Cancel your plans.

Thats probably the wisest choice, she said. Its just the reality of what we know. Theres a study just out from the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] that shows that if you have a room full of people and you put just one person in the room with COVID, then 53 percent of the people are likely to be infected.

But family traditions can be hard to give up, even for a year or two. Even if they were never much fun in the first place.

Thats because, said David Lipset, an anthropology professor at the University of Minnesota, winter holidays arent just turkey and political arguments.

Theyre part of an ancient ritual, a feast to bind together a family, a community, before winter comes before things get hungry. Thanksgiving, for one, has its own, more recent history, but humans have been doing this sort of thing for as long as humans have been on this earth. And we yearn for it.

If you cant return to people you see as part of yourself, then youre negating yourself, Lipset said. Youre negating who you are. Its not something thats acceptable to most people. You know, you cant cut an arm off.

That applies to most people even to Foster.She might be telling people, in her professional capacity, to skip Thanksgiving this year, but her own personal plans for marking the holiday look a lot more like they might in a normal year.

I have to admit that, for my Thanksgiving, my 86-year-old mother is flying here, she said. I talked to her about it and said, This might not be the best thing for you, and she said, If I dont fly to your place, Im going to take the train to Indianapolis to visit my boyfriend.

Fosters mother is an independent soul. She does what she wants and she wants a regular Thanksgiving this year. Foster figured a plane ride would be the lesser of two evils. Better air filtration. Less time exposed.

And thats the best most people can do, she said. At a time when everyday decisions can be fraught with risk and worry, planning for the holidays is no exception. Foster, Lipset and officials at the state Health Department offer some suggestions for how to frame your next family gathering.

The best-case, lowest-risk scenario is to stay home.

Dont plan for an in-person gathering. Schedule a video call or several.

Bonus: Theres less cooking and cleaning involved.

For a lot of people, being away from family at the holidays despite the option of connecting remotely is unfathomable.

There are still safe options available and theyre all outside.

Foster suggests families go for a long walk together or hang out in a park. If you do: Wear masks and dont eat together. Eating is risky, because its impossible to wear a mask.

But many holidays are often all about food and given the snowy, icy weather lately, its a good bet that most people arent looking forward to socializing outside, either.

Everyones situation is different. So If youre looking for a middle ground, Foster says, go small. Really small. The new rule from Gov. Tim Walz is no more than 10 people, from up to three households.

Foster says fewer than 10 is even better. Prune back the guest list and dont overthink it.

Like you know, theres that friend from high school that moved away that always comes back for Thanksgiving, she said. Tell them no this year.

And all the cousins coming home from their college dorm rooms Foster says: No. Stay in your bedroom. Dont mingle or breathe on your relatives.

The Minnesota Medical Association has released a statement begging people to follow CDC guidelines this holiday season: Wear masks, wash hands and keep any gathering short. Shorter gatherings pose less of a risk than daylong hang-outs.

The CDC has compiled an extensive list of considerations for hosts, guests and those hoping to be either.

But even with all the appropriate precautions, know that hosting a gathering inside with people from different households, however small is a fairly risky one, as the coronavirus rages across Minnesota at record levels.

Its hard to control the behavior of others especially family.

Sometimes you just walk into a bad situation. Maybe there are 20 people at Thanksgiving instead of 10. Or everyones crowded up in the kitchen, eating with their fingers. Nobodys wearing masks.

Unexpected curveballs will happen to lots of well-intentioned people, Foster said.

What to do?

Well, she said, you can leave if youre not comfortable with the setup. But if you decide to stay, wear your mask, and enjoy yourself, then shift to damage control.

So after [this] worst-case scenario, she said, especially if you get home and hear that Uncle Joe had COVID, you want to get a test. Three to five days is probably a good window.

Then quarantine for 14 days. Do what you can and be patient. The traditions arent dead, theyre just on hold.

Data in these graphs are based on the Minnesota Department of Health's cumulative totals released at 11 a.m. daily. You can find more detailed statistics on COVID-19 at theHealth Department website.

The coronavirus is transmitted through respiratory droplets, coughs and sneezes, similar to the way the flu can spread.

You make MPR News possible. Individual donations are behind the clarity in coverage from our reporters across the state, stories that connect us, and conversations that provide perspectives. Help ensure MPR remains a resource that brings Minnesotans together.

Donate today. A gift of $17 makes a difference.

See the original post here:

How to holiday: A guide to navigating Thanksgiving and COVID-19 - Minnesota Public Radio News

On Thursday, the nation passed another grim milestone in the pandemic, setting records for cases and hospitalizations, with over 153,000- new cases and at least 62,000 people currently hospitalized. In Chicago, the mayor said that starting Monday, residents should leave home only to go to work or school, or for essential needs, such as seeking medical care or getting groceries.

Read this article:

COVID-19 surge accelerates in Pa. and N.J. as numbers go in the wrong direction; Delco hospitals straining f - The Philadelphia Inquirer

A resurgence of the COVID-19 is sweeping the state, with 100 of Connecticuts 169 towns and cities, including Wilton, now placed on Red Alert status.

A resurgence of the COVID-19 is sweeping the state, with 100 of Connecticuts 169 towns and cities, including Wilton, now placed on Red Alert status.

Photo: State Of Connecticut Graphic

A resurgence of the COVID-19 is sweeping the state, with 100 of Connecticuts 169 towns and cities, including Wilton, now placed on Red Alert status.

A resurgence of the COVID-19 is sweeping the state, with 100 of Connecticuts 169 towns and cities, including Wilton, now placed on Red Alert status.

Wilton moves to red alert town with COVID-19 spike

WILTON With five new cases of COVID-19 reported in the past two days, Wilton has been named a Red Alert community.

The state Department of Health issues a Red Alert for municipalities with 15 new cases of COVID per day per 100,000 people.

The Red Alert status was calculated from Oct. 25 through Nov. 7, during which time 43 new cases of COVID were reported in Wilton, resulting in a rate of 16.7 per 100,000 residents.

Wilton Public Schools has created a COVID-19 information page, notifying residents of the number of students and staff in self-isolation or quarantine due to the virus.

As of Wednesday, Nov. 11, the schools reported 12 students that tested positive for COVID were in isolation, while 114 students were in quarantine due to close contact. There are four positive staff members in self-isolation and 19 staff members in quarantine.

On Thursday, Nov. 12, Superintendent of Schools Kevin Smith announced a new positive case of COVID-19 in the districts Genesis program, an alternative educational program held at Trackside Teen Center.

The towns public safety departments have also been affected by COVID.

In a message on the towns website, First Selectwoman Lynne Vanderslice said, Just like our schools, our public safety departments have been impacted by required quarantines due to exposure. Recently, police and fire staffing was down 25 percent due to quarantining. The numbers can grow quickly. Police and fire officers experiencing increasing required overtime to cover for those quarantined. Those additional hours mean more opportunity for exposure for those officers, additional costs for the town and potential burnout.

She said the departments didnt experience this level of exposure during the spring, as most residents were staying home. She asked residents to help reduce required responses by following the law and being smart about your personal property.

Dont be that guy or gal driving 45 or 50 mph on local roads. With less cars on the road, drivers are driving faster than ever, leading to calls for enforcement and accidents. Lock your vehicles. Police are still responding to thefts of or within unlocked cars. Thieves continue to target Wilton because residents make it easy, she said.

Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, 359 cases of COVID have been reported in Wilton. The number of deaths stands at 43 according to the most recent state report.

A resurgence of the virus is sweeping the state, with 100 of Connecticuts 169 towns and cities now placed on Red Alert.

Connecticut reported 1,158 new cases on Thursday, or 32 for every 100,000 people. The daily positivity rate was 4.8 percent, calculated from 24,001 new tests in the previous 24 hours. Hospitalizations are also up, with a net increase of 33 patients, bringing the total to 617.

In light of the recent COVID increase, Gov. Ned Lamont is tightening restrictions, announcing private indoor and outdoor social gatherings are limited to 10 people, including Thanksgiving celebrations.

He is also recommending a statewide curfew, urging all residents to stay home between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. except for essential trips.

Yesterday, the state introduced an app to help state health officials trace people who came in close proximity to someone with COVID-19.

The app is available for iPhone and Android, uses Bluetooth to tell whether a phones owner has been in contact for a long enough period with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus and had been notified by state health officials.

pgay@wiltonbulletin.com

See the original post:

Wilton moves to red alert town with COVID-19 spike - The Wilton Bulletin

'); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append(""+val.title+""); // if (window.location.hostname == "www.kmov.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.kctv5.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.azfamily.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.kptv.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.fox5vegas.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.wfsb.com") { if (val.poly != "" && val.polyimg != "") { $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append('"+val.ihtml+""); $("#expandable-weather-block .weather-index-alerts").show(); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body h2").css({"font-family":"'Fira Sans', sans-serif", "font-weight":"500", "padding-bottom":"10px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body p").css({"font-size":"14px", "line-height":"24px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body span.wxalertnum").css({"float":"left", "width":"40px", "height":"40px", "color":"#ffffff", "line-height":"40px", "background-color":"#888888", "border-radius":"40px", "text-align":"center", "margin-right":"12px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body b").css("font-size", "18px"); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body li").css({"font-size":"14px", "line-height":"18px", "margin-bottom":"10px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body ul").css({"margin-bottom":"24px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body pre").css({"margin-bottom":"24px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body img").css({"width":"100%", "margin-bottom":"20px", "borderWidth":"1px", "border-style":"solid", "border-color":"#aaaaaa"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).css({"borderWidth":"0", "border-bottom-width":"1px", "border-style":"dashed", "border-color":"#aaaaaa", "padding-bottom":"10px", "margin-bottom":"40px"}); }); } function parseAlertJSON(json) { console.log(json); alertCount = 0; if (Object.keys(json.alerts).length > 0) { $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body ").empty(); } $.each(json.alerts, function(key, val) { alertCount++; $("#mrd-wx-alerts .alert_count").text(alertCount); $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body ").append(''); $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append(""+val.title+""); // if (window.location.hostname == "www.kmov.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.kctv5.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.azfamily.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.kptv.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.fox5vegas.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.wfsb.com") { if (val.poly != "" && val.polyimg != "") { $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append(''); } else if (val.fips != "" && val.fipsimg != "") { // $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append(''); } // } //val.instr = val.instr.replace(/[W_]+/g," "); $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append(val.dhtml+"

Instruction

More here:

Oregons daily count of new COVID-19 cases tops 1,000 for the first time - KPTV.com

Drive-through test sites set up as COVID-19 cases increase in Mitchell, Yancey counties  WLOS

Here is the original post:

Drive-through test sites set up as COVID-19 cases increase in Mitchell, Yancey counties - WLOS

See how Renown Regional Medical Center is preparing for a surge of COVID-19 patients. Reno Gazette Journal

Reno area hospitals are enacting emergency measures, including setting up temporary beds and putting surgeries on hold as a spike in COVID-19 cases threatens to overwhelm available capacity.

Several hospitals in Reno, Sparks and Carson City are reporting a surge in COVID-19 cases during the last couple of weeks, describing it as the largest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations they have seen overall since the pandemic started.

Were seeing a fairly significant increase in the number of COVID patients that we are taking care of, said W. Allen Fink, chief medical officer for Carson-Tahoe Health. It fluctuates every day but weve had the highest number of patients within the last two to three weeks.

The observed increase in cases is backed by the data. Coronavirus hospitalizations in Washoe County and Carson City totaled 40 patients as recently as Sept. 7, according to the Nevada Hospital Association. By Nov. 11, however, coronavirus hospitalizations in Washoe and Carson have more than quadrupled to 195.

The surge is resulting in hospital emergency departments seeing an influx of patients who are presenting with COVID-19.

Northern Nevada Medical Center, for example, typically sees two to four patients coming into the emergency room each day for COVID-like symptoms, said Elena Mnatsakanyan, Director of Quality, Risk Management, and Infection Control at NNMC. In the last week, however, that number has shot up to between 25 to 30.

Not all of them need hospitalization, but its definitely much higher than what we saw in the beginning, Mnatsakanyan said.

The spike in cases led to a highly charged plea from Gov. Steve Sisolak on Tuesday asking community members to take the situation more seriously. Sisolak, who described his proposal as Stay at Home 2.0 urged Nevadans to avoid venturing out from their homes unless necessary for the next two weeks in order to flatten the curve and prevent business closures once again.

We might be getting COVID fatigue, but the virus is not getting infection fatigue, Sisolak said. Im not asking for the world, 14 days is what Im asking for.

Were on the verge of being overwhelmed, Sisolak added

The latest surge of the pandemic is hitting Carson City and Washoe County especially hard.

Carson City led the state with a 30-day case rate of 1,293 per 100,000 people as of Nov. 12. The state capital used to have one of the lowest infection rates in Nevada earlier this year. Washoe County was not far behind with a rate of 1,211 cases per 100,000 people the second-highest in the state. Both are significantly above the state average of 840cases per 100,000 people.

Coronavirus: 5 important COVID-19 stats that everyone should know

The spike in cases is part of a COVID-19 resurgence that started in September. The increase coincided with the beginning of school as well as the continued easing of tougher restrictions on businesses statewide.

The impact of the surge is being reflected by the number of available hospital beds in Washoe County. At the end of August, 64% of staffed hospital beds and 45% of ICU beds were occupied, according to the Nevada Hospital Association. By November 4, hospital occupancy jumped to 88% for staffed beds and 60% for ICU beds. Ventilator use in hospitals, meanwhile, rose sharply within the last week from 20% on Nov. 4 to 27% by Nov. 11.

Back-up hospital beds are seen in the parking garage at the Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno on Nov. 11, 2020.(Photo: JASON BEAN)

Although the statewide occupancy rate for staffed beds was at 78% as of Nov. 11, Carson and Washoe continue to exceed the average for Nevada.

Carson reported the highest occupancy rate at 87% followed by Washoe at 85%. The ICU occupancy rate for Carson City is especially concerning. While Clark and Washoe reported 66% and 65% occupancy respectively for ICU beds, Carson was at 83%.The occupancy rate includes all patients, not just those with COVID-19.

Carson Citys surge has led to more patients showing up at Carson-Tahoe Regional Medical Center.

We have far more COVID-19 patients in the hospital now than we did in the spring and summer, Fink said.

Anthony Slonim, president and CEO of Renown Health, described the situation as serious during Sisolaks Tuesday press conference. Should the current pace of infections continue, the communitys health care system will end up being overwhelmed, Slonim warned.

People are being hospitalized and dying at higher rates than before, Slonim said. I am very, very concerned.

This is new, Slonim added. Were unable to keep pace with the virus in the way that it is currently presenting itself in the community.

In response to the surge in COVID-19 cases, Renown Regional Medical Center is working to open the alternate care site it built in a nearby parking garage earlier this year.

The deployable medical structure can accommodate up to 1,600 additional beds should a continued surge in COVID-19 cases overwhelm existing capacity. Its the second time that Renown has set up the emergency site, which ended up not being used the first time. The move was described as a precautionary measure by Dr. Paul Sierzenski, chief medical officer of Renowns acute care division.

Right now, we havent activated our alternate care site, Sierzenski said. The simple fact of the matter is that we are preparing as best as we can to be able to care for the community, whether it be COVID, a heart attack, stroke or a patient needs surgery.

A temporary deployable medical structure is seen being erected at the Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno on Nov. 11, 2020.(Photo: JASON BEAN)

Sierzenskis comment strikes at the heart of the matter as to why hospital capacity is a big deal in the midst of the pandemic. COVID-19 does not only affect the number of available beds for those with coronavirus, it also creates competition for space with other patients who need care for non-COVID-19 emergencies, such as cardiovascular health events or serious accidents.

Pandemic: When will a COVID-19 vaccine be available? Will it be safe, effective?

At the Reno VA hospital, three surgeries that required an inpatient stay were rescheduled this week amid concerns about their impact on available patient beds. The hospital cited an increase in COVID-19 patients. The VAs medical-surgery unit is at 65% capacity while its ICU and COVID-19 isolation units are at 75% and 63% capacity.

One month ago, we had zero COVID patients, Glenna Smith, spokeswoman for the VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System, said on Wednesday. Today, were at 12 COVID-positive patients.

Carson-Tahoe Regional Medical Center, which is running at about 80% to 90% capacity, is also rescheduling some procedures after it decided to curtail certain surgeries during the previous week. Carson-Tahoe typically runs at high capacity during the winter months but COVID-19 is further adding to the hospitals already busy workload.

Last week, we had some capacity issues, Fink said.

We havent had to expand into our surge capacity that we planned for and were still able to maintain a normal hospital situation. Were taking a look at that in the next week or so and see.

Carson-Tahoe could surge over 300 additional beds, which while manageable also comes with challenges, Fink added.

Dr. Richard Bryan, chief medical officer for Saint Marys Health Network, agreed.

In response to what Bryan described as a fairly dramatic increase in COVID-19 patients in the last few weeks, Saint Marys Regional Medical Center has moved patients within the hospital to basically create an isolation unit. Although the medical centers contingency plans allow for significant surge capacity by using its parking lot should the spike in cases continue,adding beds is just one part of the equation when dealing with an influx of patients.

A lot of surge capacity has to do not just with physical beds but the staff, Bryan said. Its one thing to generate 100 extra beds but if you dont have staff, thats meaningless.

As the people working on the front lines of the COVID-19 wave, health care staff have paid a high price since the pandemic started.

There have been nearly 259,000 infections as well as 1,700 deaths among U.S. health care workers as of Sept. 16, according to a report by the National Nurses United union. In addition to the personal cost, COVID-19 infections among health care workers are also affecting how hospitals are able to respond to the threat of the pandemic.

We are working around the clock to provide care that is becoming increasingly difficult, Renowns Slonim said.

The Reno VA hospital has seen the deadly impact of the coronavirus on staff firsthand, with three employees dying from the virus this year. Two were health care workers nurse Vianna Thompson and medical technician Alex Gousev.The hospital, which also serves patients from Northern California, currently has four nurses from another VA site working in Reno for the next couple of weeks to help with staffing.

COVID-19: Reno nurse dies of coronavirus at VA hospital where she cared for patients

We have deployed fourteen two-week missions, primarily nursing staff, during the last year to assist VA and private sector nursing homes and hospitals throughout the US, Smith said. (We are) proud of our staffs resilience and professionalism every day.

One difference from the beginning of the pandemic is that all hospitals reported having sufficient amounts of personal protective equipment this time around. One of the big challenges earlier this year for hospitals nationwide was the lack of PPE such as N95 masks. The shortage was cited by Renown as a key reason for suspending elective surgeries earlier this year.

At the same time, PPE supplies could become an issue once again if the current surge in COVID-19 cases continues, according to Fink of Carson-Tahoe.

The (national) supply chain was destabilized in the beginning of the pandemic and we still havent normalized our restocking mechanisms, Fink said. We dont expect them to be back in play until late 2021, so its taking a long time to get everything back to where it was.

Even with hospitals enacting stricter protocols in their facilities to prevent health care workers from getting infected by patients, those efforts do not prevent infections from the community when members of the staff leave work and go out to buy groceries or do their errands. This makes following basic, common-sense actions very important, all hospital representatives agreed. Such measures include staying at home as much as possible, hand-washing, minimizing social gatherings, and wearing a mask and observing social distancing when going out.

Yes we have PPE (for our health care workers) but the community spread is so wide at this point that everybody, including health care workers, has a high risk for exposure, Mnatsakanyan said. We encourage the community to follow the governors recommendations and take it very seriously because at this point, its more important than ever to do so.

Jason Hidalgo covers businessand technology for the Reno Gazette Journal, and also reviews the latest video games. Follow him on Twitter @jasonhidalgo. Like this content?Support local journalism with anRGJ digital subscription.

Read or Share this story: https://www.rgj.com/story/news/2020/11/13/covid-updates-nevada-reno-hospitals-overwhelmed-virus-spread/6271909002/

Originally posted here:

Reno area hospitals on the verge of being overwhelmed by COVID-19 surge - Reno Gazette Journal

COVID-19 pneumonia and the appropriate use of antibiotics  The Lancet

Continued here:

COVID-19 pneumonia and the appropriate use of antibiotics - The Lancet

This week, a 23-year-old man who'd returned from traveling to the US tested positive while he was quarantining. The man, who'd flown back to Vanuatu on November 4, was asymptomatic, Vanuatu's health ministry said Tuesday.

"Physical distancing and personal protection measures were applied and maintained during the flight, throughout the arrival process, during transport to and during registration at the quarantine facility," the ministry said in a news release.

The man will remain in isolation until health clearance is given, the ministry said.

Vanuatu, a country of nearly 300,000, had avoided recording any Covid-19 cases. It likely avoided the virus because of its remote location -- it's over 1,000 miles from Australia, its largest neighbor -- and because it's made up of several smaller, unconnected islands.

The country's next stage, if a cluster of cases are recorded, will include travel restrictions between islands and the use of masks for people with Covid-19 symptoms.

Visit link:

A small Pacific island nation recorded its first Covid-19 case in a man who visited the US - CNN

News Release

Monday, November 9, 2020

A National Institutes of Health clinical trial evaluating the safety and effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of adults with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has formally concluded that the drug provides no clinical benefit to hospitalized patients. Though found not to cause harm, early findings in June when the trial was stopped indicated that the drug was not improving outcomes in COVID-19 patients. Final data and analyses of the trial, which was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of NIH, will appear online Nov. 9 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The trial, called Outcomes Related to COVID-19 treated with Hydroxychloroquine among Inpatients with symptomatic Disease (ORCHID), began after lab studies and preliminary reports suggested that hydroxychloroquine commonly used to treat malaria and rheumatic conditions like arthritis might have promise in treating SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The Prevention and Early Treatment of Acute Lung Injury (PETAL) Clinical Trials Network of NHLBI started the trial in April at 34 hospitals across the United States and enrolled 479 of the expected 510 patients. By June, preliminary evidence indicated hydroxychloroquine was unlikely to offer any benefit.

NIH officials said the careful design, implementation, and oversight of the study was key to its results, as well as the recommendation by a data and safety monitoring board (DSMB) to stop the trial early.

Having a rigorously designed clinical trial that captured patient-centered, clinically meaningful outcomes was critical to reaching the unequivocal conclusions about the use of hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19. ORCHID shows that hydroxychloroquine does not improve clinical outcomes in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, said James P. Kiley, Ph.D., director, Division of Lung Diseases at NHLBI. We hope this clear result will help practitioners make informed treatment decisions and researchers continue their efforts pursuing other possible safe and effective treatments for patients suffering with this disease.

The ORCHID trial enrolled participants between April 2 and June 19 who were a median age of 57. They included 290 Hispanic and Black participants and 212 female participants. All participants received clinical care as indicated for their condition. Participants were randomly assigned to a treatment group and received 10 doses of either hydroxychloroquine or a placebo over five days. Researchers then assessed each patients clinical status 14 days after being assigned to a treatment group. They used a seven-category scale ranging from one (death) to seven (discharged from the hospital and able to perform normal activities). Researchers also measured 12 additional outcomes, including death that occurred 28 days after the participants assignment to a treatment group.

At day 14, those who received hydroxychloroquine and those who received a placebo had a similar health status, with most participants in both groups discharged from the hospital and able to perform a range of activities. The number of participants in both treatment groups who died at day 14 was also similar. At day 28, 25 of 241 patients in the hydroxychloroquine group and 25 of 236 patients in the placebo group had died.

The finding that hydroxychloroquine is not effective for the treatment of COVID-19 was consistent across patient subgroups and for all evaluated outcomes, including clinical status, mortality, organ failures, duration of oxygen use, and hospital length of stay, said Wesley Self, M.D., M.P.H., emergency medicine physician at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and PETAL Clinical Trials Network investigator who led the ORCHID trial. He also noted that the finding was consistent with similar trials in the United Kingdom and Brazil.

Our diverse teams of clinicians and research staff worked nimbly, under extremely difficult circumstances to accomplish what NIH and the PETAL Network do best: gold standard studies of important questions for patients suffering from life-threatening conditions, said Samuel M. Brown, M.D., M.S., a critical care physician at Intermountain Healthcare and PETAL Network investigator who helped lead the trial. While we hoped that hydroxychloroquine would help, even this is an important result as we work together to find effective treatments for COVID-19.

As of Nov. 2, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported more than 9.1 million cases of COVID-19 and more than 230,000 deaths in the United States. Many other randomized clinical trials are currently evaluating the effectiveness and safety of other agents versus a placebo in the urgent race for effective therapies to treat COVID-19.

The ORCHID trial was funded by NIH/NHLBI grants 3 U01 HL123009-06S1, U01HL123009, U01HL122998, U01HL123018, U01HL123023, U01HL123008, U01HL123031, U01HL123004, U01HL123027, U01HL123010, U01HL123033, U01HL122989, U01HL123022, and U01HL123020. Additionally, the research was supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences Awards UL1TR001102 and UL1TR002541.

About the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI):NHLBI is the global leader in conducting and supporting research in heart, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders that advances scientific knowledge, improves public health, and saves lives. For more information, visit https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

NIHTurning Discovery Into Health

Effect of Hydroxychloroquine on Clinical Status at 14 Days in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19. DOI:10.1001/jama.2020.22240.

###

Continue reading here:

Hydroxychloroquine does not benefit adults hospitalized with COVID-19 - National Institutes of Health