Category: Covid-19

FLINT, MI A Genesee County district courtroom was closed this week to allow for disinfecting following the discovery that a judge and his staff had been potentially exposed to COVID-19.

District Judge Herman Marable Jr. told MLive-The Flint Journal Thursday, Oct. 1, that a litigant who appeared before the court Sept. 22 had tested positive for the virus.

On Sept. 29, Marable received a phone call from the court administrator.

She told me that she had been contacted by the health department, Marable said.

The district court administrator as well as the Genesee County health director could not immediately be reached for comment.

It was reported Sept. 22 that six health department employees were in quarantine after one of them had tested positive for COVID-19.

The health department and district court share space within the McCree Health and Human Services Building.

Marable said he has not been made aware of the infected persons identity due to privacy laws.

I pray that he or she have a speedy recovery, he commented, expressing some disappointment at missing a fundraiser Thursday night for his election run to fill a 7th Circuit Court seat. We are reminded once again that many in Genesee County have suffered and died from COVID, and that this horrible virus continues to impact our families and our society.

Marable noted he and his court recorder have been tested and were negative for the virus.

We are feeling fine, and we have not had any symptoms, he said. I am thankful for the negative test result, and we look forward to returning to work next week when officials allow the re-opening of my courtroom.

The courts had been closed for several months due to the ongoing pandemic, with jury trials just starting back up a little more than two weeks ago.

RELATED: Jury trials resume in Genesee County with COVID-19 safety measures in place

Restrictions remain in place such as the number of people allowed in courtrooms as well as plastic screens put up, required use of masks and social distancing.

Marable thanked his staff and fellow judges for their continued work amid the current situation.

He expects his courtroom to reopen early next week, but Marable expressed some uneasiness with the situation that has unfolded.

The courts were closed for almost 100 days and were not in control of the virus, he said. I dont know what the future is going to hold in terms of what happens. They say the numbers are creeping up. We have to make sure that we protect the public and the staff.

Figures from the Genesee County Health Departments website on COVID-19 cases in the area show a total of 3,961 confirmed cases and 281 deaths.

The seven-day average for Genesee County shows 41 COVID-19 cases each day, up from 29 cases each day the prior week. The most recent COVID-19 death for the county was reported on Sept. 8.

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Possible COVID-19 exposure leads to temporary closure of Genesee County courtroom - MLive.com

Tens of thousands of airline workers to lose jobs as COVID-19 benefits run dry  KOMO News

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Tens of thousands of airline workers to lose jobs as COVID-19 benefits run dry - KOMO News

COVID-19 clusters in Lane County traced to weddings, back to school party - and strip club  KVAL

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COVID-19 clusters in Lane County traced to weddings, back to school party - and strip club - KVAL

The worldwide death toll from the coronavirus pandemic has eclipsed 1 million. The milestone recorded by Johns Hopkins University comes more than nine months into a crisis that has forced multitudes to change the way they live, learn and work. (Sept. 28) AP Domestic

Shasta Countys reopening efforts are likely to take a hit owingto a surge in positive COVID-19 cases driven by college-aged students.

While 96 people in their 20s have tested positive since Sept. 18, Redding's two accredited colleges,Shasta College and Simpson University, have told the Record Searchlight they have had a combined eight cases since the schools started in mid-August and inearly September, respectively.

While public health spokeswoman Kerri Schuette said cases at Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry would be counted among those "associated with college students," Bethel initially declined to say if any of its students have been infected with the coronavirus.

In a news release Thursday afternoon, Bethel spokesman AaronTesauro said the church recognizes the community is at risk of additional restrictions due to the increase in cases,has been talking almost daily to public health officials and is taking steps to safeguard the community.

But in a followup email early Thursday evening, Bethel acknowledged that "aportion of the new cases in Shasta County have been amongst our students and staff, so we are taking swift action under the guidance of Public Health to minimize additional spread."

The email did not specify how many students and staff have been infected.

A sign at the entrance of Whiskeytown National Recreation Area tells visitors to social distance due to coronavirus concerns on Friday, April 24, 2020.(Photo: Matthew Brannon/Record Searchlight)

Bethel is asking anyone with symptoms or who has come in close contact with somebody who has COVID-19 to quarantine as specified by theCenters for Disease Control guidelines.

"This has led to a large number of people staying home as a precaution," the evening release said.

News: Here's how to get the flu shot outdoors and for free this year

In addition, Bethel will cancel its Oct. 4 and Oct. 11 in-person church services that havebeen held outdoors on itsbaseball field.

And starting Monday, the School of Supernatural Ministry will pivot to online instruction and the school will ask employees who can do so to work remotely. Those who can't,can come on campus, but must social distance and wear face coverings, Tesauro said.

Bethel officials did not say when in-person instruction would resume.

Schuette said the county expects its risk designation in the eyes of the state tomove from "moderate" to "substantial" next week.

We expect to be in the 'red'come next week. We are planning for that, Schuette said.

That means bars and breweries would be forced to close again. Restaurants, movie theaters and places of worship would have to scale back their operations.

The Shasta County Health and Human Services Public Health branch on Sunday, April 5, 2020.(Photo: Matthew Brannon/Record Searchlight)

Meanwhile, both Simpson University and Shasta College have kept their COVID-19 cases low employing different learning strategies. Simpson resumed in-person instruction when school started in September. Shasta College students are doing online instruction and will continue that in the spring.

Bethel has said its School of Supernatural Ministry accepted fewer students for its 2020-2021 academic school year and will be operating at 70% capacity due to the coronavirus pandemic from 2,300 students last year to 1,600 this year.

News: Shasta County COVID updates: 33 more cases reported, with many new patients in their 20s or younger

Tesauro also said that students were required to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival and take aCOVID-19 test prior to beginning school. While on campus or in rooms where six feet of distancing isn't possible, all students will berequired to wear face coverings, according to Tesauro.

In addition, Bethel said it's working with public health officials to start a second round of testing for students and staff, Thursday's news release said.

Schuette said preventing an outbreak among college students is challenging because they often live together and work in businesses around the community.

Many of us used to be in college and we know what it was like to go to school and work to make ends meet, she said. Youre living with a bunch of people to save money. ... If somebody is sick with COVID and continues to do all those things, they are exposing a lot of people and that creates and exponential problem.

To date, local health officials have not identified the schools where positive coronavirus cases have been confirmed.

But in many cases when there has been a case at a school, the school itself has sent out communications to the students, staff members and sometimes the community, Schuette said.

Mark Endraske, Simpsons dean of students who also leads the schools COVID task force, met with public health officials and he was told the universitys low number of cases is due to good planning and its work with health officials, spokeswoman Candace Brown said.

News: As COVID-19 cases rise, 3 Shasta high schools won't fully restart in-person classes

Brown said the five cases are Shasta County residents who commute to campus.

"We are encouraged by the support and know that continuedcare and attention will be necessary for our COVID response so that we finish the semester well," Endraske said in a statement.

As an extra precaution, students who go home for the Thanksgiving break will be asked to stay home and finish their course work remotely, Brown said.

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David Benda covers business, development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly "Buzz on the Street" column.Hes part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, coverbreaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 1-530-225-8219. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.

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COVID-19 case spike in college-aged students partially attributed to Bethel - Record Searchlight

But what is now clear is that the policy was about politics and economics more than public health.

Public health records, scores of scientific studies and interviews with more than two dozen experts show the policy of unobstructed travel was never based on hard science. It was a political decision, recast as health advice, which emerged after a plague outbreak in India in the 1990s. By the time Covid-19 surfaced, it had become an article of faith.

Its part of the religion of global health: Travel and trade restrictions are bad, said Lawrence O. Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University who helped write the global rules known as the International Health Regulations. Im one of the congregants.

Covid-19 has shattered that faith. Before the pandemic, a few studies had demonstrated that travel restrictions delayed, but did not stop, the spread of SARS, pandemic flu and Ebola. Most, however, were based on mathematical models. No one had collected real-world data. The effect of travel restrictions on the spread of the latest coronavirus is still not understood.

Anyone who is truthful is going to tell you its a big fat We dont know, said Prof. Keiji Fukuda, a former senior World Health Organization official who teaches at the University of Hong Kong.

Not knowing is especially vexing as the world seeks a way back to normalcy. For months, national leaders have invoked travel restrictions that vary in strictness and are often contradictory. Some shut their borders and simultaneously imposed domestic lockdowns, others required tests and quarantines. Many regularly revised their lists of risky destinations, sometimes responding tit for tat when their citizens were denied entry.

The restrictions have humbled powerful nations like the United States, whose citizens are no longer welcome across most of the world. Even so, President Trump has called his travel restrictions the biggest decision we made so far and attacked the W.H.O.s early advice on borders as disastrous.

Still, it is too soon to know, based on data and hard science, how much travel restrictions help, and if they do, which restrictions help most. Experts who had defended open borders at the start of the pandemic now say countries should use judicious travel measures. The W.H.O. now calls for a gradual reopening in which each country weighs its own risks.

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Ski, Party, Seed a Pandemic: The Travel Rules That Let Covid-19 Take Flight - The New York Times

It has been two weeks since Governor Gretchen Whitmer last held a news conference addressing the state on the fight against COVID-19.

That doesnt mean major steps havent been taken since. Governor Whitmer signed the state budget, extended the state of emergency and adjusted nursing home restrictions this week.

Theres no question, says Gov. Whitmer, This will not go on forever.

Seven months into the battle against COVID-19 and Whitmer says the end is coming, just not sure when.

Thats why its so critical, as we continue to learn about the virus, that we make changes along the way to keep people safe, says Whitmer.

That includes long term care facilities. On Wednesday her office announced tighter restrictions on where COVID positive residents can be and allowing more freedoms for the healthy.

This has been her most contentious issue, with nearly a third of Michigans COVID deaths coming from these facilities.

I know that there are Republican talking points that Democratic governors have higher rates, says Whitmer, Thats just not true.

Next week, even more changes as public venues and theaters open. This comes as Michigans numbers have stayed steady and not spiked as other segments open up.

Weve pushed our fatality rate low. We have pushed our positivity rate low. Were doing 30,000 tests a day, says Whitmer, Were doing a lot of things that I think make us a leader, however we recognize that its all very precarious. If people just drop their guard, we can heat up like Wisconsin. Right now theyre a national hotspot.

The most recent announcement shows there is non-COVID work to be done still. Thursday she announced a $500 million investment to drastically renovate and secure Michigans water infrastructure.

It will go toward upgrading lead service lines and fixing old sewer systems, so there are a lot of aspects to this that will make drinking water safer for people, says Whitmer, It will help municipalities with their water infrastructure that has been under invested as a state wide issue.

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Gov. Whitmer Talks Nursing Home Changes, Water Investment and COVID-19 - 9&10 News

There could be a lasting impact caused by some of the changes due to the pandemic.

The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic will have a lasting mental health impact that might still be felt in 10 years.

Unlike other tragic events, such as destructive weather, there is no realistic timeline where we know the pandemic will be over.

Also, people tend to come together during those types of events, but social distancing makes it difficult or impossible to socialize.

Michael R Liebowitz, MD, a professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University, explained in an interview withHCPLive, how patients can handle the mental health stress involved in the pandemic and what doctors can do to make the situation easier on patients.

He explained that no matter what the world is going to be different, even when the threat of the virus is subdued. However, things like telehealth could actually be a benefit for many patients that lasts beyond the pandemic.

We have no idea how long this is going to last and we dont really have a clear idea of what its going to be like when we come out of this and how much we come out of this, Liebowitz said. There are some potential benefits that could come out of this as well.

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Michael Liebowitz, MD: Forecasting How COVID-19 Will Effect the Future of Mental Health - MD Magazine

Positive coronavirus tests could reveal a persons infectiousness, too.

By Robert F. ServiceSep. 29, 2020 , 3:15 PM

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

Ever since the coronavirus pandemic began, battles have raged over testing: Which tests should be given, to whom, and how often? Now, epidemiologists and public health experts are opening a new debate. They say testing centers should report not just whether a person is positive, but also a number known as the cycle threshold (CT) value, which indicates how much virus an infected person harbors.

Advocates point to new research indicating that CT values could help doctors flag patients at high risk for serious disease. Recent findings also suggest the numbers could help officials determine who is infectious and should therefore be isolated and have their contacts tracked down. CT value is an imperfect measure, advocates concede. But whether to add it to test results is one of the most pressing questions out there, says Michael Mina, a physician and epidemiologist at Harvard Universitys T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Standard tests identify SARS-CoV-2 infections by isolating and amplifying viral RNA using a procedure known as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which relies on multiple cycles of amplification to produce a detectable amount of RNA. The CT value is the number of cycles necessary to spot the virus; PCR machines stop running at that point. If a positive signal isnt seen after 37 to 40 cycles, the test is negative. But samples that turn out positive can start out with vastly different amounts of virus, for which the CT value provides an inverse measure. A test that registers a positive result after 12 rounds, for a CT value of 12, starts out with more than 10 million times as much viral genetic material as a sample with a CT value of 35.

But the same sample can give different CT values on different testing machines, and different swabs from the same person can give different results. The CT value isnt an absolute scale, says Marta Gaglia, a virologist at Tufts University. That makes many clinicians wary, Mina says. Clinicians are cautious by nature, Mina says. They say, If we cant rely on it, its not reliable. In an August letter in Clinical Infectious Diseases, members of the College of American Pathologists urged caution in interpreting CT values.

Nevertheless, Mina, Gaglia, and others argue that knowing whether CT values are high or low can be highly informative. Even with all the imperfections, knowing the viral load can be extremely powerful, Mina says.

Early studies showed that patients in the first days of infection have CT values below 30, and often below 20, indicating a high level of virus; as the body clears the coronavirus, CT values rise gradually. More recent studies have shown that a higher viral load can profoundly impact a persons contagiousness and reflect the severity of disease.

In a study published this week in Clinical Infectious Diseases, researchers led by Bernard La Scola, an infectious diseases expert at IHU-Mditerrane Infection, examined 3790 positive samples with known CT values to see whether they harbored viable virus, indicating the patients were likely infectious. La Scola and his colleagues found that 70% of samples with CT values of 25 or below could be cultured, compared with less than 3% of the cases with CT values above 35. Its fair to say that having a higher viral load is associated with being more infectious, says Monica Gandhi, an infectious diseases specialist at the University of California, San Francisco.

Conversely, people often test positive for weeks or even months after they recover but have high CT values, suggesting the PCR has identified genetic material from noninfectious viral debris. Current guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization, which call for patients to isolate themselves for 10 days after onset of symptoms, recognize they are not likely to be infectious after that period. But Mina and others say the recent findings also suggest that a patient who has undergone multiple tests with high CT values is likely at the tail end of their infection and need not isolate themselves. He adds that contact tracers should triage their efforts based on CT values. If 100 files land on my desk [as a contact tracer], I will prioritize the highest viral loads first, because they are the most infectious, Mina says.

Broad access to CT values could also help epidemiologists track outbreaks, Mina says. If researchers see many low CT values, they could conclude an outbreak is expanding. But if nearly all CT values are high, an outbreak is likely waning. We have to stop thinking of people as positive or negative, and ask how positive? Mina says.

CT values could also help clinicians flag patients most at risk for severe disease and death. A report in June from researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine found that among 678 hospitalized patients, 35% of those with a CT value of 25 or less died, compared with 17.6% with a CT value of 25 to 30 and 6.2% with a CT value above 30. In August, researchers in Brazil found that among 875 patients, those with a CT value of 25 or below were more likely to have severe disease or die.

Gandhi agrees that having access to CT values could help clinicians identify people at high risk for developing symptoms. Nevertheless, she and others note that a high viral load doesnt necessarily lead to disease; some 40% of people who contract SARS-CoV-2 stay healthy even though they have a similar amount of virus to patients who fall ill. As a physician, having the CT value is not the only thing I will use to diagnose and track patients, says Chanu Rhee, a hospital epidemiologist at Brigham and Womens Hospital. But I do still find it helpful.

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One number could help reveal how infectious a COVID-19 patient is. Should test results include it? - Science Magazine

Ms. Franklins case of Covid-19 was more moderate than her sisters. But she still deteriorated quickly, to the point where she could no longer reach the bathroom without assistance. I was so weak, I couldnt balance myself, she said.

Her physical symptoms havent been the only hardship. Ms. Franklin, who is overweight, said she had been irritated by incessant messaging in news reports blaming illnesses like hers on excess fat.

The way they were saying it is that because youre obese and didnt take care of yourself, youll get this disease, Ms. Franklin said. I feel like that was unfair.

Even medical professionals show bias when caring for patients with excess weight, said Dr. Benjamin Singer, a pulmonologist at the University of Michigan and an author on a recent review of obesitys influence on immunity. Studies have shown that doctors tend to be more dismissive of patients with obesity and may brush off worrisome symptoms as irrelevant side effects of their weight. Drug dosages and diagnostic machines are also often incompatible with patients carrying excess weight, making it difficult to tailor treatments. Such interactions can be a powerful disincentive to some of the people who most need care.

These are not easy conversations, said Dr. Kanakadurga Singer, a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of Michigan. (She and Dr. Benjamin Singer are married.) Not everyone who weighs more than average is unwell, she said. Its more than just the numbers, and its not just the weight we should focus on.

In St. Louis County, Ms. McCloud and Ms. Franklin have recovered well, though both sisters still grapple with lingering symptoms. Ms. McCloud has occasional fatigue and an intermittent cough. I cant talk like I did before, she said. Ms. Franklins headaches never disappeared, and her mind now feels constantly clouded by a fog.

Both women have worried about their sons, who also developed Covid-19. Chris McCloud, a teacher, was like his mother put on a ventilator, and spent several weeks in the hospital shortly before Ms. McCloud fell ill. He was overweight as well.

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Studies Begin to Untangle Obesitys Role in Covid-19 - The New York Times

By Joel Goldberg, Annalise PasztorSep. 29, 2020 , 12:00 PM

As India is becoming the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, anxiety about the disease has at times descended into violence against the sick, and even health care workers. The problem isnt limited to Indiapeople in countries from Nepal to Mexico to Italy have stigmatized individuals connected to COVID-19, making it harder for them to go about their daily lives and get much-needed care. And such ostracism isnt new: Societies have spurned people with leprosy for ages, as far back as ancient Hindu texts, which proscribed marriage into families that had a member with the disease. In a new story in Science, journalist Vaishnavi Chandrashekhar discusses the history of disease stigmafrom leprosy, to plague, to HIV/AIDSand how its vitriol and isolation can create a vicious cycle of disease.

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How stigmatizing diseasefrom COVID-19 to HIVcreates a vicious cycle of sickness - Science Magazine