Coronavirus Updates

[Innula Zenovka]

 

[Grandma Bates]

Word just came out from the University System of Georgia, and they will not be stopping face-to-face meeting when students come back from break next week. Rumour has it that a press conference will be held this evening with details. As a side note, one of the big options for Georgia students on spring break is to go on special cruises out of Florida. Good times. Looks like we will have a little epidemiology experiment since all the states around us are shutting down.

On a side note, I recently came across this
Superspreading and the effect of individual variation on disease emergence
which is something we are looking at for a different problem. It occurred to me that the administration's refusal to make testing more widely available will have a long term impact on disease modeling. After these outbreaks there is a lot of research generated to try and understand how infections spread given new travel patterns. The lack of data in the US will make it much harder in the future to adapt and anticipate what will happen with the less lethal diseases that sweep through the population with greater frequency.

The current US presidential administration will be the gift that keeps on giving.

Edit to Add: The University System just changed their minds and are shutting down classes for two weeks all together. Looks like I will have some time on my hands.... Anybody want to build a big honking covid-19 model with me in SL?

 

[Aribeth Zelin]

Word just came out from the University System of Georgia, and they will not be stopping face-to-face meeting when students come back from break next week. Rumour has it that a press conference will be held this evening with details. As a side note, one of the big options for Georgia students on spring break is to go on special cruises out of Florida. Good times. Looks like we will have a little epidemiology experiment since all the states around us are shutting down.

On a side note, I recently came across this
Superspreading and the effect of individual variation on disease emergence
which is something we are looking at for a different problem. It occurred to me that the administration's refusal to make testing more widely available will have a long term impact on disease modeling. After these outbreaks there is a lot of research generated to try and understand how infections spread given new travel patterns. The lack of data in the US will make it much harder in the future to adapt and anticipate what will happen with the less lethal diseases that sweep through the population with greater frequency.

The current US presidential administration will be the gift that keeps on giving.

Yeah, got this from one of my oldest friends, who is working for KSU and working on finishing her phd... so something more to worry about; she's my age, and I don't have to deal with people near as much

 

[Kalel]

* whistles as she slides this in from VVO discord*

 

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

 

[Kara Spengler]

Well, my company just announced telecommuting until April 3.

 

[Salome]

My mother is out trying to restock our usual hurricane supply checklist. All our local supermarkets, pharmacies, and convince stores are sold out of both rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide.

 

[Arilynn]

Published yesterday in the Lancet: Clinical course and risk factors for mortality of adult inpatients with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: a retrospective cohort study
...
Median duration of viral shedding was 20·0 days (IQR 17·0–24·0) in survivors, but SARS-CoV-2 was detectable until death in non-survivors. The longest observed duration of viral shedding in survivors was 37 days.
...
For survivors, the median duration of viral shedding was 20·0 days (IQR 17·0–24·0) from illness onset, but the virus was continuously detectable until death in non-survivors. The shortest observed duration of viral shedding among survivors was 8 days, whereas the longest was 37 days. Among 29 patients who received lopinavir/ritonavir and were discharged, the median time from illness onset to initiation of antiviral treatment was 14·0 days (IQR 10·0–17·0) and the median duration of viral shedding was 22·0 days (18·0–24·0). The median duration of viral shedding was 19·0 days (17·0–22·0) in patients with severe disease status and 24·0 days (22·0–30·0) in patients with critical disease status.
...

14-day quarantines? Policy needs to catch up to science right now.

 

[OrinB]

Published yesterday in the Lancet: Clinical course and risk factors for mortality of adult inpatients with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: a retrospective cohort study
...
Median duration of viral shedding was 20·0 days (IQR 17·0–24·0) in survivors, but SARS-CoV-2 was detectable until death in non-survivors. The longest observed duration of viral shedding in survivors was 37 days.
...
For survivors, the median duration of viral shedding was 20·0 days (IQR 17·0–24·0) from illness onset, but the virus was continuously detectable until death in non-survivors. The shortest observed duration of viral shedding among survivors was 8 days, whereas the longest was 37 days. Among 29 patients who received lopinavir/ritonavir and were discharged, the median time from illness onset to initiation of antiviral treatment was 14·0 days (IQR 10·0–17·0) and the median duration of viral shedding was 22·0 days (18·0–24·0). The median duration of viral shedding was 19·0 days (17·0–22·0) in patients with severe disease status and 24·0 days (22·0–30·0) in patients with critical disease status.
...

14-day quarantines? Policy needs to catch up to science right now.

So they’ve been trying anti HIV combination therapy Protease Inhibitors to treat these viruses? As these work to stop the replication process of the virus, I’m guessing they can work on other viruses as well as HIV? Interesting to see how that works out!

 

[Kalel]

Miami Florida is in full panic mode today as we have our official first discovered case.. Our mayor is on tv using his powers to cancel large scale events. They suspended the opening of the youth fair, Miami 5k run, Open tennis tournament, Nascar and canceling all concerts at the miami arena and hard rock stadium til the end of the month... Rumors is schools may also be closed next week.. some bigger companies like NBC is already working from home til april. Nightclubs are also shutting down. small events are still going on but less people are expected to attend... tourism is our main source of income so you can imagine the millions we are losing. They still trying to figure out how to keep the cruise Business afloat.

 

[Aribeth Zelin]

Miami Florida is in full panic mode today as we have our official first discovered case.. Our mayor is on tv using his powers to cancel large scale events. They suspended the opening of the youth fair, Miami 5k run, Open tennis tournament, Nascar and canceling all concerts at the miami arena and hard rock stadium til the end of the month... Rumors is schools may also be closed next week.. some bigger companies like NBC is already working from home til april. small events are still going on but less people are expected to attend... tourism is our main source of income so you can imagine the millions we are losing. They still trying to figure out how to keep the cruise Business afloat.

To my knowledge, we've had -one- case here, and it was actually next county over, just treated here...

 

[Salome]

They suspended the opening of the youth fair,

Obviously, all the other cancellations we’ve been seeing are huge, but this just made me say “wow” aloud. The DCYF being suspended blows my mind.

 

[Kalel]

Obviously, all the other cancellations we’ve been seeing are huge, but this just made me say “wow” aloud. The DCYF being suspended blows my mind.

“This is the first time in the Fair’s 69-year history that The Youth Fair has been postponed, and we are extremely regretful for the impact it will have on the youth of our community – the 600,000 guests who flock to the Youth Fair each year, the 63,000 students whose school projects are already set up for display at the Youth Fair and the high school seniors and other students who the fair funds with college scholarships and prizes from the proceeds of the Youth Fair,” Cora said.

“We will be reassessing the situation in the coming weeks and will make announcements as decisions are finalized.”

To my knowledge, we've had -one- case here, and it was actually next county over, just treated here...

I think thats a different from the cases that popped up over last night and different form the guy who flew from NY to MIA. either way today they chose to announce everything.

First Coronavirus Case Confirmed in Miami-Dade

A 56-year-old Miami-Dade man who traveled outside Florida has become the county's first resident to contract COVID-19.

www.miaminewtimes.com

i even got a email from Miami dade transit authority..

http://view.info.miamidade.gov/?qs=3521676ae4f73c3e8e5ec58ebf997eedac70408f7a3f6efec003fdaf98352c740a2049ffaf4d146f7981df2cb6538dc1fcb3491abcd2c3d50a22245f02a12b867a88d7fefb17b624e945c5d33fc8a524

Message from the mayor:

Statement from Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez on cancellation of mass gatherings

www.miamidade.gov

 

[Arilynn]

So they’ve been trying anti HIV combination therapy Protease Inhibitors to treat these viruses? As these work to stop the replication process of the virus, I’m guessing they can work on other viruses as well as HIV? Interesting to see how that works out!

From pharmaceutical-technology.com: AbbVie to test HIV drug for Covid-19 treatment

AbbVie has announced plans to evaluate HIV medicine Kaletra / Aluvia (lopinavir / ritonavir) as Covid-19 treatment.

The company entered into partnerships with health authorities and institutions in various countries to investigate the efficacy and antiviral activity of the medication.

Furthermore, the company is aiding in clinical studies and basic research of lopinavir / ritonavir.
...
——-

And in other Rx news, from the Military Times: Army signs agreement with drug giant Gilead on experimental COVID-19 treatment

U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command has signed an arrangement with Gilead Sciences to provide the company’s investigational coronavirus drug to U.S. troops confirmed to have the COVID-19 virus.

Gilead’s medication, remdesivir, was approved for clinical research in February by the Food and Drug Administration. The medication, which initially was developed by the Foster City, California-based company to treat Ebola, has had some demonstrated success targeting coronaviruses, including Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, SARS.

The medicine, given intravenously, is currently being tested for safety and effectiveness in two separate clinical trials in China and one by the National Institute of Allergy and Infection Diseases. In the U.S. study, the first volunteer was an evacuee from the Diamond Princess cruise.
...

 

[Salome]

 

[Salome]

 

[Caliandris]

Well, our Prime Minister has been on tv saying "Up to 10,000 probably infected already, soz. No, we're not cancelling football or closing down schools. Afraid some of your loved ones are going to die, sorry about that." They're doing bugger all, and they've stopped testing anyone who isn't already in hospital. It beggars belief.

Meanwhile, the Metro reports that a Telegraph journalist thinks killing off the old and sick would be a good thing for the economy. Yeah, he really thinks like that. So, yeah, that's happening.

According to something that flashed up on my phone this morning, but which I can't find now, the Chinese have been experimenting with mega dose vitamin C for treatment of the critical patients. The short article said that there seemed to be a link between vitamin c status and the severity of the disease. I don't really understand that, as you don't store vitamin C in the body and have to take a daily dose, but it does make me wonder if this may account for the difference in its effect between the different ages, as older people don't absorb nutrients as well, and children's drinks and foods are very often fortified with vitamins.

My parcel of elderberries has gone astray and is now out of stock, and many of the other things are out of stock at my local Tesco. No paracetamol, no disinfectant, limited allowances of pasta, tins, bleach, all sorts of things.

Meanwhile, large gatherings continue, and locally the racecourse has several large indoor events planned for March. Everyone is carrying on carrying on. No one is wearing a mask. No one is staying away from the shops etc.

 

[danielravennest]

It occurs to me that having huge numbers of people staying home 24/7 indefinitely, we could see some strains on areas where electrical black/brownouts happen. If you live in one of those areas, you should add some extra supplies like flashlights, etc to your safety kits.

Peak electric demand is typically when people get home from work and prepare dinner. If they are home all the time, the evening load will be spread out more, because they are not all getting home in the same few hours after work. They will draw more power during the daytime, but conversely many businesses will be using less, so it will even out.

 

[Veritable Quandry]

Ohio has just closed all schools until April 3rd and banned all gatherings of 100 people or more.

 

[danielravennest]

They still trying to figure out how to keep the cruise Business afloat.

The ships will keep floating just fine. They just won't be going anywhere.