Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[viper37]

Considering that you are attributing the difference to the health care systems and at will employment, why do you think that the rest of Canada is so bad?

For Ontario we have really crappy old age care. From may but I assume still relevant https://torontosun.com/news/provincial/ontario-deaths-from-covid-19-concentrated-in-those-above-80

just a little more than 200 deaths from the coronavirus across the province had occurred outside of long-term care facilities or retirement homes.

On Wednesday, the province reported 1,429 deaths from COVID-19. Of those deaths, 152 had occurred in retirement homes and 1,074 in long-term care facilities. That leaves just 203 in the wider community between the end of January when the first cases appeared and May 6 when these numbers were reported.

New study confirms the problem in Ontario and Quebec was nursing homes and poor regulation in those provinces

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-new-data-show-canada-ranks-among-worlds-worst-for-ltc-deaths/

But it was actually Ontario and Quebec's failure to enact safeguards for seniors' facilities at the outset of the crisis – such as broad testing, mandatory use of personal protective equipment and the isolation of infected residents – that seemed to doom the sector, the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) found.

"Those countries that layered on more mandatory prevention measures [in long-term care], along with their stay-at-home orders and their closure of public places, have done better," said Tracy Johnson, CIHI's director of health systems analysis and emerging issues. "They've had fewer COVID-19 infections and fewer deaths in long-term care."

So that explains the difference with BC as we acted quickly to do that.

mandatory use of PPE was always there.  The equipment was also available.  But people did not use it and kept complaining they didn't have PPEs.  The Health Minister had to go on tv saying they should e-mail her directly if they were told no PPE was available for their establishment.

But that's Montreal for you.  Always a mess in governance, no matter what, no matter where.  And people never really listened to govt directives, even throwing "covid" parties in early May.

Outside of Montreal, there were few LTCs hit, and among those hit, you'd see nowhere the 50% casualty rates you would see in Montreal.

there are many reforms coming.  The Premier kept his calm in front of the cameras, but you can guess from his interviews that he had to whip a few bureaucrats to get the necessary data.

This is what happens when you left a Liberal party in command for so long.  The Federal didn't help either, by keeping the border unprotected.  Many undocumented immigrants originating from New York came through Roxham road and simply went to various shelters, likely aggravating the spread of the disease.

Had we had a decent government in power, our casualties would be half what they are now

[viper37]

I don't think this one has been posted:
Link

Since June 15, most of these new cases have come in the South. The ongoing outbreak there is the second-worst regional outbreak that the U.S. has seen so far. Only the springtime calamity that befell the Northeast—which was one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks anywhere in the world, if not the worst—exceeds what is now happening across the Sun Belt.

Ominously, sparks from the Sun Belt outbreak may be landing in other parts of the country and igniting new blazes of infection. Since June 15, Ohio and Missouri have seen their average daily case counts increase by the hundreds. Virginia, which battled the virus in May but has so far escaped this month's surge, has also seen cases rise in the past few days.

[viper37]

Few places can claim to have a higher density of people or high rises than Hong Kong.  We have like 1,200 cases and 6 deaths so far.

You guys were using masks though. In the US or Spain the authorities were telling people masks were useless, because they didn't have enough PPE for frontline workers.

Use masks then.  It isn't that difficult.  These days I can buy a box of 50 masks for like US$20.  They are on sale literally everywhere.  Even clothing stores sell face masks. 

I also notice one thing.  Since using masks, I have not had a cold or sore throat. 

China bought all the masks available in Europe and America while telling the world it was not transmissible from human to human.

Also, I remain convinced physical distancing is more effective than masks.  You guys are used to that stuff, and when people don't listen, they go to jail.

Rules are softer on this point over here.  And lots of people still don't believe this to be a real thing, thanks to Russia and China's propaganda, but also thanks to the stupidity of our population.

[Iormlund]

Madrid has started a project to determine the extent of infection in care homes in the region. So far 70% of care home patients and 30% of staff have tested positive in either PCR or antibody tests.

I find those numbers extremely weird for several reasons. First, such a huge % compared to the general population (I think in Madrid it was 11%?), and the discrepancy between patients and staff.

I'm guessing they started by looking at places they knew were hit badly. Otherwise it would be great fucking news.

[Josephus]

The results are still out.  The southern states are betting that if the virus is allowed to spread uncontrollably in the under 50 population, transmission to older and more vulnerable people can still be constrained. Whether that is true remains to be seen.

Not that many old people in Florida, right?

[Syt]

Ischgl, the major Tyrolean outbreak location from where Covid-19 was exported to much of Europe, did an antibody test of 80% if its population. 42% tested positive for antibodies, with many never knowing that they had been infected.

[mongers]

Major incident declared at Bournemouth beach which is rammed with little to no social distancing (and lockdown's not lifted yet). Also gridlock like a normal summer in Dorset with the roads filled with Grockles

Police are apparently on the beach issuing dispersal orders.

The council said something like 1/2 million people tried to use or get to to the beaches; so today something approaching one whole percent of the UK population decided to visit Bournemouth.

On my way home at 9.45pm I went under the A31, the main road back to London/SE from Bournemouth, it was full of stationary traffic pointing East but going nowhere, so that's likely 20-30 miles of gridlock just to Soton.

And the Salisbury road and the Forest back roads were filling up with googledroids following their smartphones home.

[Richard Hakluyt]

.........and a daytrip to Bournemouth yesterday looked about as much fun as root canal treatment at the dentist 

The human race remains incomprehensible 

[Josquius]

It really does seem we should just cancel all corona restrictions if millions are rushing to the beach on workdays.

I'll never understand some people and their love of horribly hot weather. I was just reading how yesterday had dangerously high uv levels.

[Eddie Teach]

Highs of 70 is considered cool weather here.

[Richard Hakluyt]

It was 33C (91F)  in parts of England yesterday and the houses are built to hold heat in. I'm often worried during a UK heatwave thinking "how am I going to cope in Spain/Italy/Greece?", but when I get there I'm fine.

[celedhring]

27 here today, which is normal temperature for this time of the year.

I'm having friends over tomorrow and they insist on not having the A/C on because of Covid concerns. 

(Which I think are totally unbased? I think the issue is centralized type of A/Cs that circulate in a large area with lots of people?)

[Tamas]

27 here today, which is normal temperature for this time of the year.

I'm having friends over tomorrow and they insist on not having the A/C on because of Covid concerns. 

(Which I think are totally unbased? I think the issue is centralized type of A/Cs that circulate in a large area with lots of people?)

Yeah that sounds silly. I bet your AC just have a went out to the street doesn't it? And you and your friends will infect each other without an AC no problem

[Josquius]

It was 33C (91F)  in parts of England yesterday and the houses are built to hold heat in. I'm often worried during a UK heatwave thinking "how am I going to cope in Spain/Italy/Greece?", but when I get there I'm fine.

I think its a humidity thing too. Without a doubt extreme temperatures in the UK feel far worse than elsewhere, whether its a few degrees below zero vs. -10 in Sweden or positive 30 degrees and Italy.

[The Larch]

Trump won't follow New Jersey quarantine mandate during upcoming trip

(CNN)President Donald Trump will not abide by a new travel advisory in New Jersey requiring a quarantine period for visitors from coronavirus hotspots when he visits his Bedminster golf club this weekend.

"The President of the United States is not a civilian. Anyone who is in close proximity to him, including staff, guests, and press are tested for COVID-19 and confirmed to be negative," White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement.

Trump recently traveled to Arizona, one of the states designated by New Jersey as a hotspot requiring quarantine. The governors of New Jersey, Connecticut and New York announced Wednesday that they would require people who'd been to those states to quarantine for 14 days or face fines.

Deere, however, said the White House followed mitigation plans to prevent contagion during the visit to Arizona on Tuesday and that "anyone traveling in support of the President this weekend will be closely monitored for symptoms and tested for COVID and therefore pose little to no risk to the local populations."

In response, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy told CNN's Erin Burnett on "OutFront" Wednesday evening that "there is a carve out for essential workers, and I think by any definition the President of the United States is an essential worker."

"I think the bigger point here is we want folks to really be responsible in terms of thinking about not just themselves, but their family and their communities," the Democratic governor continued. "And we've beaten this virus down to a pulp in New Jersey with an enormous loss of life. We've been through hell, and we don't want to go through hell again. And that's the spirit that underpins what we're asking folks to do."

Murphy, along with Democratic Govs. Andrew Cuomo of New York and Ned Lamont of Connecticut, said earlier Wednesday the travel advisory applies to anyone coming from a state with a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents over a 7-day rolling average or a state with a 10% or higher positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average.

"We have to make sure the virus doesn't come in on a plane," Cuomo said. "We worked very hard to get the viral transmission rate down, and we don't want to see it go up."

As of Wednesday, the advisory applies to Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah and Texas.
The interstate travel restrictions are just another consequence of the federal government's inability to create a robust national public health infrastructure. The lack of nationwide rules and effective supply chains has largely left each state on its own and had the effect of pitting them against each other.