COVID-19 Report

2020-12-24 08:05:07 Masks Not Enough to Stop COVID-19 Spread Without Social Distancing, Study Finds

Even though common mask materials block most of the droplets that spread SARS-CoV-2, this may not be enough at close distances.

In Physics of Fluids, by AIP Publishing, researchers tested how five different types of mask materials impacted the spread of droplets that carry the coronavirus when we cough or sneeze.

Every material tested dramatically reduced the number of droplets that were spread. But at distances of less than 6 feet, enough droplets to potentially cause illness still made it through several of the materials.

"A mask definitely helps, but if the people are very close to each other, there is still a chance of spreading or contracting the virus," said Krishna Kota, an associate professor at New Mexico State University and one of the article's authors. "It's not just masks that will help. It's both the masks and distancing." @COVID19Up SOURCE Open / Comment

2020-12-24 03:03:51 Inflated COVID-19 Death Counts Could Cause Vaccine Trepidation

According to the CDC, more than 318,000 Americans have died from COVID-19.

But reports are coming to light that suggest state COVID-19 death counts may be inflated, which sows public doubt, confusion and less trust in government.

For example, in Colorado, a county coroner is disputing the state’s official COVID-19 death count, after the state counted two victims of a murder-suicide as fatalities of COVID-19.

According to Grand County Coroner Brenda Brock, “These two people had tested positive for COVID, but that’s not what killed them. The gunshot wound killed them and it’s very misleading for you to put numbers out there saying these people died from COVID when that’s not what they died from.”

Brock added, “I realize yes, you’re trying to keep count of the numbers, but you need to do it right, and these people did not die of COVID, they died of gunshot wounds and that’s how it needs to be listed.”

What’s more, Brock says this problem is a statewide issue. “I got replies back from 80% of the coroners in the state all stating the same thing. They’ve all had the same problems, and these are in small counties, so it’s easy for us to keep track of our numbers,” said Brock.

Unsurprisingly, the problem of overestimating COVID-19 deaths is not limited to Colorado. @COVID19Up SOURCE Open / Comment

2020-12-24 02:03:12 Mistrust of Government is Significant Roadblock to Black American Vaccination Efforts

The rollout of the first approved COVID-19 vaccine this week is raising questions of when the game-changing inoculations will be ready for everyday Americans.

But for communities of color, especially Black communities, that carry a deep-seated mistrust of the government, the question is if they will take the vaccine at all.

The mistrust isn’t surprising. From the early to mid-20th century, tens of thousands of nonwhite women were sterilized by the government.

For four decades, the government ran what is known as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study in the deep South exclusively on Black men. Researchers never received informed consent from the participants, nor offered them treatment for the disease even after penicillin became the main form of treatment for syphilis. The experiment wasn’t stopped until 1972. @COVID19Up SOURCE Open / Comment

2020-12-24 00:08:37 U.S. Strikes $2 Billion Deal With Pfizer for 100 Million Additional COVID-19 Vaccines

The U.S. government will pay Pfizer Inc nearly $2 billion for 100 million additional doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to bolster its supply as the country grapples with a nationwide spike in infections.

Under the new agreement, Pfizer will deliver at least 70 million doses by June 30 and the rest no later than July 31, the company said on Wednesday, bringing the total number of doses to 200 million for a total price of about $4 billion.

The purchase price amounts to $19.50 per shot. @COVID19Up SOURCE Open / Comment

2020-12-23 23:06:20 US Hospitals Forced to Put COVID-19 Sick in Parking Garages, Hallways—and They’re Running Out of Nurses

For months, hospital leaders across the country have sounded the alarm about the pandemic pushing medical facilities to their limits. A surge in infections linked to Thanksgiving has lead to many hospitals running out of room to treat the severest COVID-19 cases, as well as facilities facing a serious staffing shortage.

Hospital officials dread what might happen in January after families board airplanes for the holidays and spend hours gathered around dinner tables or Christmas trees.

In California, many of the state’s hospitals are running out of room, being forced in some cases to treat patients in hallways and lobbies. The state is also desperately searching for 3,000 temporary medical workers to meet demand. State officials are even reaching out to foreign partners in places like Australia and Taiwan amid a shortage of temporary medical workers in the U.S., particularly nurses trained in critical care.

"We’re now in a situation where we have surges all across the country, so nobody has many nurses to spare," said Dr. Janet Coffman, a professor of public policy at the University of California, San Francisco. @COVID19Up SOURCE Open / Comment

2020-12-23 22:48:18 UK Imposes More Lockdowns as Mutated COVID Variant Causes Record Cases

The British government on Wednesday said huge swathes of England would be placed under its strictest COVID-19 restrictions as a highly infectious virus variant sweeps the country, pushing the number of cases to a record level.

Britain reported almost 40,000 new infections as the mutated variant of the coronavirus, which could be up to 70% more transmissible than the original, causes the number of cases and hospital admissions to soar.

The number of recorded deaths—744—was also the highest figure since April.

“Against this backdrop of rising infections, rising hospitalizations and rising numbers of people dying from coronavirus, it is absolutely vital that we act,” health minister Matt Hancock told a media briefing. “We simply cannot have the kind of Christmas that we all yearn for.” @COVID19Up SOURCE Open / Comment

2020-12-23 22:34:39 On China’s COVID-19 Front Line, Not Everyone Wants a Vaccine

As a medical specialist at a public hospital in northeast China, Zhang Quan is at high risk of exposure to the coronavirus.
The 37-year-old gastroenterologist from Anshan, Liaoning province, tries to ward off that danger by wearing masks, washing his hands and taking the coronavirus test at least once a month.

But Zhang is not excited about being on the priority list for a COVID-19 vaccine.

“There have been reports of health workers in the US and Britain having some serious adverse effects,” he said, referring to allergic reactions reported by a number of recipients. “I don’t want to be a lab rat.”

Zhang said it would be better to wait for the results of vaccine trials.

“I haven’t seen any peer-reviewed phase 3 data yet. Besides, China is very strict about epidemic controls and Anshan has not had a case for months. There is time to wait and see,” he said, adding that his opinion was shared by many of his colleagues. @COVID19Up SOURCE Open / Comment

2020-12-23 22:23:55 Health Care Worker in NYC Has Serious Allergic Reaction to COVID-19 Vaccine

Health officials in New York City report that a health care worker who was among the first to receive a COVID-19 vaccination has had a serious adverse reaction.

The patient, who was not identified had a significant allergic reaction and is in stable condition.

Vaccines do have side effects and allergic reactions, health officials caution. They are uncommon but are known to occur. Clinical trials and reports of adverse effects in other jurisdictions have been reported with the Pfizer vaccine.

City health officials note that this is the only known adverse reaction out of more than 30,000 COVID-19 vaccinations that have been administered in the city. @COVID19Up SOURCE Open / Comment

2020-12-23 22:10:34 New York City Orders Sheriffs to Track Down and Visit UK Travelers to Make Sure They Are Quarantining

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday said members of the city Sheriff’s office would start paying home visits to enforce a quarantine order for travelers from the United Kingdom in an effort to stop the spread of a new COVID-19 variant found in that country.

De Blasio said that all international travelers to New York City would start receiving a Department of Health Commissioner’s order to quarantine, delivered via certified mail, and travelers could face a $1000 fine per day for violating the rules.

The city Sheriff’s office will check on travelers from the U.K. at their homes or hotels to ensure compliance, de Blasio said, taking extra precaution out of concern that those travelers could bring a new, highly transmissible variant of the virus to New York. @COVID19Up SOURCE Open / Comment

2020-12-23 21:54:39 UK Confirms Two Cases of ANOTHER "More Transmissible" SARS-CoV-2 Variant, This One Linked to South Africa

The new variant—501.V2— is "very different" to the fresh strain found in the UK—VUI-202012/01—but both appear to be more transmissible, warns Dr Susan Hopkins from Public Health England.

Both cases are contacts of people who traveled from South Africa over the last few weeks, Matt Hancock said in a Downing Street news conference.

It is thought the South African strain may be behind a record number of people being hospitalized in the country with COVID-19. @COVID19Up SOURCE Open / Comment