COVID-19 updates
Tuesday, Mar 3, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Not good and probably more to come if this trend continues…
An annual trade show that brings close to 60,000 visitors to McCormick Place each year has canceled its event there this month, citing concerns about the spread of the coronavirus.
The International Housewares Association today announced it will not hold its four-day Inspired Home Show, which was scheduled for March 14-17 at the Near South Side convention center.
The Rosemont-based trade group becomes the first to cancel an event at McCormick Place amid the recent outbreak of the virus, which has set off unrest among many companies unsure of how its spread will impact their operations.
The cancelation deals a blow to the convention center and especially downtown hotels, which lose more than 47,000 room nights tied to the event.
* Sun-Times
The University of Chicago Medical Center admitted a patient Monday that is suspected of having coronavirus.
If the case is confirmed, the patient would be the fifth person in the Chicago area to have contracted the disease.
“UChicago Medicine has been preparing for this eventuality since COVID-19 became a global health concern in January,” hospital officials said in an email to faculty, staff, students and residents. “Senior hospital leadership and leaders from our infectious diseases and infection prevention teams, along with other expert clinicians, are working closely with local, state and federal health officials and continue to apply up to date recommended guidelines.”
* Sun-Times…
Chicago election officials urged voters worried about contracting coronavirus to vote by mail instead of trekking to a voting location as early voting expands countywide. […]
Despite the virus, both the city, and the county, are surging ahead with their early voting plans. Voting sites will have hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes at voting sites.
* Let’s hope this doesn’t happen here…
[Iran’s] head of Parliament said that nearly two dozen lawmakers had tested positive and should avoid meeting with members of the public, the authorities announced on Tuesday.
* Is it starting to weaken in China?…
Mushrooming outbreaks in the Mideast, Europe and South Korea contrasted with optimism in China, where thousands of recovered patients were going home. Virus clusters in the United States led schools and subways to sanitize, quickened the search for a vaccine and spread fears of vulnerability among nursing home residents. […]
In China, the count of new virus cases dropped again Tuesday, with just 125 new cases after a six-week low of 202 a day earlier. It’s still by far the hardest-hit country, with 80,151 cases and 2,943 deaths. The virus has been detected in at least 70 countries with 90,000 cases and 3,100 deaths.
China’s ambassador to the United Nations said the country was winning its battle against COVID-19.
“We are not far from the coming of the victory,” said Zhang Jun.
Then again, China is not a reliable source. Click here for more on that topic.
* Some bad news and some not so bad news…
World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Tuesday that data has shown the new coronavirus disease to be considerably deadlier than the usual seasonal flu, but he added that it also appears to spread less easily.
Crucially, Tedros also said it did not appear that the new COVID-19 disease was spread readily by infected individuals who are not experiencing symptoms themselves. That news came after days of experts warning that many thousands of cases could essentially be hidden around the world, spread quietly by infected people with either mild symptoms or no symptoms at all.
Tedros said about 3.4% of confirmed COVID-19 cases have died globally, a huge increase in previous estimates which have ranged between 1-2%. Generally the seasonal flu kills less than 1% of those infected, Tedros said by way of comparison.
* Related…
* 286 Illinoisans being monitored for coronavirus, but Pritzker says risk to public remains low - Gov. J. B. Pritzker also visited Chicago’s Chinatown on Monday to help support businesses; neighborhood merchants say they’ve seen a drop in customers since the coronavirus outbreak began.
* China’s aggressive measures have slowed the coronavirus. They may not work in other countries
* Trump asked pharmaceutical execs if the flu vaccine could be used to stop coronavirus. Here’s why that wouldn’t work.
* Twitter tells all of its employees to work at home because of coronavirus
* Homeland Security facility in Washington state closes after employee visited nursing home affected by coronavirus outbreak
* ‘We are in uncharted territory,’ World Health Organization says, as coronavirus shifts west toward US, Europe: In the capital of Seoul, drive-thru virus testing centers began operating, with workers dressed head-to-toe in white protective suits leaning into cars with mouth swabs, a move meant to limit contact with possible carriers of the illness. Troops were also dispatched across the city to spray streets and alleys with disinfectant.
* Coronavirus Confusion: Miami Woman Allegedly Denied Proper Testing: In what may be the first case of coronavirus in South Florida, a woman who recently returned home from Italy says she was told by doctors at Jackson Memorial Hospital that she “likely” has COVID-19, but that they are unable to verify it because state and federal officials refused to conduct the necessary tests to confirm it.
* Field Museum, Art Institute enact COVID-19 travel bans for staff
* Stadiums, arenas sit empty as coronavirus spreads
* Surfaces? Sneezes? Sex? Here’s how the coronavirus can and cannot spread.
* Which virus is deadlier? Comparing the coronavirus with the seasonal flu
* Outbreak Strikes Seattle Area as Testing Is Scrutinized
* Tim Cook and Apple Bet Everything on China. Then Coronavirus Hit. Quarantines, tariffs and slumping sales have caused agitation about the company’s strategy of assembling most of its products there
* Wuhan shake: People in China developing new ways to greet each other amid coronavirus fears - Foot-to-foot greeting comes as health officials discourage close contact around globe
* Aurora area schools working to ‘closely monitor’ coronavirus outbreak
- Louis G Atsaves - Tuesday, Mar 3, 20 @ 1:03 pm:
Japan is playing baseball games in empty stadiums now and arena boxing/MMA/wrestling events have been cancelled.
- Downstate - Tuesday, Mar 3, 20 @ 1:11 pm:
I’m reading that smokers and ex-smokers are most susceptible. That would explain why the numbers are so high in China, where smoking is still widespread.
- SW - Tuesday, Mar 3, 20 @ 1:13 pm:
The virus has to be put in perspective:
“CDC estimates that so far this season there have been at least 32 million flu illnesses, 310,000 hospitalizations and 18,000 deaths from flu,” the CDC’s weekly Influenza Surveillance Report said as of February 22, 2020.
“The percentage of death attributed to pneumonia and influenza is 6.9 percent, below the epidemic threshold of 7.3 percent,” the CDC reported.”
- Rayne of Terror - Tuesday, Mar 3, 20 @ 1:16 pm:
My brother is working a trade show in Phoenix today and they’ve banned handshakes from the event.
- Benjamin - Tuesday, Mar 3, 20 @ 1:21 pm:
As a side note, Rich, I appreciate you’re calling it COVID-19 rather than the less accurate “coronavirus.” (For those of you who don’t know, coronavirus technically refers to a whole family of viruses, including the common cold and SARS; COVID-19 is the particular disease we’re worried about.)
- Charlie Brown - Tuesday, Mar 3, 20 @ 1:23 pm:
=== Tedros said about 3.4% of confirmed COVID-19 cases have died globally, a huge increase in previous estimates which have ranged between 1-2%. Generally the seasonal flu kills less than 1% of those infected, ===
Fun with numbers:
The mortality rate for influenza is actually about .1 percent, 30 times smaller than coronavirus.
There are currently 0 vaccines and 0 cures for the coronavirus.
- Sonny - Tuesday, Mar 3, 20 @ 1:24 pm:
Trump’s inability to grasp the simplest of concepts outside his world view never ceases to amaze and horrify.
- jimbo - Tuesday, Mar 3, 20 @ 1:27 pm:
~~The virus has to be put in perspective~~
I keep seeing politicians, reporters, and pundits saying this. But I have trouble finding public health officials with actual training saying the same thing.
What I do see are governments banning gatherings, implementing travel restrictions, etc.
Even our own CDC and NIH were until they had to run it thru politicians first.
- OneMan - Tuesday, Mar 3, 20 @ 1:30 pm:
== “CDC estimates that so far this season there have been at least 32 million flu illnesses, 310,000 hospitalizations and 18,000 deaths from flu,” the CDC’s weekly Influenza Surveillance Report said as of February 22, 2020. ==
SW
For perspective I would suggest you read the top line of that Breitbart article. I am fairly confident you got your facts from, for “perspective”
Also instead of just taking their snippet (which makes it sound like a really high death rate from the Flu when then start of their article points out that is blatantly untrue, you take a look at this week’s Flu Weekly (a fun read)
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/#S2
== Based on National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) mortality surveillance data available on February 27, 2020, 6.9% of the deaths occurring during the week ending February 15, 2020 (week 7) were due to P&I. This percentage is below the epidemic threshold of 7.3% for week 7.==
That is, the week ending February 15th, 2020 6.9% off all deaths in the US were due to Pneumonia and Influenza (to put that in perspective since 2015 it is normally higher than 5% year-round so even when it isn’t flu season 5% of people each week die of Pneumonia and Influenza.
The more you know
- Morningstar - Tuesday, Mar 3, 20 @ 1:43 pm:
= even when it isn’t flu season 5% of people each week die of Pneumonia and Influenza.=
Not quite. I think the statistics are saying that 5% of all deaths (not same as [all] people) are as a result of P&I.
- Ed Equity - Tuesday, Mar 3, 20 @ 1:55 pm:
Reports from Advocate ER @ SouthSuburban Hospital is doctors are operating without masks due to a shortage. IDPH needs to get on it.
- OneMan - Tuesday, Mar 3, 20 @ 2:48 pm:
== Not quite. I think the statistics are saying that 5% of all deaths (not same as [all] people) are as a result of P&I. ==
Apologies, meant all deaths.
- lost in the weeds - Tuesday, Mar 3, 20 @ 10:44 pm:
the poor and vulnerable will bear the brunt of this disease
think of those without health insurance
those with high deductible plans and cannot afford treatment
those who cannot afford to miss work when sick
those that are required to work or lose their jobs.
those that are required to work because they have no sick leave.
those who cannot afford to get vaccinations
those who cannot afford to stockpile a month of supplies to stay home if they get sick
those who will get sick and die because the disease will spread because of above.
those that lead the efforts to eliminate the ACA thru ongoing lawsuits before supreme court and the plans unknown to replace the ACA.
think about it
next week
3 months from now
6 months from now
11 months from now
who did that.
- lost in the weeds - Tuesday, Mar 3, 20 @ 11:00 pm:
Not enough testing.
As such the disease is likely much more widespread especially in Washington State. Researchers developed their own testing and found more cases as the CDC test was inadequate.
It is unknown the disparity between the reported confirmed cases and the actual cases.
The flu is not a global pandemic at this time.
The COVID-19 (coronavirus) may become a global pandemic.
Still a lot of uncertainty.
China basically shut down their economy and transportation for a time. NASA monitoring shows very low NO2 emissions over the whole country.
Seems Extreme. I am trying to imagine that shutdown in US of A.
But some here still post that this is not a problem because the flu.
Like 60000 more people dying in a year is not a problem.
Still do not know and may never know if this was preventable.