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https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/03/11/coronavirus-live-updates/

LIVE UPDATES: WHO DECLARES CORONAVIRUS A PANDEMIC; ITALY HALTS NEARLY ALL COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY

By Alex Horton, Miriam Berger, Lateshia Beachum, Hannah Knowles and Michael Brice-Saddler | Published March 11 at 7:19 PM ET | Washington Post | Posted March 11, 2020 |

The World Health Organization declared coronavirus a pandemic, with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus saying: “We are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity — and by the alarming levels of inaction.”

The WHO’s Wednesday declaration came as the number of known novel coronavirus cases surpassed 120,000 worldwide. Speaking on Capitol Hill, Anthony Fauci, the long-standing director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infection Diseases declared “it’s going to get worse.”

President Trump said he will address the nation at 9 p.m.

In the United States, where there are now more than 1,000 cases, the White House is considering moving all of Europe to a Level 3 travel advisory, discouraging all nonessential travel to those regions. Meanwhile, Italy tried to stymie coronavirus’s spread by ordering a halt to nearly all commercial activity, aside from supermarkets and pharmacies.

HERE ARE THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS :

*The Dow reached bear-market territory on a nearly 1,500-point skid as panic intensified about the coronavirus, which threatens to debilitate global economies and bring on a recession.

*Ohio will limit large gatherings; Washington state introduced similar measures in a few counties. The NCAA announced that its basketball tournaments will be held without fans in attendance.

*India’s health ministry announced it was suspending all existing visas from across the world till April 15.

*German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Wednesday that up to 70 percent of her country could end up infected.

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08:19 PM: WORK-FROM-HOME AT GOOGLE EXPOSES CLASS DIVIDE: CONTRACTORS VS. FULL-TIME

Growing fears around the spread of coronavirus have exposed class divides in the tech industry’s two-tiered system for white collar workers, where contractors do similar work as full-time employees — such as engineering or product management — but often for no equity, less pay, and fewer benefits.

Google on Tuesday publicized extending safety protections to contractors, including establishing a covid-19 fund to provide paid sick leave for contingent workers if they have symptoms or are quarantined. The company also advised employees in North America to work from home until at least April 10, according to a Tuesday email viewed by The Post.

But some Google contractors say they are still in limbo, unsure if they can exercise those benefits. On Wednesday, Google’s office in Pittsburgh was a ghost town, save for contractors employed by HCL Technologies, who work on Google Shopping. HCL employees in Pittsburgh, who recently unionized, believe it’s technically feasible to perform their job from home, if given permission. However, workers were told Wednesday afternoon that HCL is still talking to Google and can’t provide an update for 24 to 48 hours.

In the midst of that uncertainty, one contractor whose wife had symptoms of coronavirus came into Google’s Pittsburgh office Wednesday, another HCL employee told The Post, noting that dogs are no longer allowed in the Pittsburgh office as a temporary precaution. “So even dogs are more important of a priority than us,” he said.

HCL did not immediately respond to request for comment. In a statement to The Post, Google spokesperson Jenn Kaiser said, “To serve our users and keep our products running, some work, performed by Google employees, temporary staff and vendors alike, can only be done by people physically present at offices. We’re taking all necessary and recommended precautions, including increased sanitization and social distancing, a public health best practice.”

By: Nitasha Tiku

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08:04 PM: ELECTIONS OFFICIALS scramble for OPTIONS AS VIRUS WORRIES MOUNT

Elections officials have stocked up on hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes. Many are urging voters to cast absentee ballots or vote early to avoid crowds.

But as the coronavirus pandemic worsens, local and state officials are scrambling to identify other options if public health leaders ultimately determine that there are risks to visiting polling places — an assessment that could change the basic mechanics of running an election midstream in a presidential campaign year.

“If you’re talking about something on that level, then we’re clearly facing a crisis and not just an emergency, and public health and safety will have to dictate whatever we do,” said Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who said he would follow the advice of public health officials and law enforcement.

"One of the very few things that would take precedent over a free and fair election is public health and safety, right?” LaRose said, adding that such a move would be a last resort.

Read more about the effort to keep elections virus-free.

By: ELISE VIEBECK

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07:59 PM: NBA discusses coronavirus response but doesn’t immediately announce plan for games, fan attendance

The NBA’s Board of Governors held a conference call Wednesday to discuss the league’s coronavirus response options, but reached no consensus as to whether games should proceed as normal, whether they should be held without fans in attendance, or

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07:19 PM: U.S. EMBASSY EMPLOYEE IS JAMAICANS SECOND CASE

A U.S. Embassy employee in Kingston, Jamaica, has become the island nation’s second confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, Jamaican Health Minister Chris Tufton announced on Twitter late Wednesday.

The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Confirmation of the case came one day after Jamaica announced that a female British national, who arrived in the country on March 4, had tested positive for the virus.

Though far from the epicenter of the crisis, Jamaica is grappling with the fallout, facing a loss of 50,000 cruise ship passengers in recent weeks and a sharp falloff in some tourism-related business. The country has set up strict health protocols aimed at preventing the spread of the virus and has led at least one cruise ships to bypass its port in Ocho Rios. It has also effectively barred one vessel due to reports of sick passengers aboard.

Across Jamaica, nearly three dozen people remain quarantined after traveling to countries reporting large numbers of cases. The Jamaican government has also banned travel to and from China, Iran, South Korea, Italy and Singapore and suspended flights from Spain, France and Germany.

By: ANTHONY FABIOLA

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07:15 PM: HOW MUCH WORSE IS CORONAVIRUS GOING TO GET IN U.S.? NEW FORECASTS AND MODELS ARE GRIM

A rash of alarming forecasts about the coronavirus pandemic emerged Wednesday. The World Health Organization officially declared it a pandemic. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said 70 percent of Germany’s population could become infected. Meanwhile, new models painted a grim picture of what worst-case scenario might look like.

“Bottom line, it’s going to get worse,” Anthony Fauci, long-standing director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said at a congressional hearing.

Experts have produced forecasts of likely infections, serious illnesses and death tolls, based on what is known about the novel coronavirus and how past epidemics have played out, and they suggest that the United States — which has surpassed 1,000 confirmed novel-coronavirus infections and 30 deaths — must prepare for a potentially historic pandemic.

One forecast, developed by former CDC director Tom Frieden at the nonprofit organization Resolve to Save Lives, found that deaths in the United States could range widely, depending on what percentage of the population gets infected and how lethal the disease proves to be. Frieden, who oversaw the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, the 2014 Ebola epidemic and the 2016 Zika epidemic, says in a worst-case scenario, but one that is not implausible, half the U.S. population would get infected and more than 1 million people would die.

But the model’s range varied widely from 327 (best case) to 1,635,000 (worst case). The deaths would not necessarily happen over a month or a year, but could happen in two or three years, he said.

By: JOEL ACHENBACH, WILLIAM WAN and LENA H. SUN

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06:57 PM: El SALVADOR BEGINS NATIONWIDE QUARANTINE DESPITE HAVING NO CONFIRMED CASES

El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, announced Wednesday that the country — which does not have a single confirmed coronavirus case — will begin a nationwide quarantine that will last for 30 days.

Schools will be closed for 21 days. “I know this will be criticized, but let’s put ourselves in Italy’s shoes. Italy wishes they could’ve done this before,” he said.

“Our health system is not at Italy’s level, it’s not at South Korea’s level,” he added.

Earlier, Bukele banned travel from China, South Korea, Italy, Iran, France, Spain and Germany.

By: KEVIN SIEFF

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06:35 PM: CAPITOL PREPARES TO SHUT DOWN PUBLIC TOURS

The Capitol is preparing to shut down public tours because of the growing coronavirus pandemic, according to two congressional officials.

The announcement is being prepared by the House and Senate sergeant-at-arms, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity ahead of the official notification. Between 3 and 5 million tourists, from both the United States and abroad, visit Capitol Hill each year, according to the Architect of the Capitol.

Lawmakers have generally resisted efforts to stop legislative operations even as the outbreak expands, continuing to hold hearings and conduct business.

By: SEUNG MIN KIM

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06:26 PM: PRESSURED BY TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, CRUISE INDUSTRY TO RESTRICT OLDER TRAVELERS IN RESPONSE TO CORONAVIRUS

Responding to a directive from the federal government, the beleaguered cruise industry has crafted a coronavirus response plan that will keep more people off its ships.

Passengers who are 70 and older will be required to produce a doctor’s note attesting that they are healthy enough to take a cruise, according to a source familiar with the plan who was not authorized to speak publicly about it. That person said keeping the most vulnerable population off ships was a priority of the Trump administration. About 14 percent of cruise passengers in 2018 — about 4 million people — were 70 or older, an industry report showed.

USA Today first reported details of the plan Wednesday.

Travelers will be warned frequently before a trip that anyone with underlying health conditions is heavily discouraged from getting on a cruise ship. Those who are obviously ill will not be allowed to board, according to the source.

All passengers will be subject to a temperature check before they can get on a ship, and those with a reading of 100.4 degrees or higher will not be allowed to sail.

The Cruise Lines International Association had previously announced that anyone who had visited Iran, South Korea or China, including Macao and Hong Kong, or areas in Italy subject to government lockdown, within the past 14 days, would not be allowed to board. The new plan expands that list to include all of Italy as well as Japan.

According to the source, the plan also addresses testing passengers for the virus while they are on ships and how cruise lines will pay for the care of sick passengers or crew so that the burden doesn’t fall on the U.S. government. The source described it as “a pretty hefty investment by the industry.”

By: HANNAH SAMPSON

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06:11 PM: HOSPITAL INDUSTRY ASKS WHITE HOUSE TO DECLARE A NATIONAL EMERGENCY

Hospital industry leaders are urging the Trump administration to declare the covid-19 outbreak a national emergency or a national disaster to “ensure that health care services and sufficient health care items are available to respond.”

During a Wednesday afternoon meeting at the White House with Vice President Pence and Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the American Hospital Association’s president and several hospital chief executives said the federal public health emergency declared at the end of January is inadequate.

The meeting echoed a letter to the vice president sent on Tuesday by Richard Pollack, the hospital association’s president. The letter explained that only with a national emergency or disaster could the government loosen a variety of health-care rules, helping to cope with a surge of seriously ill, infected patients.

According to the letter, a declared emergency or disaster would, for instance, eliminate a Medicare rule that patients need to have been hospitalized for at least three nights before the vast insurance program for older Americans pays for nursing home stays — freeing hospital beds more quickly for the sickest patients with the new virus. It also would help patients stay longer in certain types of small rural hospitals, as well as making it easier for doctors licensed in one state to pitch in elsewhere, where the outbreak is particularly severe.

The letter noted that the government has loosened such rules after major hurricanes and floods and during the swine flu pandemic a decade ago.

The hospital leaders also urged the White House to provide federal help for the testing and care of people exposed to the coronavirus who are uninsured.

By: AMY GOLDSTEIN

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06:09 PM: SENATE DEMOCRATS URGE TRUMP TO UTILIZE $40 BILLION IN DISASTER RELIEF FUNDS TO COMBAT CORONAVIRUS

Three dozen Senate Democrats on Wednesday sent a letter to Trump urging him to immediately consider state disaster declaration requests in order to release more than $40 billion in federal relief funds.

In their letter, the senators called on Trump to invoke the 1988 Stafford Act, which enables the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts. Members of Trump’s coronavirus task force have discussed doing so, officials have told The Washington Post in recent days.

“It is crucial that your administration employ a whole-of-government approach in responding to COVID-19,” the senators wrote. “This includes working closely with state, local, and tribal officials and providing necessary resources to those on the frontlines. We strongly urge FEMA to stand ready to provide emergency protective measures to prevent and mitigate the spread of disease, save lives, and protect public health and safety, should any state request assistance.”

The release of the letter comes hours before Trump is expected to address the nation in a prime-time address from the Oval Office.

By: FELICIA SONMEZ

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05:53 PM: FIVE MORE DEATHS AT ASSISTED-LIVING FACILITIES REPORTED IN WASHINGTON STATE IN ONE DAY

Washington state announced five more coronavirus fatalities on Wednesday, all linked to nursing homes or assisted-living facilities. The news pushed the nationwide death count to at least 36; 29 of those are in Washington state.

King County, where most of the deaths have occurred amid nursing home outbreaks, reported four more deaths and 44 new patients. The county, which includes Seattle, now has 234 confirmed cases.

The newly announced deaths include three residents at Life Care Center, the facility where the outbreak has been especially horrific and where staff say they have seen patients go from showing no symptoms to death in a matter of hours. Two of the deceased were in their 90s, one woman in her 60s.

Another King County woman who died in her 90s lived at the Redmond Care and Rehabilitation Center nursing home.

Snohomish County also reported Wednesday that a man in his 80s who was “connected” to an assisted-living facility, Josephine Caring Community, had died.

By: HANNAH KNOWLES

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05:44 PM: BIDEN CANCELS MORE CAMPAIGN EVENTS OVER VIRUS; PENCE STILL SET TO STUMP IN WISCONSIN

In response to the worsening coronavirus outbreak, Biden’s team has canceled additional campaign events in Illinois and Florida to “minimize health risks for staff and supporters” and will hold “virtual events” instead.

The decision comes as the former vice president plans to speak about the global pandemic Thursday. Ahead of those remarks, he has set up his own public health advisory committee with boldface names from the Obama administration, including Vivek H. Murthy, who was surgeon general under President Barack Obama, and Lisa Monaco, former homeland security and counterterrorism adviser to Obama.

The committee will provide “science-based, expert advice,” Biden’s campaign said.

“The campaign’s top priority is and will continue to be the health and safety of the public,” it said. “Members of the committee will provide ongoing counsel to the campaign, which will in turn continue to update the public regarding operational decisions.”

The former vice president’s approach stands in contrast to Trump, who has said that he would continue holding rallies and attending public events and has played down the severity of the spreading virus. In a Fox Business Network interview Wednesday, Trump campaign spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany claimed without evidence that political considerations — and not coronavirus concerns — are the reason Biden has canceled his events.

Meanwhile, Vice President Pence, who is running the government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, is still planning to attend a campaign event in Wisconsin next week for a congressional special election as Democrats and many organizations cancel large events.

In a C-SPAN interview Wednesday, Pence was asked whether he was personally concerned about attending these large events.

“I’m not concerned,” he said, “but we’ll follow the facts every single day about what makes the most sense for the American people.”

By: COLBY ITKOWITZ

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05:37 PM: D.C. MAYOR DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY AFTER PERSON-TO-PERSON CORONAVIRUS TRANSMISSIONS

D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) declared a state of emergency in the nation’s capital because of coronavirus, giving herself the power to order mandatory quarantines and to crack down on price gouging. Health officials said six more people have tested positive for coronavirus in the District, including two cases where the cause of transmission is unknown. That brings the total number of cases to 10. Officials said person-to-person transmission has started in the District.

Bowser’s emergency declaration came hours after the District urged the cancellations of all mass gatherings through the end of March. Bowser said the city government was pulling all permits for public gatherings and that she could order closure of other gatherings if necessary.

After the rector of Christ Church Georgetown tested positive for coronavirus, the District has asked hundreds of people who visited the church to self-quarantine for 14 days after their last visit. D.C. health officials expanded the self-quarantine to people who visited the church through March 6 after the organist tested positive, including a Saturday funeral where he played.

Bowser has said the city has leased a private facility that can be used to quarantine up to 50 people, but declined to reveal its location. Officials said quarantine orders could be used for people at high risk of exposing the virus to others or those who do not comply with self-quarantine requests.

By: FENIT NIRAPPIL

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05:29 PM: ITALY HALTS NEARLY ALL COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY ASIDE FROM SUPERMARKETS AND PHARMACIES

ROME — Italy on Wednesday ramped up the severity of its national lockdown, ordering a halt to nearly all commercial activity aside from supermarkets and pharmacies, in the latest dramatic step to slow the country’s coronavirus spread.

With the decision, announced by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Italy has engineered nearly as thorough a commercial halt as seems imaginable.

Once the decree takes effect — Conte did not specify when — only the most essential parts of society will continue to function. Farms can still produce food, and factories can still churn out products, but people will have almost no reason to leave the house.

“You’re changing your life’s habits, making sacrifices, but these renunciations are offering a great, precious contribution to the country,” Conte said. “Italy is showing it’s a great community, united and responsible.”

On Monday, Conte had imposed a nationwide lockdown, limiting travel abroad and across regions. With it came other restrictions: the closure of theaters, museums, sporting events. But Italy had still been operating at a crawl. Gelaterias were open, with people lining up a few feet away from one another. Barbershops were open. Cafes were open, with limited hours and restrictions on the number of people allowed inside.

Conte received strong political pressure from politicians in the north, the region at the epicenter of the outbreak, to further tighten the measures as the number of coronavirus cases continues to accelerate. Italy has more than 10,500 active cases, and the number of people who have died of the virus has risen in three days from 366 to 827.

By: CHICO HARLAN

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05:22 PM: MAJOR UNION CALLS ON TRUMP TO PROVIDE TWO WEEKS OF PAID SICK LEAVE FOR EVERY AMERICAN WORKER

United Food and Commercial Workers, the largest private-sector union in the United States with 1.3 million workers in retail and health care, asked President Trump and Congress on Wednesday to pass a new economic aid package that would provide a minimum of two weeks of paid sick leave for all American workers.

The union’s proposed economic package also includes unemployment benefits for workers who have been laid off or had their hours disrupted, payroll tax cuts for lower- and middle-income workers, as well as protection from unfair termination or discrimination for workers suspected of being exposed to coronavirus.

UFCW President Anthony “Marc” Perrone outlined the policy proposal in a letter to Trump, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). The letter noted that 80 million American workers, or 59 percent of the country’s workforce, are hourly employees who receive payment only for the hours they work.

“Respectfully, I am urging each of our nation’s elected leaders to develop immediate policies that ensure that workers — salaried and hourly — do not have to choose between work and health,” the letter said.

By: NITASHA TIKU

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04:45 PM: NCAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS WILL OPEN WITH NO FANS

The NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will be played in nearly empty arenas because of concerns about the coronavirus, NCAA President Mark Emmert announced Wednesday afternoon amid swelling recommendations and orders from public officials, one of the most significant public actions in the face of the outbreak in the United States.

The games, which begin Tuesday night in Dayton, Ohio, will be played “with only essential staff and limited family attendance,” Emmert said in a news release.

“While I understand how disappointing this is for all fans of our sports, my decision is based on the current understanding of how covid-19 is progressing in the United States,” he said. “This decision is in the best interest of public health, including that of coaches, administrators, fans and, most importantly, our student-athletes. We recognize the opportunity to compete in an NCAA national championship is an experience of a lifetime for the students and their families. Today, we will move forward and conduct championships consistent with the current information and will continue to monitor and make adjustments as needed.”

By: ADAM KILGORE

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04:44 PM: WHEN’S THE LAST TIME THE WHO DECLARED A GLOBAL PANDEMIC?

The last time the World Health Organization declared a pandemic was during the 2009 H1N1 swine flu, and it triggered aggressive actions, such as millions in spending to buy vaccines.

But H1N1 turned out not to be as deadly and disruptive as feared, and a lot of governments were mad about buying vaccines that they ended up not using and harshly criticized the WHO for its declaration. Burned by that response, WHO got rid of the six-stage procedure that led up to it declaring that flu a pandemic.

“Each time they went up a stage, it raised alarm. When they finally reached pandemic stage it caused enormous panic,” said Lawrence Gostin, global health law professor at Georgetown University. “It was so dysfunctional and caused so much fear and panic that WHO abandoned that approach.”

The WHO’s current approach has been much more vague, essentially leaving it up to leaders to declare a pandemic when they deem it necessary. For weeks now, the WHO has hesitated to make the pandemic declaration for fear of inciting panic and causing some countries to sag in their efforts, even though many epidemiologists believed the coronavirus had already spread to pandemic levels.

“In many ways, whether we’re in a pandemic is a semantic question,” said Alexandra Phelan, a global health lawyer at Georgetown’s Center for Global Health Science and Security.

By: WILLIAM WAN

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04:40 PM: TRUMP CAMPAIGN CLAIMS WITHOUT EVIDENCE THAT BIDEN WAS ‘LOOKING FOR AN EXCUSE TO GET OFF THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL’

In a Fox Business Network interview Wednesday, Trump campaign spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany claimed, without evidence, that political considerations — and not coronavirus concerns — are the reason Biden has canceled his recent events.

“Joe Biden is looking for an excuse to get off the campaign trail, and let me just add, the media’s best hope is for Donald Trump to suspend his rallies,” McEnany said. “They’ve been wanting him to stop this, they know it’s his avenue to speak directly to the American people. So, we’re going to follow the president’s lead; we’re not going to cave to the media. And Joe Biden, we’re certainly not going to follow his lead as he tries to hide from the American people.”

Biden and Sanders called off their Tuesday night campaign rallies in Ohio after Mike DeWine, the state’s Republican governor, suggested that the campaigns to do so in an effort to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

McEnany also defended Trump’s decision to continue holding large campaign rallies despite the advice of experts, including Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

“The president is the best authority on this issue,” McEnany said. “He takes into consult the words of everyone around him. That would include [Health and Human Services Secretary] Alex Azar; that would include Dr. Fauci; that would include others. So, I’ll leave it to the president. Right now, we’re proceeding as normal.”

She also said that there is no need for Trump to stop shaking hands with supporters, arguing that it’s part of the president’s job.

“He’s taking precautions, he’s washing his hands — we’re all doing that, but he’s a man of the people, he talks to the people, he shakes their hands. That’s the nature of the business,” she said.

By: FELICIA SONMEZ

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04:31 PM: HEALTH-CARE CLINICS FOR THE POOR FACE SHORTAGES OF PROTECTIVE GEAR

The nation’s community health centers, which care for some of the nation’s most vulnerable patients, are ill-equipped with masks and other protective equipment needed for workers to test and care for people who may have been exposed to the coronavirus, according to a new survey.

The survey in early March of more than 600 health centers in 47 states, sponsored by a private relief organization, found that 1 in 4 such clinics said they had a source that could provide and resupply N95 masks for the next month or two. Half said they did not, while the remaining clinics said they were not sure. Nearly two-thirds said they lacked a supplier to restock latex gloves.

The survey was sponsored by Direct Relief, a California-based aid organization that donated supplies to China early in the coronavirus epidemic and has been turning its attention lately to the United States.

Free clinics and federally funded health centers treat some of the country’s poorest patients. Under the Affordable Care Act, some of their clientele have gotten private health plans or have been able to join Medicaid. But the clinics still tend to be shoestring operations with many uninsured patients. And the federal funding that some receive is often uncertain in Congress until the last minute — as is happening again this year.

The survey found that only about 10 percent of the health centers said they were unconcerned about their ability to handle a surge of patients during the covid-19 epidemic.

By: AMY GOLDSTEIN

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04:27 PM: TRUMP SAYS HE WILL ADDRESS THE NATION TONIGHT

President Trump said he will address the nation Wednesday evening about the coronavirus and that his remarks from the White House will probably be at 9 p.m.

He gave no other details during a brief portion of a meeting with bankers that was open to reporters, other than that he will discuss both economic and health issues.

“We are talking about various forms of stimulus,” he said. Trump added: “The payroll tax would be great. Dems are not in favor of it. I’m trying to figure out why.” Many Republicans also oppose cutting the payroll tax.

Trump has spoken almost daily about the spread of the virus, but until now he had not done so in such a formal setting. The speech is expected to be from the Oval Office, a setting that underscores the national security implications of the spreading virus.

By: ANNE GEARAN

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04:25 PM: NATIONAL CATHEDRAL AND HUNDREDS OF OTHER CHURCHES IN WASHINGTON AREA TO CLOSE FOR TWO WEEKS

Episcopal churches in the District and the Maryland and Virginia suburbs — including Washington National Cathedral — are closing for two weeks because of the coronavirus, church leaders said Wednesday.

Bishop Mariann Budde, who oversees 88 congregations in the District and Maryland that serve about 38,000 people, said all buildings would be completely closed until March 25, a measure that includes weekday activities and Sunday services. Susan Goff, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, said 179 churches in the Virginia suburbs, with about 68,000 members, would do the same.

The announcement came hours after D.C. health officials asked organizations to postpone any “mass gatherings” involving 1,000 people or more in the city until at least March 31.

Goff said the last time that churches canceled en masse over health concerns was for the flu of 1918.

A spokesman for Budde said the diocese will stream services from the cathedral on Sundays — with no audience.

By: MICHELLE BOORSTEIN and SARAH PULLIAM BAILEY

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04:22 PM: STATE DEPARTMENT AND USAID SUSPEND NON-ESSENTIAL TRAVEL

The State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development have suspended nonessential travel for employees in response to the outbreak of the coronavirus, a move that requires diplomats and aid workers to receive sign-off from managers that future travel is “mission-critical,” said two U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

The move demonstrates the urgency with which U.S. agencies view the spread of the disease even as President Trump downplays the threat posed by the virus. At the same time, the policy has created confusion within the State Department and USAID as various bureaus, embassies and offices weigh the importance of the thousands of trips, conferences and meetings U.S. personnel embark on every year.

One State Department official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to discuss internal matters, said it was discouraging when an upcoming trip she viewed as critical to her job was canceled by her boss, who believed it did not meet that threshold.

By: JOHN HUDSON

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04:18 PM: DOW REACHES BEAR-MARKET TERRITORY ON A NEARLY 1,500-POINT SKID, ENDING RECORD 11-YEAR STOCK RALLY

Wall Street went into a deep slump Wednesday, falling so far and so fast that the Dow Jones industrial average officially tipped into a bear market, ending a record 11-year stock rally.

The bear market reflects a 20 percent fall from record highs, which the Dow hit less than a month ago, and came as the coronavirus officially became a pandemic.

The World Health Organization’s declaration Wednesday signaled that health experts believe efforts should shift from trying to contain the virus to mitigation.

The Dow — already deep in the red for the day — plunged further, tumbling almost to the 1,500-points-down mark, after the WHO announcement.

“Bear markets are ugly,” said Michael Farr, president of Farr, Miller and Washington. “They’re painful and they all last too long. Sadly, it seems that a new one is just getting started.”

All 11 S&P stock market sectors turned negative on Wednesday. Real estate, utilities and energy — often safe havens for nervous investors — were faring the worst. The health sector was the least affected by the sell-off. UnitedHealth Group was the lone component of the Dow‘s 30 blue chips to show a gain. Boeing shed 18 percent of its value.

By: TAYLOR TELFORD and THOMAS HEATH

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04:02 PM: DELAWARE REPORTS FIRST POSITIVE TEST; MORE THAN 40 STATES NOW CONFIRM INFECTIONS

Delaware on Wednesday announced its first positive test for the coronavirus, as more than 40 states report infections.

The Delaware patient, a man older than 50, whom officials say is “doing well,” lives in New Castle County and is “associated with the University of Delaware community,” the state’s public health department said in a statement. Before the case was announced, the university said it was “gearing up for online delivery of all of our courses in the event that we have confirmed COVID-19 cases on campus.”

The Delaware patient was exposed to the virus in another state, authorities said, and self-isolated at home right away when his symptoms began. Officials are working to identify contacts.

“We understand that news of a positive case in the state is concerning,” said public health director Karyl Rattay in a statement, “but this is something we have been preparing for over the last several weeks.”

By: HANNAH KNOWLES

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03:58 PM: AMTRAK RIDERSHIP PLUMMETS AMID OUTBREAK

The coronavirus outbreak has brought a steep fall in March passenger numbers and revenue for Amtrak, and the nation’s passenger rail company is warning of hard times ahead.

Ridership is down, cancellations are up by more than 300 percent, and future bookings have fallen by half, Amtrak said Wednesday, citing the public health crisis that has led Americans to cancel travel in recent days.

If the trend continues, Amtrak said revenue losses could be in the “several hundred million dollars” and throw off the company’s growth projections for this year. A plan to reduce spending is in place, and it includes service cuts and layoffs.

Ridership declines over the past few weeks have been sharp in the Northeast Corridor and on Amtrak’s National Network, and it is getting worse every day, Stephen Gardner, senior executive vice president and chief operating and commercial officer at Amtrak, said in a memo to workers on Wednesday.

“At this rate, we believe we will likely suffer the loss of several hundred million dollars in revenue during this fiscal year — and we might lose more,” Gardner said.

Amtrak has begun “aggressive measures to cut costs,” Gardner said.

“You should expect significant reductions in train service across portions of our network in response to the sharp drop in ridership. Shortly, we will begin rolling out our voluntary leave program for those non-mission critical employees that are willing to take time off on an unpaid basis,” he said.

This week, Amtrak canceled its Acela nonstop trips between Washington and New York to reduce service as demand dropped. The daily nonstop Acela service is suspended through May 26, the company said. More service could be halted across the network of about 300 daily trains nationwide.

The company has suspended change fees on all existing and new reservations for tickets purchased before April 30 to accommodate concerned travelers.

By: LUZ LAZO

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03:46 PM: OHIO TO LIMIT LARGE GATHERINGS IN DRAMATIC NEW MOVE TO FIGHT VIRUS

Ohio will limit large gatherings in a dramatic bid to combat the novel coronavirus, Gov. Mike DeWine (R) announced Wednesday, shortly after Washington state turned to similar measures in a few counties.

DeWine said he will soon issue an order enforcing Tuesday’s recommendation against mass gatherings and spectators at indoor sporting events but would not yet close K-12 schools, though he tweeted that “we may get to that point.”

“We are doing the things we are doing because we have the potential to become like Italy,” he tweeted, referencing the European country’s nationwide restrictions on movement. “We are taking the actions we are taking now to try to avoid that. The situation will get bad before it gets better, but it is in our hands to determine what the outcome will be.”

DeWine also said Wednesday that he will order that visitors to nursing homes and assisted-living facilities be limited to one per day per resident. The elderly are most vulnerable to the coronavirus, and outbreaks at nursing homes in Washington state have been deadly. Authorities in Ohio will require that all individuals who enter such facilities be screened for illness and have their temperatures taken, DeWine announced.

Four people in the state have tested positive, he said, as authorities called evidence of the virus’s community spread a “game changer" requiring more serious measures.

“You’re going to see us taking more aggressive actions now," said Amy Acton, the director of the state’s department of health. "Please know that we’re doing this to protect Ohioans and protect our healthcare system.”

“We shouldn’t panic, but we should take rational actions to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and others,” DeWine tweeted Wednesday afternoon.

Have you tried to get tested for coronavirus and been turned away? Share your experience with The Post.

By: HANNAH KNOWLES

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03:35 PM: WASHINGTON STATE’S CORONAVIRUS DEATH TOLL AT 25

Another coronavirus patient in Washington state has died, officials announced Wednesday, bringing the death toll there to 25.

The newly reported death occurred in Snohomish County, where officials say there are 68 confirmed cases of the virus. The county now has two recorded fatalities — still far less than King County, where almost two dozen have died as outbreaks hit nursing homes. The elderly are most vulnerable to the virus.

Snohomish and King are among the counties where Gov. Jay Inslee (D) on Wednesday imposed a ban on gatherings of more than 250 people, seeking to contain the spread of infection.

Nationwide, the coronavirus has killed more than 30 people and the number of cases has surpassed 1,000.

By: HANNAH KNOWLES

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03:27 PM: BOEING WILL CASH OUT $13.8 BILLION LOAN AND FREEZE HIRING AMID MARKET TURMOIL

Boeing plans to cash out a $13.8 billion loan meant to cover costs related to the grounding of the 737 Max passenger jet, a person familiar with the matter said Wednesday, as recent market volatility creates new risks at a time when the company’s business is already in a historically fragile state.

Boeing declined to comment on the loan cash out, but said it would put a hold on all new hires pending a “review of priorities and critical needs.”

The company’s stock was down 16 percent by late afternoon Wednesday.

By: AARON GREGG

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03:20 PM: HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS SHIFTING TO ONLINE LEARNING IN NEW YORK, ONE OF SEVERAL NEW MEASURES ANNOUNCED BY CUOMO

New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) on Wednesday announced sweeping new measures to combat coronavirus, including distance learning for hundreds of thousands of students at public schools and paid leave for quarantined or isolated government workers.

New York also will start contracting with private labs to increase its testing capacity, Cuomo said as the state’s cases topped 200, adding that he spoke with 28 labs earlier in the day. Lawmakers and public health officials around the country have been frustrated with delays in rolling out widespread testing that could help show the full extent in the United States of what’s now a global pandemic.

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meryableblog · 5 years ago

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How to deal with Anxiety About Coronavirus (COVID-19)

It’s terrifying to find out that an illness like coronavirus (COVID-19) is spreading across the world. the first stages of an epidemic are often especially anxiety-provoking. During this point, you don’t skills widespread or deadly the illness goes to finish up being.

Feelings of fear, anxiety, sadness, and uncertainty are normal during an epidemic. Fortunately, being proactive about your psychological state can help to stay both your mind and body stronger.

Ways to require care of yourself include:

Reading the news from reliable sources (and take breaks from the news) Recognizing the items you'll control, like having good hygiene Taking measures as long as recommended by the CDC Practicing self-care Seeking professional help from a licensed psychological state professional if necessary Ways to Manage Stress The way you deal with stress can go an extended way toward ensuring that you’re taking helpful action in managing your psychological state. Here are ways to assist you to ease anxiety surrounding coronavirus.

Read news from trustworthy sources. Avoid media outlets that build hype or linger over things that can’t be controlled. Instead, address sources that give reliable information about the way to protect yourself, like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Develop an action plan. There are always some steps you'll fancy decrease risk. it's going to be as simple as washing your hands well and limiting travel. But recognizing these can remind you to specialize in belongings you have control over. Just confirm the steps you’re taking are actions recommended by reputable sources.

Set limits on your media consumption. Tuning into media stories that mention how briskly an illness is spreading, or what percentage people are becoming sick, will increase your anxiety. Limit your media consumption to a particular time-frame or a particular number of articles.

While it’s helpful to remain informed, it’s also important you don’t allow yourself to be bombarded with anxiety-provoking news all day.

Avoid the herd mentality. Be aware that a lot of people take action that doesn’t help. Don’t hop on a bandwagon simply because people are wearing masks or performing specific cleaning rituals (unless those things are recommended by the CDC). Otherwise, your actions could convince be unhelpful—or maybe even destructive.

Practice good self-care. Eating a diet, getting much sleep, and interesting in leisure activities are always key to helping you stay as physically and psychologically healthy as possible during stressful times. Good self-care also keeps your system robust.

Seek professional help. If your psychological state is being impacted by the strain of the coronavirus, then you'll want to hunt professional help. A licensed psychological state professional can assist you to manage your fears while also empowering you to form the simplest decisions for you and your family.

The Best Online Therapy Programs Mental Health Concerns In addition to psychological state concerns that will arise as a result of anxiety surrounding an epidemic, it is vital to watch existing psychological state conditions to make sure they do not worsen.

Depression and Anxiety Researchers have found that some individuals may experience psychological state problems for the primary time during an epidemic. Adjustment issues, depression, and anxiety may arise.

A study from the Ebola virus outbreak in Sierra Leone,1 indicated that increased numbers of individuals reported psychological state and psychosocial problems. A study from the H1N1 influenza outbreak in 20092 indicated a rise during a sort of emotional symptoms, including somatoform disorders (symptoms like pain and fatigue that cannot be fully explained by a physical cause).

Additionally, some existing psychological state conditions may worsen. Research suggests that individuals who are especially susceptible to stress and anxiety could also be at the very best risk.

Severe anxiety can also cause a rise in substance use. Individuals who are in recovery may become more likely to relapse as their stress levels increase.

Researchers from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, found that folks who were the smallest amount ready to tolerate uncertainty experienced the foremost anxiety during the H1N1 pandemic.3 Those individuals were also less likely to believe they might do anything to guard themselves.

Caretakers could also be at especially high risk for emotional symptoms during an epidemic also. they'll experience:

increased depression and anxiety increased concerned about protecting their loved ones guilt about causing/not preventing a loved one's illness if they become sick In turn, children often adopt the coping strategies they observe in their parents. Parents who grow anxious during an epidemic may find yourself witnessing their children develop anxiety all along with them.

High anxiety and feelings of helplessness can encourage some individuals to adopt unproven remedies or prevention methods. a number of these methods could also be harmful both to individuals and to the community as an entire. So it’s important to make sure that any actions you're taking are literally helpful.

Rumination or Isolation Personal reactions to increased fears may differ. But many individuals experience increased rumination about the likelihood of getting sick. they'll also greatly modify their behavior when doing so isn’t warranted (e.g., isolating themselves or preparing for catastrophic outcomes).

Individuals with certain vulnerabilities may experience a rise in psychosis or paranoia. this will involve a bent to include outbreak-related facts into, or as justification for his or her delusional thinking.

How Do I React? You may witness people around you panicking. On the opposite hand, you'll experience those don't seem concerned in the least when an epidemic is on the increase, assured that it won't affect them. you'll end up feeling all types of emotions—or maybe, you're confused and do not skills to feel.

Responding to the Unfamiliar People tend to overreact to unknown threats as easily as they underreact to familiar threats. as an example, although car crashes are common, driving or riding during a car probably doesn’t feel scary since you presumably roll in the hay on a daily basis.

Similarly, you would possibly not be that scared of the flu. After all, you’ve survived up so far by either beating the flu or avoiding it. Yet influenza sickens the maximum amount as 20% of the population in any given year, and thousands of individuals die from it.

But the vaccination rate for the flu within us is typically but 50%—most people just aren’t scared of it. The reverse is additionally true; what we all know less about is more likely to form us nervous.

You're more likely to develop serious anxiety surrounding what you're less conversant in. this is often one of The explanations why pandemics of the past, like the Ebola virus and Zika virus, created a spike in anxiety for many individuals.

Being bombarded with news that constantly talks about death tolls, and reports that emphasize what percentage are sick can cause people to overestimate the risks they face in contracting the illness.

However, reliable sources of media also can have positive effects during an epidemic.

Media's Influence One reason for this might stem from the way the brain responds to novel threats. A 2013 study published in PLOS One4 found that the amygdala portion of the brain (a part of the brain involved in processing emotional responses) experiences increased activity when faced with unfamiliar threats. This results in heightened anxiety. The amygdala responds differently when faced with a well-known threat, however.

The media can fuel anxiety by continuously reporting on the “spread” of an illness just like the coronavirus. However, when used appropriately, the media also can be an ally in disseminating useful information.

Positive vs. Negative Use of Media During the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, Australian and Swedish media outlets both reported accurately on the risks of contracting the illness.

Swedish media outlets, however, were simpler because they reported on how viewers could protect themselves and reduce their risk of getting sick. they freely admitted to uncertainties about the epidemic but encouraged people to urge vaccinated as how to assist keep other members of the community safe.

Australian media, on the opposite hand, largely chose to focus the bulk of their attention on reporting public agency missteps during the outbreak. this might have negatively affected the likelihood that Australians felt an urgency to leap out and obtain vaccinations.

Before the pandemic, Sweden and Australia had similar vaccination rates. Following the outbreak, the vaccine rate was 60% in Sweden and 18% in Australia.5

As a result, researchers discovered that news reports can reduce panic within the public by recommending concrete, detailed actions for people to require. This approach may prevent individuals from overreacting or taking drastic measures when a replacement threat emerges.

Fortunately, most pandemics disappear almost as quickly as they start. But managing your anxiety as you learn more about the outbreak, or discovering the way to protect yourself, are often difficult. Fortunately, getting proactive about your psychological well-being can help manage your psychological state during these times of uncertainty.

#corona virus #covid2019 #covid-19 #stayhome #staystrong #stay safe

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behealthy99 · 3 years ago

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Coronavirus: Study deliberately exposes people to COVID, finds that symptoms developed much quicker than thought

New Post has been published on https://behealthy99.com/coronavirus-study-deliberately-exposes-people-to-covid-finds-that-symptoms-developed-much-quicker-than-thought/

Coronavirus: Study deliberately exposes people to COVID, finds that symptoms developed much quicker than thought

In a first-of-its-kind COVID-19 human challenge study, where healthy and young individuals were intentionally exposed to the coronavirus, UK scientists have found out that people developed the symptoms in less than 2 days after exposure. Only half of participants who were exposed to the coronavirus developed infections, with mostly mild symptoms, the study on 34 individuals, aged 18–30, has found.

People who were infected with the virus developed their first symptoms and tested positive, in less than two days after exposure, on average, the study found.

This contrasts with the 5 day incubation period that other studies have documented till now. High viral levels persisted for an average of 9 days, and sometimes up to 12, the study has found.

The results of the study have been posted on 2 February to the Research Square preprint server and have not been peer-reviewed.

The first group of participants were exposed to the virus in early 2021 and were quarantined at a high-level isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital in London. The participants were exposed to a low dose of virus which is equivalent to the amount of virus in a single respiratory droplet.

Also Read: The complete list of COVID vaccines currently in use in India

The common symptoms were sore throats, runny noses and sneezing and fever was less common in the participants. No one developed the persistent cough. Fever and persistent cough are considered to be a hallmark of COVID-19 symptoms.

“Mild-to-moderate symptoms were reported by 16 (89%) infected individuals, beginning 2-4 days post-inoculation. Anosmia/dysosmia developed more gradually in 12 (67%) participants,” the study has found.

The scientists have found that 18 individuals were infected with viral load rising and peaking at 5 days post-inoculation. Their study has found that a viable virus was recoverable from the nose up to 10 days post-inoculation. The study holds that the isolation period should be 10 days after the onset of the symptom in order to minimise further transmission.

The study has established that there is no quantitative correlation between viral load and symptoms.

Also Read: How Omicron symptoms may vary in vaccinated vs. unvaccinated individuals

It has said that lateral flow tests are a good indicator of viable viruses and can interrupt their spread. “However, lateral flow results were strongly associated with viable virus and modelling showed that twice-weekly rapid tests could diagnose infection before 70-80% of viable virus had been generated,” it has said.

In this study ancestral strain of the coronavirus was used. The team plans to launch another challenge trial that will expose vaccinated people to the Delta SARS-CoV-2 variant. That study will attempt to identify immune factors that protect people from ‘breakthrough’ infection after vaccination, as per a Nature report.

Human-challenge trial studies have been used earlier to study influenza, malaria and numerous other infections.

#News

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shutterbulky · 3 years ago

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What is Flurona and Symptoms of COVID Vs Flu

What is Flurona? When a patient has both the flu and COVID, this is known as Flurona. Although the name may appear to be a joke, the World Health Organization reports that incidences of influenza and COVID-19 are extremely real. According to The Times of Israel, Israel just confirmed its first case of so-called flurona on Thursday. The dual infection was discovered in an unvaccinated pregnant…

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slipperycatto · 3 years ago

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Typical CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) vs. Post-Covid19 syndrome

Okay! So, I am hoping this post will reach the people who are also struggling with the havoc and chronic issues covid-19 can wreak upon your body; I certainly would love to hear your experiences and match them up with mine. I am not a medical professional (as evidenced by my horrid little "essay" that I have come to share with you all. I say essay in the loosest of terms, cconsidering I am not an exemplary writer, and you are entitled to your opinions on my post) , but I would still love to correlate on this and perhaps find a reason as to the differeing symptoms.

Without further ado, here are my thoughts on the variant of cfs caused by Covid-19.

For all unaware of what Chronic fatigue syndrome is, put simply (too simply, because I have no medical experience except for being stuck with needles and having joint tests) a medical condition caused by a viral infection. It is characterised by these symptoms:

-fatigue and muscle weakness exacerbated by physical and mental strain

-issues concentrating

-memory problems

-joint pain

-chest pain, though I am fairly certain that this, in addition to difficulty breathing, is fairly unique to the Covid-19 variant

-heart palpitations

-depression and anxiety

There are, of course, more symptoms, but this is unfortunately a brief overview, and outlining all of the possible symptoms would be a long and, quite frankly, tiring endeavour.

Onto the variations in symptoms that I am at least fairly certain of:

-loss of taste and sense of smell

-difficulty breathing

Now, here is where we start to get into a little bit of my own experiences and a small amount of my personal medical history. If this is not of importance to you and you simply wanted to hear some thoughts on the contrasts of cfs and post-Covid19 syndrome, then this is your cue to leave, as this is most likely of no interest.

My own variation, which is a slight mix of both variations, the first caused by influenza at an early age, coupled with depression, anxiety, and psychosis, and the second; the latter form of cfs, seems to have flare-ups and even the strangest amount of a paralytic quality.

The first variant did not affect the quality of my life; I was easily tired and would often feel exhausted from the lightest exercise, certainly, but nothing extreme.

Recently, I have had to start using a cane to walk. Caused by the post-Covid19 syndrome, my life has been drastically affected. I cannot go long distances without my cane, and if I do so I collapse or my vision starts to become affected.

If you stuck through my little sidetracked description, then let me generalise a little bit from my brief research on the two kinds of cfs.

Chronic fatigue syndrome is caused by any viral infection; however, in Covid-19 it seems to be a higher chance (this may be due to more attention and researchdevoted specifically to the post-Covid19 effects), with more specific symptoms.

It seems that the covid version is somewhat more volatile, including symptoms such as trouble breathing and chest pain; seeming to be more related to covid symptoms themselves.

It's actually quite similar in appearance to narcolepsy symptom-wise, including difficulty sleeping at night, bouts of fatigue and passing out during the day, and even small amounts of paralysis, though the paralysis was my own experience and I have seen nothing so far in my small amounts of research.

It's sort of like having a constant, slightly less extreme version of covid but constantly over the course of months and even years. (And do believe me- I've had it since around January before quarantine. I am absolutely certain it can last that long.)

It additionally has the normal chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms such as: joint pain, dizziness when standing or moving, random bouts of muscle weakness, muscle weakness caused by movement or mental strain.

All very interesting and I do wonder how the forementioned prior fatigue changed my symptons- if it did at all. There is, of course, a point to be argued that it was not worsened by this factor but simply made less noticeable by it.

#Chronic fatigue syndrome #cfs #chronic fatigue #covid 19 #chronic pain

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scentedrunawayshark · 3 years ago

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Health Care for African Americans

Almost 44 million American citizens are Black or African American, making up 13.4% of the U.S. population. This demographic experiences a long-standing and disproportionate burden regarding health and access to medical care in this country. And while the Affordable Care Act has made securing health insurance coverage more attainable for Black Americans, about half of the 30 million adults currently uninsured are people of color. For those who do have coverage, some significant healthcare disparities still persist.

Contents [hide]

What Are Healthcare Disparities?

What Forces Are Driving These Disparities?

Black vs. White Health Burdens

Preventable Cancers

Caught in the Medicaid Gap

Algorithmic Bias

Racial Inequity and COVID-19

Insurance Access and Maternal Health

Unequal Treatment

Influence of Shared Ethnicities

How TrueCoverage Can Help

Children’s Health

Cardiovascular Disease

Cancer

Mental Health

What Are Healthcare Disparities?

A healthcare disparity refers to differences among groups regarding access to and utilization of care, care quality and health insurance coverage. These disparities are closely associated with social, environmental or economic disadvantages. The Kaiser Family Foundation warns: “Disparities in health and healthcare not only affect the groups facing disparities, but also limit overall gains in quality of care and health for the broader population and result in unnecessary costs.”

And it’s not just a problem for members of the disadvantaged populations; health disparities exact a steep cost on broader society as well. According to a 2018 study by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, health inequities cause us to lose $93 billion in excess medical care expenditures and $42 billion in unrealized productivity. Estimating that 3.5 million years of life are lost due to premature deaths, the report states that life spans shortened by health disparities cost the economy $175 billion.

What Forces Are Driving These Disparities?

A variety of individual and systemic factors form interrelated and complicated barriers to health and healthcare in the Black community. Among the most significant are:

Providers: Cultural bias, miscommunication, racism

Healthcare system overall: Funding of care, organization

Moreover, a host of other social, environmental and economic determinants interconnect and reinforce healthcare outcomes. For instance, gender, geography, socioeconomic status or sexual orientation may influence one’s ability to obtain quality medical services. Health inequalities among the African American population are also apparent throughout the life course, from the womb to older age.

Black vs. White Health Burdens

The American Cancer Society reports that Black Americans have the highest mortality rate and shortest survival of any ethnic group for most cancers in the U.S. The death rate is also higher among Black folks with respect to hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, influenza and pneumonia and HIV/AIDS. Life expectancy is lower for Black adults than for White ones. Disparities that persist include:

Children’s Health

2.2 times higher infant mortality rate

1.8 times more likely to be diagnosed with asthma

Cardiovascular Disease

Men 30% more likely to have hypertension

Women 60% more likely to have hypertension

Less likely to keep blood pressure under control

Cancer

Women 40% more likely to succumb to breast cancer

Men 1.3 times more likely to develop colorectal cancer

Men 2.5 times more likely to succumb to prostate cancer

Mental Health

20% more likely to report psychological distress

50% less likely to receive mental health counseling or treatment

Preventable Cancers

The American Cancer Society states that at least 42% of newly diagnosed cancers among Black Americans are among those cases that are considered preventable. Many cancers caused by infectious microbes could also be avoided through treatment of the infection and vaccination. Early detection and screening could help avert cervical and colorectal cancers as well.

Caught in the Medicaid Gap

As of 2017, 58% of the Black population in the United States lived in southern states, most of which have not adopted ACA’s optional Medicaid expansion provisions. Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas — all states with significantly large Black communities — are among the 14 states that have not yet expanded their Medicaid programs as of January 2020. In these states, over two million adults who would otherwise qualify for expanded Medicaid programs are trapped in a “coverage gap” in which their incomes exceed Medicaid eligibility limits but fall below the poverty level, the minimum for Marketplace premium tax credits.

Overall, over 90% of adults in the coverage gap live in the South. One-third of these individuals reside in Texas, 17% live in Florida and 11% are in Georgia. These states — and the South in general — have more poor uninsured adults and more limited Medicaid than other parts of the country. Citizens in the South continue to face limited options for affordable health care.

Algorithmic Bias

A 2019 study concluded that a widely used algorithm to allocate healthcare to patients systematically discriminates against African Americans. This algorithm, used to help manage care for about 200 million Americans each year, is less likely to refer Blacks with complex medical conditions than equally ill Whites to personalized care programs. Researchers discovered that Blacks were generally given lower risk scores than Whites. As a result, African American Americans had to be sicker than Whites before receiving referrals for additional medical assistance.

Racial Inequity and COVID-19

The CDC cites mounting evidence suggesting that COVID-19 disproportionately impacts African Americans and other ethnic minority populations. Long-standing inequities and injustices have placed many minorities at a greater risk of becoming ill and dying from this pandemic. The CDC states that social factors such as poverty and access to health care contribute to a wide spectrum of risks and outcomes related to health and quality of life for Blacks.

Insurance Access and Maternal Health

According to a 2020 Michigan Medicine study, almost half of all Black, Latina and Indigenous women had gaps in insurance coverage between pre-conception and post-delivery, compared to one-fourth of White women. Research indicates that two-thirds of pregnancy-related deaths among Black women are preventable. These mothers are 3 times more likely than White mothers to die from childbirth-related complications

Unequal Treatment

Research suggests that Blacks experience more obstacles than Whites with respect to trusting healthcare providers and are often discriminated against by their doctors. In a 2016 study, African American patients reported that clinicians commonly discredit their reported symptoms and do not respect the patients’ perspectives with regard to their own health. These issues pose significant barriers to cultivating productive patient-provider relationships for Black Americans.

Influence of Shared Ethnicities

Given that only 5% of all U.S. physicians are Black, it’s easy to understand why many Black Americans are apprehensive about their doctor-patient relationships. According to Michigan Medicine physician Ryan Huetro, M.D., African American patients are typically more comfortable seeing a Black doctor. He notes growing evidence of several positive outcomes when doctors and patients share the same racial identity:

Improved time together

Improved wait times for treatment

Adherence to medication

Shared decision-making

Patient understanding of health risks

Patient perceptions of treatment decisions

Decreased implicit bias on the part of the doctor

How TrueCoverage Can Help

At TrueCoverage, our goal is to help you find comprehensive health insurance coverage that fits your budget. We are your one-stop insurance shop, serving as a marketplace, personal broker and personal advisor with access to over 50,000 solutions. Our licensed agents are standing by to provide free customer support 24/7 with cutting-edge technology and resources for getting the best plans at the best price. Contact us today for a free health insurance quote to secure the coverage you need.

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paradisetechsoftsolutions · 4 years ago

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Coronavirus (COVID-19) vs Seasonal Allergies in India

Is it Coronavirus or Seasonal Allergies?

The foremost advisory signs of COVID-19 (Coronavirus (COVID-19) vs Seasonal Allergies) , the disease caused by the new coronavirus, are fever, fatigue, and a dry cough. Sometimes, it also causes cold-like symptoms like Rhinorrhea. During allergy season, it may be hard to tell the difference between COVID-19 and allergies.

Allergy symptoms happen partly because of inflammation. That’s caused by your body overreacting to things like pollen or mold.

Note: If you encounter any of these symptoms Coronavirus (COVID-19) vs Seasonal Allergies, or your cough gets worse to the point of shortness of breath, please call your healthcare provider and seek immediate medical attention.

This becomes even more significant if you undergo such seasonal allergies, as coughs and sneezes are the most common ways of transmitting an upper-respiratory virus-like COVID-19. If you’re a silent carrier of Coronavirus (COVID-19) vs or any Seasonal Allergies who’s only coughing because of pollen, those coughs still serve to propel viral particles out into the air and toward other people.

Of course, it is spring; so many people may be undergoing their seasonal springtime tree pollen allergies. Cold Viruses also endure quite common, just as was true before the coronavirus. And although influenza season is coming to an end, perhaps you’ve wondered if some of your symptoms could be the flu.

Are your symptoms consistent with allergies?

Spring, with its budding trees and warmer weather, means allergy season for many of us. As you see the trees in your area budding, that means the pollen counts will also be increasing. Due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) vs Seasonal Allergies in India, cases and so the situation getting scarier day by day.

Key symptoms: Two strong indicators that suggest allergies: if you’ve had springtime allergies before, and if the itch is a prominent component of your symptoms. People with allergies often have itchy eyes, itchy nose, and sneezing, as well as less-specific allergy symptoms such as a runny, congested nose, and a sore throat or cough that is generally due to postnasal drip.

This noxious virus can cause pneumonia-like symptoms too. And if the people who are fallen ill are reported to suffer coughs, fever, and other difficulties in breathing. This is viral pneumonia that simply can cause and in fact, the antibiotics found of no use.

Around the world, in most of the cases, people won't know whether they are suffering from Coronavirus (COVID-19) vs Seasonal Allergies in India that's been called Rhinovirus. It takes around 5 days to start showing the symptoms, researchers have said but some people will get seasonal symptoms much later than this. The incubation period lasts up to 14 days, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.

Clinical Presentation

Incubation period

The incubation period for Coronavirus (COVID-19) is thought to extend to 14 days, with a median time of 4-5 days from exposure to symptoms onset. One study reported that 97.5% of persons with Coronavirus (COVID-19) who develop symptoms will do so within 11.5 days of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Presentation

The signs and symptoms of Coronavirus (COVID-19) present at illness onset vary, but over the course of the disease, most persons with Coronavirus (COVID-19) will experience the following:

Fever (83–99%)

Cough (59–82%)

Fatigue (44–70%)

Anorexia (40–84%)

Shortness of breath (31–40%)

Sputum production (28–33%)

Myalgias (11–35%)

Some persons with Coronavirus (COVID-19) vs Seasonal Allergies in India, have experienced other gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea and nausea prior to developing fever and lower respiratory tract signs and symptoms.9 Anosmia or ageusia preceding the onset of respiratory symptoms has been anecdotally reported12, but more information is needed to understand its role in identifying COVID-19.

Several studies have reported that the signs and symptoms of Coronavirus (COVID-19) vs Seasonal Allergies in children are similar to adults and are usually milder compared to adults.13-17 For more information on the clinical presentation and course among children, see Information for Pediatric Healthcare Providers.

These viruses are typically responsible for common colds more than serious diseases. However, coronaviruses (COVID-19) are also behind some more severe outbreaks.

“It’s still early in the COVID-19 phase,” Shum says. “People are still attributing their symptoms to their allergies.”

Ending Note:

It’s important to note that this article is not intended to provide comprehensive medical advice. If you have concerns, please always contact your doctor and use general best practices. "So, Have you or someone you know been affected by Coronavirus (COVID-19) vs Seasonal Allergies in India or nearby to you at any place? Share your experiences with us by commenting in the comments section".

Stay Home & Stay Safe!

#Coronavirus or Seasonal Allergies #Seasonal Allergies in India #Clinical Presentation

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didanawisgi · 4 years ago

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Peter Doshi: Pfizer and Moderna’s “95% effective” vaccines—we need more details and the raw data

January 4, 2021

On 5 February 2021 we published a clarification to this piece. It is available here.

Five weeks ago, when I raised questions about the results of Pfizer’s and Moderna’s covid-19 vaccine trials, all that was in the public domain were the study protocols and a few press releases. Today, two journal publicationsand around 400 pages of summary data are available in the form of multiple reports presented by and to theFDA prior to the agency’s emergency authorization of each company’s mRNA vaccine. While some of the additional details are reassuring, some are not. Here I outline new concerns about the trustworthiness and meaningfulness of the reported efficacy results.

“Suspected covid-19”

All attention has focused on the dramatic efficacy results: Pfizer reported 170 PCR confirmed covid-19 cases, split 8 to 162 between vaccine and placebo groups. But these numbers were dwarfed by a category of disease called “suspected covid-19”—those with symptomatic covid-19 that were not PCR confirmed. According to FDA’s report on Pfizer’s vaccine, there were “3410 total cases of suspected, but unconfirmed covid-19 in the overall study population, 1594 occurred in the vaccine group vs. 1816 in the placebo group.”

With 20 times more suspected than confirmed cases, this category of disease cannot be ignored simply because there was no positive PCR test result. Indeed this makes it all the more urgent to understand. A rough estimate of vaccine efficacy against developing covid-19 symptoms, with or without a positive PCR test result, would be a relative risk reduction of 19% (see footnote)—far below the 50% effectiveness threshold for authorization set by regulators. Even after removing cases occurring within 7 days of vaccination (409 on Pfizer’s vaccine vs. 287 on placebo), which should include the majority of symptoms due to short-term vaccine reactogenicity, vaccine efficacy remains low: 29% (see footnote).

If many or most of these suspected cases were in people who had a false negative PCR test result, this would dramatically decrease vaccine efficacy. But considering that influenza-like illnesses have always had myriadcauses—rhinoviruses, influenza viruses, other coronaviruses, adenoviruses, respiratory syncytial virus, etc.—some or many of the suspected covid-19 cases may be due to a different causative agent.

But why should etiology matter? If those experiencing “suspected covid-19” had essentially the same clinical course as confirmed covid-19, then “suspected plus confirmed covid-19” may be a more clinically meaningful endpoint than just confirmed covid-19.

However, if confirmed covid-19 is on average more severe than suspected covid-19, we must still keep in mind that at the end of the day, it is not average clinical severity that matters, it’s the incidence of severe disease that affects hospital admissions. With 20 times more suspected covid-19 than confirmed covid-19, and trials not designed to assess whether the vaccines can interrupt viral transmission, an analysis of severe disease irrespective of etiologic agent—namely, rates of hospitalizations, ICU cases, and deaths amongst trial participants—seems warranted, and is the only way to assess the vaccines’ real ability to take the edge off the pandemic.

There is a clear need for data to answer these questions, but Pfizer’s 92-page report didn’t mention the 3410 “suspected covid-19” cases. Nor did its publication in the New England Journal of Medicine. Nor did any of the reports on Moderna’s vaccine. The only source that appears to have reported it is FDA’s review of Pfizer’s vaccine.

The 371 individuals excluded from Pfizer vaccine efficacy analysis

Another reason we need more data is to analyse an unexplained detail found in a table of FDA’s review of Pfizer’s vaccine: 371 individuals excluded from the efficacy analysis for “important protocol deviations on or prior to 7 days after Dose 2.” What is concerning is the imbalance between randomized groups in the number of these excluded individuals: 311 from the vaccine group vs 60 on placebo. (In contrast, in Moderna’s trial, there were just 36 participants excluded from the efficacy analysis for “major protocol deviation”—12 vaccine group vs 24 placebo group.)

What were these protocol deviations in Pfizer’s study, and why were there five times more participants excluded in the vaccine group? The FDA report doesn’t say, and these exclusions are difficult to even spot in Pfizer’s report and journal publication.

Fever and pain medications, unblinding, and primary event adjudication committees

Last month I expressed concern about the potential confounding role of pain and fever medications to treat symptoms. I posited that such drugs could mask symptoms, leading to underdetection of covid-19 cases, possibly in greater numbers in people who received the vaccine in an effort to prevent or treat adverse events. However, it seems their potential to confound results was fairly limited: although the results indicate that these medicines were taken around 3–4 times more often in vaccine versus placebo recipients (at least for Pfizer’s vaccine—Moderna did not report as clearly), their use was presumably concentrated in the first week after vaccine use, taken to relieve post-injection local and systemic adverse events. But the cumulative incidencecurves suggest a fairly constant rate of confirmed covid-19 cases over time, with symptom onset dates extending well beyond a week after dosing.

That said, the higher rate of medication use in the vaccine arm provides further reason to worry about unofficial unblinding. Given the vaccines’ reactogenicity, it’s hard to imagine participants and investigators could not make educated guesses about which group they were in. The primary endpoint in the trials is relatively subjective making unblinding an important concern. Yet neither FDA nor the companies seem to have formally probed the reliability of the blinding procedure, and its effects on the reported outcomes.

Nor do we know enough about the processes of the primary event adjudication committees that counted covid-19 cases. Were they blinded to antibody data and information on patients’ symptoms in the first week after vaccination? What criteria did they employ, and why, with a primary event consisting of a patient-reported outcome (covid-19 symptoms) and PCR test result, was such a committee even necessary? It’s also important to understand who was on these committees. While Moderna has named its four-member adjudication committee—all university-affiliated physicians—Pfizer’s protocol says three Pfizer employees did the work. Yes, Pfizer staff members.

Vaccine efficacy in people who already had covid?

Individuals with a known history of SARS-CoV-2 infection or previous diagnosis of Covid-19 were excluded from Moderna’s and Pfizer’s trials. But still 1125 (3.0%) and 675 (2.2%) of participants in Pfizer’s and Moderna’s trials, respectively, were deemed to be positive for SARS-CoV-2 at baseline.

Vaccine safety and efficacy in these recipients has not received much attention, but as increasingly large portions of many countries’ populations may be “post-Covid,” these data seem important—and all the more so as the US CDC recommends offering vaccine “regardless of history of prior symptomatic or asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection.” This follows on from the agency’s conclusions, regarding Pfizer’s vaccine, that it had ≥92% efficacy and “no specific safety concerns” in people with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection.

By my count, Pfizer apparently reported 8 cases of confirmed, symptomatic Covid-19 in people positive for SARS-CoV-2 at baseline (1 in the vaccine group, 7 in the placebo group, using the differences between Tables 9 and 10) and Moderna, 1 case (placebo group; Table 12).

But with only around four to 31 reinfections documented globally, how, in trials of tens of thousands, with median follow-up of two months, could there be nine confirmed covid-19 cases among those with SARS-CoV-2 infection at baseline? Is this representative of meaningful vaccine efficacy, as CDC seems to have endorsed? Or could it be something else, like prevention of covid-19 symptoms, possibly by the vaccine or by the use of medicines which suppress symptoms, and nothing to do with reinfection?

We need the raw data

Addressing the many open questions about these trials requires access to the raw trial data. But no company seems to have shared data with any third party at this point.

Pfizer says it is making data available “upon request, and subject to review.” This stops far short of making data publicly available, but at least leaves the door open. How open is unclear, since the study protocol says Pfizer will only start making data available 24 months after study completion.

Moderna’s data sharing statement states data “may be available upon request once the trial is complete.” This translates to sometime in mid-to-late 2022, as follow-up is planned for 2 years.

Things may be no different for the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine which has pledged patient-level data “when the trial is complete.” And the ClinicalTrials.gov entry for the Russian Sputnik V vaccine says there are no plans to share individual participant data.

The European Medicines Agency and Health Canada, however, may share data for any authorized vaccines much earlier. EMA has already pledged to publish the data submitted by Pfizer on its website “in due course,” as has Health Canada.

Peter Doshi, associate editor, The BMJ

Competing interests: I have been pursuing the public release of vaccine trial protocols, and have co-signed open letters calling for independence and transparency in covid-19 vaccine related decision making.

Spanish translation of this article

Footnote

Calculations in this article are as follows: 19% = 1 – (8+1594)/(162+1816); 29% = 1 – (8 + 1594 – 409)/(162 + 1816 – 287). I ignored denominators as they are similar between groups.

#family medicine #internal medicine #virology #epidemiology #covid-19 #covid-19 vaccine #controversy #debate

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scentedrunawayshark · 3 years ago

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Health Care for African Americans

Contents [hide]

What Are Healthcare Disparities?

What Forces Are Driving These Disparities?

Black vs. White Health Burdens

Preventable Cancers

Caught in the Medicaid Gap

Algorithmic Bias

Racial Inequity and COVID-19

Insurance Access and Maternal Health

Unequal Treatment

Influence of Shared Ethnicities

How TrueCoverage Can Help

Children’s Health

Cardiovascular Disease

Cancer

Mental Health

What Are Healthcare Disparities?

What Forces Are Driving These Disparities?

A variety of individual and systemic factors form interrelated and complicated barriers to health and healthcare in the Black community. Among the most significant are:

Providers: Cultural bias, miscommunication, racism

Healthcare system overall: Funding of care, organization

Black vs. White Health Burdens

Children’s Health

2.2 times higher infant mortality rate

1.8 times more likely to be diagnosed with asthma

Cardiovascular Disease

Men 30% more likely to have hypertension

Women 60% more likely to have hypertension

Less likely to keep blood pressure under control

Cancer

Women 40% more likely to succumb to breast cancer

Men 1.3 times more likely to develop colorectal cancer

Men 2.5 times more likely to succumb to prostate cancer

Mental Health

20% more likely to report psychological distress

50% less likely to receive mental health counseling or treatment

Preventable Cancers

Caught in the Medicaid Gap

Algorithmic Bias

Racial Inequity and COVID-19

Insurance Access and Maternal Health

Unequal Treatment

Influence of Shared Ethnicities

Improved time together

Improved wait times for treatment

Adherence to medication

Shared decision-making

Patient understanding of health risks

Patient perceptions of treatment decisions

Decreased implicit bias on the part of the doctor

How TrueCoverage Can Help

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siristaci · 5 years ago

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https://infogram.com/covid-19-vs-allergies-vs-flu-1hxr4z1y039e2yo

This one is COVID-19 vs cold/upper respiratory infection vs allergies/hay fever vs influenza. For everyone asking for one with hay fever.

Another great graphic from @popsci

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my-thoughts-my-views · 4 years ago

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What should we know before taking COVID-19 Vaccine?

Year 2020 will be remembered as the “COVID-19 Year” in the history. It has been more than one year of this pandemic now, which has had a devastating effect on this whole planet. With more than 92 million cases and 2 million deaths, this pandemic doesn’t seem to stop. The virus is surging in many regions and countries that had apparent success in suppressing the initial outbreaks and are also seeing a rise in infections again.

Before we talk about the COVID-19 Vaccine; let us refresh our knowledge about COVID-19 in short. We are not going in depth as we already have read or heard so much about COVID-19 so far.

What is COVID-19?

Corona viruses are a large family of viruses that are actually common throughout the world and can cause respiratory illness in people and animals. COVID-19 is a new strain of corona virus that had previously not been identified in humans. COVID-19 was first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan, China.

How are COVID-19 spread?

This virus is transmitted by a heavy droplet. Those droplets generally created whenever we talk or cough or have any respiratory effort. We do know that, the older we get and the more comorbidities or health issues we have the more likely we are to suffer from more serious outcomes with the virus.

So, the highest risk groups for contracting COVID-19 are people that have a lot of face-to-face contact. Just because you get the virus doesn't necessarily mean you are going to have a bad outcome. So being exposed again doesn't necessarily mean you are going to have pneumonia, doesn't necessarily mean you going to end up hospitalized or death. People who are probably the least likely to encounter the virus are people who limit social contacts.

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

In other coronaviruses, common signs of infection includes…

- Runny nose

- Headache

- Cough

- Sore throat

- Fever

- A general feeling of being unwell

Symptoms range of COVID-19 is enormously wide. In confirmed cases of COVID-19 infections, symptoms includes…

- Cough

- Fever

- Difficulty breathing

- Shortness of breath

- Exertion and fatigue

This is a lower respiratory infection so think like pneumonia. It is little bit different than other viruses that we think of that are upper respiratory infections where breathing is not as difficult such as influenza.

How to prevent acquiring COVID-19?

The best safety protection we can take in order to prevent acquiring COVID-19 is social distancing.

- Do not gather in large crowds, we don't need to be within six feet of a large number of people because, that increases your chances of encountering the virus.

- Good hand hygiene is always wonderful advice when it comes to preventing the transmission of infectious diseases.

- Avoiding touching your eyes nose and mouth because the virus can actually begin multiplying in any one of those parts of our body.

- Encourage others around us to practice good respiratory hygiene such as whenever they cough coughing like this rather than in our hands where you can then contact other surfaces and potentially lead to transmission of the virus.

Public health officials occasionally use quarantine to control infectious diseases. In this particular case they ask that you self-quarantine or self-isolate if you are exposed or develop the illness usually for 14 days. After 14 days they will perform a test to see if you still have the virus and so if you are tested and you no longer have the virus and have no overt symptoms they will release you to re-join your daily activities.

COVID-19 Vaccines:

It's been a year of the Corona virus and I think there's a light at the end of the tunnel, as they say, but make no mistake, we are still in the tunnel.

People are eager to receive the vaccine. They have lots of questions, some uncertainty and we're here today to try to answer many of your questions and concerns.

If we want to return to the normal much more quickly, than whole would should act like one nation and everyone must get vaccinated. But we all are having a question in our mind that, current vaccines are developed so fast, so is it safe?

It was a race between developing a vaccine and a race between the COVID-19 viruses infecting all of us.

COVID-19 vaccines are safe, and they work. Thanks to the technology, we were able to accelerate the development and it has also been shown now in clinical trials involving over 75,000 people. The safety profile for the vaccines are based on age, gender, race, ethnicity, or if you have certain common co-morbidities like obesity or diabetes or lung disease, the vaccine is equally safe across these populations.

Because of the intense collaboration, the orchestration, and the timeline and funding given, we were able to achieve this milestone within a year of knowing this virus even existed. If we consider the case of United States for the vaccine, then there are two vaccines that are available.

- Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine

- Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine

Both show about equal efficacy of around 95%. Based on the data it is noticed that the two vaccines available, there is no concern that one is better than the other. It's not really painful. That is a good way to protect yourself and protect your loved ones.

These are mRNA vaccines, so what that entails is a strand of RNA. Which is a type of chemical that is in our own bodies, but this is an RNA that is unique to COVID. It's just a piece of it, so it can't cause the COVID virus. It's not the COVID virus that's in these vaccines. It's just that little piece of instructions on how to make a protein.

Based on the data, we should not have reservations about getting this COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine, is really critical for our communities of colour. And there's hesitancy and potential distrust in the process, but the clinical trials that were done by the companies included a large number of individuals from a really varied background. And this was done specifically to try and address some of these concerns and history of not including communities of colour and research. And that what they've done is, by creating a very diverse population in our clinical trials, we can speak very specifically about the safety in these different populations. So specifically, for communities of colour, there is evidence that the vaccine is just as safe and just as effective as it is for everybody else.

What should we care before and After COVID-19 Vaccination?

- Everybody needs to be monitored after they get the vaccine for a certain amount of time, and people that have had a serious allergic reaction, may want to be monitored for a little bit longer.

- It's better to schedule the vaccine before a day off, or when you don't have a lot of plans the next day because you may feel some side effects from it. And you'll want to have some time to recover from that.

- If you are a pregnant woman, if you are breastfeeding, or if you're immunocompromised, right now, it's an individual decision that you should make between you and your doctor whether the COVID-19 vaccine is right for you.

What you may feel after vaccination?

In about a third of people who get the vaccine experience a reaction or side effects and that's because the vaccine is doing what we want it to do, produce an immune response.

The Common Side effects after vaccination are…

- Injection site pain

- Tiredness

- Headache

- Muscle pain

- Joint pain

- Injection site swelling

- Injection site redness

- Nausea

- You may have arm soreness

- You may even have fever

- Your muscles may ache

These are known minor or expected side effects of a vaccine and they can occur not just after COVID-19 vaccine but in fact after most of the vaccines that you receive. These side effects occur because your body is adapting to the vaccine. Vaccines work by introducing a small number of bacteria, virus or toxin into the body. Because the bacteria, virus or toxin have been killed or weakened, there's no risk of contracting the disease in question. However, your body responds as if it were under attack, and mounts an immune response. If, in the future, you do encounter that disease, you'll have an army of cells and antibodies ready to fight it.

This means that any adverse effects you experience are unlikely to be caused by the bacteria, virus or toxin. Most of the common side effects such as a sore arm, redness and fever are caused by the injection, or by your own immune system fighting against the weakened invaders.

What are the chances of serious side effects?

Serious adverse events, while possible, are very rare. Let’s take the example of yellow fever that is also caused by a virus. According to the WHO, serious side effects occur at a rate of around 0.09 to 0.4 cases per 10,000 doses of the yellow fever vaccine, in populations who haven't been exposed to

the virus. By contrast, the serious form of yellow fever is fatal around half the time. On a similar note, the rate of serious allergic reactions is around 1-2 cases per million across all vaccines.

Compare that with the death rate for measles (around 1 in 500), and for flu which causes around 200 deaths in the UK alone, every winter, and it's obvious which is riskier. What we need to understand are the risks and benefits - how many people are dying from yellow fever; how many people are dying from measles VS how many died from any serious adverse effect of the vaccine.

Clearly, adverse effects are tragic for the individual and the family but they are rare, and we need to balance this with the risks associated with that disease. So, there is a remote chance that Covid-19

Vaccine can cause a severe allergic reaction. A severe allergic reaction would usually occur within a few minutes to one hour after getting a dose of the COVID-19 Vaccine. For this reason, your vaccination provider may ask you to stay at the place where you received your vaccine for monitoring after vaccination.

Signs of a severe allergic reaction can include:

- Difficulty breathing

- Swelling of your face and throat

- A fast heartbeat

- A skin rash all over your body

- Dizziness

- Weakness

Can the COVID-19 vaccine gives me COVID-19?

The simple answer to this question is a “BIG NO”. None of the COVID-19 Vaccines contain SARS-CoV-2 virus, so it is not possible that you can CONTRACT COVID-19 from the COVID-19 vaccine.

Are these Vaccines are 100% effective?

Many of us might have heard about the new strain of COVID-19, like UK strain, Brazilian strain and there's also a South African strain. What the scientists are concerned about is there's about 30,000, let's say letters or base pairs in this RNA virus. One change is a mutation, and then you can get differences between what we would say the strains, but when we have a significant change that results in a characteristic, in this case, transmissibility, then we begin to talk about what we would call really identified as strains or things that can really make a difference.

And most of this is focused on that spike protein which you all hear about. That actually is important for the virus in terms of attaching to our human cells, but also that's what our vaccines and therapeutics are built on. So if you think about a change in that protein can potentially affect all of that, in addition to transmissibility. More transmissibility equals to more infections, more hospitalizations and more deaths.

So right now, again, we have no data that any of the current vaccines we're using are effected by these new strains to date. So we can’t say that these vaccines are 100% effective against COVID-19 and its all strains.

So, once you get the vaccine, we still have to wear our masks. We still have to be mindful of social distancing until we can ensure that the community has herd immunity.

Thank you very much for reading this article. I hope, I was able to answer most of your questions regarding COVID-19 and side effects of COVID-19 vaccine here. If you have any more queries make sure to write them in the Comment section. Or you can contact me and ask me question by sending an e-mail. You can visit Mind & Body Health for health related products.

#corona #coronavirus #corona live update #corona vaccine #covid-19 #covid test #covid2020 #covid-19 vaccine #covid-19 variant #covid-19 vaccanation #covid vaccine #covid treatment #Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine #pfizer covid-19 vaccine #- Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine #moderna’s covid-19 vaccine #pfizer #moderma

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