Coronavirus 2

[JMarie]

Waiting to see if Laura Ingraham talks about how awesome hydroxychloroquine is during tonight's show, like she typically does.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2020/04/24/covid-19-treatment-fda-says-hydroxychloroquine-not-safe-effective/3020046001/

Quote

A study posted on April 21 involving 368 patients with confirmed cases of COVID-19 treated at Veterans Health Administration medical centers found there were more deaths among those given hydroxychloroquine than those receiving standard care. In addition, the drug made no difference in the need for a breathing machine. 

Quote

A Brazilian double-blind research study published last week found chloroquine to be so dangerous at high doses the trial was shut down after six days. 

The study found one-quarter of the patients taking the anti-malaria medication developed potentially deadly changes in the electrical system regulating their heartbeats. While a small and imperfect study, it highlighted the compelling need for more rigorous data.

 

[clueliss]

Follow up on the piece I shared earlier, this is the retired farmer from NE Kansas and his wife (Doniphan County)

 

[JMarie]

Tonight on Tucker Carlson: coronavirus is not sexually transmitted. They always claim to given you news that nobody else does.  I don't think anyone else is devoting precious airtime to this topic, especially when we're all supposed to be at least six feet apart from one another.

[Ozlsn]

Oh my. We just had a random phone call from someone who wanted to evangelize at us during these uncertain times. It went to message because the answering machine kicks in after two rings, and we were both far enough away that it started before we got there. Didn't say which mob, although I am wondering if the JWs have found a new, socially distant means of fulfilling their obligations.

Also I am now having to dissuade my husband from changing the generic message to something featuring metal music and talking about Satan.  

[Howl]

13 hours ago, JMarie said:

Tonight on Tucker Carlson: coronavirus is not sexually transmitted. They always claim to given you news that nobody else does.  I don't think anyone else is devoting precious airtime to this topic, especially when we're all supposed to be at least six feet apart from one another.

So Tucker's been confused about the difference between sexual distancing and social distancing? 

Tucker: Honey, I have great news!

Tucker's wife: Pleeeeeese make it stooooop. 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

13 hours ago, JMarie said:

Tonight on Tucker Carlson: coronavirus is not sexually transmitted. They always claim to given you news that nobody else does.  I don't think anyone else is devoting precious airtime to this topic, especially when we're all supposed to be at least six feet apart from one another.

Maybe not technically, but saliva and breath will spread it and it's hard to think of a sexual encounter where those wouldn't be exchanged at some point.

[Howl]

7 minutes ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

Maybe not technically, but saliva and breath will spread it and it's hard to think of a sexual encounter where those wouldn't be exchanged at some point.

Correct, but I'm just making fun of Tucker, who is a total idiot.   We don't social distance from our spouses/partners, unless they been exposed or are actively sick. 

In fact, I'm expecting a huge baby boom to follow stay-at-home/shelter-in-place orders, creating a generation that will eclipse the post WWII baby boom. 

[apple1]

12 hours ago, Ozlsn said:

... I am wondering if the JWs have found a new, socially distant means of fulfilling their obligations...

I have had JW literature left on my front porch recently. (In the past, we have had a fair number of JWs knock on the door. We are about a mile from a Kingdom Hall).

[fraurosena]

Time for a new update:

• In the past day there were 120 new reported corona related deaths in the Netherlands, bringing the total up to 4409.
  GP's have reported an additional 764 suspected (because untested) corona related deaths in the past weeks.. GP's have also taken intensive care of about 1800 vulnerable untested patients with Covid-19 in that period outside of a hospital -- these patients did not want to be hospitalised for a variety of reasons.
  100 corona patients were hospitalised yesterday, taking total of hospitalised patients up 10.381.
  The total number of confirmed cases rose with 655 up to 37.190.
• For the second day in a row Spain reported less than 400 corona related deaths. Yesterday 378 deaths were reported, bringing the total up to 22.902.
  This week Spain eased it's strict measures somewhat. Starting tomorrow children, accompanied by an adult, may leave the house once a day.
• English paternal twins Katy and Emma Davis (38) died within three days of each other from Covid-19. The two lived together and had underlying health issues. Both sisters had worked as nurses in the hospital where they died. 
• The WHO does not have 'evidence' that people who have recovered from a corona virus infection and who have antibodies, are also protected from a second infection. The organisation warns against so-called 'immunity passports'. Such health declarations can aid in the spread of the virus. In the past week, Chile has said it would start handing out 'immunity passports' to people who have recovered from Covid-19. They would then be allowed to go back to work.
• The corona crisis pressure on hospitals in Belgium is on a downward trend. The number of corona patient hospitalisations went down by 160 to 4195 yesterday -- 217 patients were hospitalised in the past 24 hours.
  There were 241 reported corona related deaths; 58 of whom were from the day before yesterday in Flemish care centres who hadn't been reported yet. The total number of deaths in Belgium is now 6917. More than half of them (53%) died in a care centre.
  From May 4 Belgium will be gradually easing their corona measures.
• Curaçao is sending more than 80 medics and healthcare workers who had arrived earlier in the week on the island from America, back to the US. The reason is that one of the healthcare workers tested positive for the virus. Medics that were sent to Aruba will also be sent back, as they flew over on the same plane as the group that went to Curaçao. The female healthcare worker had tested positive earlier in April, but didn't have symptoms anymore. Before the flight, she was tested again, but she took the flight without waiting for the results. That test turned out to be positive again. The healthcare workers were being paid by the Netherlands. 
• There were 179 corona related deaths reported in Germany yesterday, bringing the total number up to 5500. 
  The number of confirmed cases rose with 2055 up to 152.438. The number of new cases went down for the second day in a row. 
• President Desi Bouterse has prolonged the corona measures in Surinam with another 14 days. 
• There were 1258 corona related deaths reported in the US yesterday, brining the total up to 51.017. 
  There were 24.000 new confirmed cases, bringing that total up to 890.000.
  The American Navy has advised Mark Esper of the Defense Department to rehabilitate captain Brett Crozier, who was fired after he raised the alarm about the outbreak of the virus on his ship, the Theodore Roosevelt.
• Pressured by China, the European Union has toned down certain passages in a report on the spread of the virus. The report originally said that China had spread fake news about the corona virus in order to stave of blame for the outbreak. Just before the report was to go public last Tuesday, the publication was halted. This was purportedly under pressure from China, who had strongly insisted not to publicise the report and threatened negative consequences for European trade with China. After that, certain passages where China's role in the spread of the virus were emphasised were toned down.
• India has eased its corona measures for the first time in a month. From today small neighbourhood shops are allowed to open again. Malls and markets will remain closed. The lessening of measures is mostly for economic reasons. Although the spread of the virus has diminished a bit during the lockdown, it's not enough just yet. 
  Rural areas in particular will profit from the easing of measures. They don't have malls or large markets, and so their shops can all open up again. Plus, rural areas in India are not large infection hearths.
  Most corona measures will remain in place until May 3.

@Ozlsn, in my country we have a so-called "Don't call me"-register. If you register your number with them, no one 'selling' things, be they material or spiritual, is by law, allowed to make an unsolicited call to your number.
Robocalls such as they have in America (Michelle's anti-transgender rant springs to mind) are completely out of the question. It's such a relief not to be called by people peddling all sorts of stuff at all hours of the day! 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

5 minutes ago, Howl said:

We don't social distance from our spouses/partners, unless they been exposed or are actively sick. 

True.  But for the people who have sex with those outside of a relationship serious enough to shelter in place together this is a very long shut down.

 

[mollysmom]

15 hours ago, Ozlsn said:

Oh my. We just had a random phone call from someone who wanted to evangelize at us during these uncertain times. It went to message because the answering machine kicks in after two rings, and we were both far enough away that it started before we got there. Didn't say which mob, although I am wondering if the JWs have found a new, socially distant means of fulfilling their obligations.

Also I am now having to dissuade my husband from changing the generic message to something featuring metal music and talking about Satan.  

I was raised independent fundamental baptist (cuz, ya know, they're better than just regular baptists ?) & when the weather was too bad to go door to door or we were too sick to go door to door we were strongly encouraged to take out a phone book & call random people to tell them about Jesus. Seriously. Ugh.

[Dandruff]

5 hours ago, fraurosena said:

in my country we have a so-called "Don't call me"-register. If you register your number with them, no one 'selling' things, be they material or spiritual, is by law, allowed to make an unsolicited call to your number.
Robocalls such as they have in America (Michelle's anti-transgender rant springs to mind) are completely out of the question. It's such a relief not to be called by people peddling all sorts of stuff at all hours of the day!

We have a Do Not Call registry in the US and it's violated all the time.

[Ozlsn]

7 hours ago, fraurosena said:

in my country we have a so-called "Don't call me"-register. If you register your number with them, no one 'selling' things, be they material or spiritual, is by law, allowed to make an unsolicited call to your number.

We also have that - but it excludes political and not-for-profit groups. Given the calls I most want to avoid are the political robocalls I tend to just screen via the answering machine.  This is the first religious one I've had, which partly why I was so surprised.

@mollysmom I kind of think that mentioning which group you're with might be helpful - although maybe he just wanted to leave a cheering message on a random stranger's answering machine. Who knows!

Edited April 25, 2020 by Ozlsn

[smittykins]

22 hours ago, Ozlsn said:

Oh my. We just had a random phone call from someone who wanted to evangelize at us during these uncertain times. It went to message because the answering machine kicks in after two rings, and we were both far enough away that it started before we got there. Didn't say which mob, although I am wondering if the JWs have found a new, socially distant means of fulfilling their obligations.

Also I am now having to dissuade my husband from changing the generic message to something featuring metal music and talking about Satan.  

I have heard some JWs do this now(as well as those physically unable to go door-to-door).

[thoughtful]

https://www.vox.com/first-person/2020/4/22/21228680/coronavirus-covid-19-deaths-old-elderly-people

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There are thousands of Americans dying from Covid-19 every day. Most of them are elderly and immunocompromised, but you almost wouldn’t know it from the headlines. A young, healthy person dies and it’s an injustice, a scare tactic that gets shared on social media with a reminder to stay home. But when it’s a frail senior, well, their time was up. My grandfather gets to be a glossed-over statistic, a data point.

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This aggressive virus is making us confront the reality of death every day, but our culture doesn’t sensationalize the elderly and immunocompromised fatalities like the younger ones. The bias is pervasive and insidious, their lives seen as expendable. It’s this idea that underscores the push some politicians are making to reopen the economy sooner than most public health experts are recommending — that the economic costs are not worth the deaths of some elderly people.

With my grandfather, Alzheimer’s had started to show itself years ago and we accepted he was nearing the end of his life. That doesn’t make his passing any less of a tragedy. He wasn’t sick, and he wasn’t ready to die. There were 11 other fatalities at his nursing home, alongside countless stories and tens of thousands of families like mine who were bracing for the worst and had their lives upended. These are real people. They deserve that recognition, too.

 

[Cartmann99]

On 4/24/2020 at 8:49 PM, Ozlsn said:

Also I am now having to dissuade my husband from changing the generic message to something featuring metal music and talking about Satan.  

Your husband is awesome!

11 hours ago, Howl said:

So Tucker's been confused about the difference between sexual distancing and social distancing? 

Tucker: Honey, I have great news!

Tucker's wife: Pleeeeeese make it stooooop. 

Don't attempt to make me feel sorry for the woman that married Tucker Carlson.

11 hours ago, Howl said:

In fact, I'm expecting a huge baby boom to follow stay-at-home/shelter-in-place orders, creating a generation that will eclipse the post WWII baby boom. 

I was looking for something on Etsy today and ended up with some results from shops that make sex toys. From what I saw, business is good right now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ozlsn]

After the ICU - how patients recover (or don't).

"Two months after leaving the intensive care unit, Rob Rainer returned to his law practice in Revere, eager to resume his old life after surviving a severe lung infection that tethered him to a breathing machine for a month.

But as he sat down at his desk, the former hard-driving multitasker found he couldn’t stay on track with even one task. Phone conversations left him overwhelmed. He was baffled by a computer program he himself had developed.

Today, five years later, Rainer’s life is very different — his law practice shuttered, his two houses sold. At 58, he lives modestly with his wife in a small condo in Hudson, N.H."

 

[fraurosena]

Time for another update.

• Since 31 December 2019 and as of 26 April 2020, 2.844.712 cases of COVID-19 (in accordance with the applied case definitions and testing strategies in the affected countries) have been reported, including 201.315 deaths.

  Cases have been reported from:

  Africa: 30.316 cases; the five countries reporting most cases are South Africa (4.361), Egypt (4.319), Morocco (3.897), Algeria (3.256) and Cameroon (1.518).

  Asia: 456.350 cases; the five countries reporting most cases are Turkey (107.773), Iran (89.328), China (83.909), India (26.496) and Saudi Arabia (16.299).

  America: 1.134.686 cases; the five countries reporting most cases are United States (939.053), Brazil (58.509), Canada (45.341), Peru (25.331) and Mexico (13.842).

  Europe: 1.214.584 cases; the five countries reporting most cases are Spain (219.764), Italy (195.351), Germany (154.175), United Kingdom (148.377) and France (124.114).

  Oceania: 8.080 cases; the five countries reporting most cases are Australia (6.703), New Zealand (1.121), Guam (141), French Polynesia (57) and Fiji (18).

  Other: 696 cases have been reported from an international conveyance in Japan.

  Deaths have been reported from:

  Africa: 1.382 deaths; the five countries reporting most deaths are Algeria (419), Egypt (307), Morocco (159), South Africa (86) and Cameroon (53).

  Asia: 16.865 deaths; the five countries reporting most deaths are Iran (5.650), China (4.636), Turkey (2.706), India (824) and Indonesia (720).

  America: 63.649 deaths; the five countries reporting most deaths are United States (53.189), Brazil (4.016), Canada (2.465), Mexico (1.305) and Peru (700).

  Europe: 119.306 deaths; the five countries reporting most deaths are Italy (26.384), France (22.614), Spain (22.524), United Kingdom (20.319) and Belgium (6.917).

  Oceania: 106 deaths; the four countries reporting most deaths are Australia (81), New Zealand (18), Guam (5) and Northern Mariana Islands (2).

  Other: 7 deaths have been reported from an international conveyance in Japan.

• The rate of infection is down to 0.8 in New York. This means that someone who has the virus on average infects less than one other person. Andrew Cuomo said this was 'good news' and a consequence of the restrictive measures the state has taken. There were 367 new corona related deaths in New York, down from 437 the day before.
• Starting today, for the first time in 44 days, , Spanish children up to 14 years old are allowed to play outside again if they are accompanied by an adult. They can be outside for no more than an hour between 09.00 and 21.00, and they aren't allowed to be further than 1 kilometre from their home.
  The daily number of corona related deaths went down to the lowest levels in more than a month: 288. 
  If the numbers of new cases and deaths keep going down, prime minister Pedro Sánchez has promised more easing of restrictions. After May 2 people may sport outside again, and go out for a walk with someone they live with. Prerequisite is that the development of the pandemic remains favourable.
• The number of Dutch corona patients in the ICU went down by 25 in comparison to yesterday, bringing the total number down to 934.
  There were 66 new corona related deaths reported, the lowest number this month, brining the total number of deaths up to 4475. There were 75 new hospitalisations, bringing the total up to 10.456.
  There were 655 new confirmed cases, brining that total up to 37.845.
  25 students who spent 8 weeks on the Frisian tall ship Wylde Swan, have arrived back safely in the Netherlands this afternoon. The teenagers, aged between 14 and 17 years old, were supposed to sail through the Caribbean seas, but things turned out rather differently. Because of the corona crisis, they couldn't fly back home, so they decided to cross The Atlantic in their sailing ship. Besides the students, there were also 12 crew members and 3 teachers on board. 
  Pic of the Wylde Swan under the spoiler:
  Spoiler

  

   

• Australia has introduced a corona tracing app. The app, which can be used on a voluntary basis, identifies people who have been in contact with a corona patient. Authorities say the 'COVIDSafe"-app makes use of Bluetooth technology in mobile phones. The app needs data from each user: name, phone number, age group and postal code. The app does not gather geo data such as location coordinations, according to the Health minister. After 21 days information will be removed from users phones. Research found that 45% of Aussies is willing to download the app, 28% will not, and the rest is undecided.
• A pregnant Belgian woman, Amandine, who tested positive for Covid-19 has given birth to a perfectly healthy baby. Amandine was asymptomatic, but was tested as a precaution because she was scheduled to have a caesarian section. Because she tested positive, her husband Francois was not allowed to be present during the birth, which took place in a separate operation room in a hospital in Brussels. Two minutes after her daughter was born, she was whisked away to ensure she was healthy. New mom and dad are now in quarantine. After being reunited with their baby, they are continuously wearing masks to protect their newborn.
• A family in Ecuador has been through an emotional rollercoaster. A month ago they were told their 74-year-old family member died of the corona virus, but this week, the woman in question called them up from her hospital bed. The question is: who do the ashes belong to in the urn on their mantle piece?
  When Alba Maruri woke up out of a coma last Thursday and told doctors her name, they were astounded. Late March they had told her family she had died. After her 'death' on March 27, her cousin went to the hospital to identify her. From a distance of six feet in the mortuary, he was certain it was his aunt laying there. 
  The woman in the mortuary was cremated by the hospital and Alba's family received the ashes. But all that time the 74-year-old was actually in a coma in the ICU. 
  In a reaction the hospital defended itself for the mix up by saying that it was total chaos because of the corona virus outbreak. Ecuador has been hit hard, and the town of Guayaquil (where the hospital is) is the epicentre. 
  The family is demanding reparation. At the very least they want the costs of the cremation back, and money for a new matras, as they had already thrown away Alba's old one.
• China reports there are no more infected people in Wuhan's hospitals. "The latest news is that the number of corona patients in Wuhan is down to zero, thanks to the collective efforts of Wuhan and healthcare workers from around the country," a spokesperson for the national health commission said during a briefing. The city has had 46.452 confirmed cases, 56% of the national total. 3869 patients died in Wuhan, 84% of the total number of corona-related deaths in China.
• Richard Branson has put his airline company Virgin Atlantic up for sale, after a request for 570 million euro in financial aid was turned down by the British government. According to The Telegraph, the company is in trouble because of the corona crisis. Branson said that he had given himself and his company until the end of May to set things right again, but the billionaire can't do that without governmental aid.
  Branson has been the owner and flamboyant face of the airline company, that mainly organises long-distance flights to North and Central America, Africa, Asia and Australia, since 1984. Almost 8500 people work for Virgin Atlantic.

[Howl]

16 hours ago, Cartmann99 said:

Don't attempt to make me feel sorry for the woman that married Tucker Carlson.

No, it was strictly intended to make fun of Tucker, who is a chronic ass. 

[GreyhoundFan]

I wonder if this is how his nannies were able to convince him to stop the daily hate rallies.

[47of74]

Faux News personalities, living down to the Faux News name

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Fox News host Laura Ingraham and network contributor Raymond Arroyo took aim Wednesday night at CNN anchors who have tested positive for the new coronavirus, calling the infections a “deliberate attempt” by the network to “graft” the anchors onto the crisis and likening the situation to a reality show.

In recent weeks, at least three CNN anchors have announced they have been stricken with COVID-19: Chris Cuomo, Brooke Baldwin, and Richard Quest. Cuomo remained on the air while he was sick, at times openly discussing his symptoms with CNN medical contributor Dr. Sanjay Gupta and his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The Cuomo Prime Time host’s teenage son and wife have also since contracted the virus.

On Wednesday during a regular Ingraham Angle segment called “Seen and Unseen,” Arroyo—a frequent Ingraham guest and occasional guest host—grumbled that CNN personalities have increasingly become part of the pandemic story.”

“A number of them have contracted the virus and emoted their personal experiences,” he continued. “It almost appears they’ve launched a series of new reality shows. You could call this one ‘Are You Sicker Than a CNN Anchor?’”

 

[fraurosena]

Sweet Rufus.

Coronavirus spreads in a New York nursing home forced to take recovering patients

Quote

The coronavirus patients began arriving the last week of March, transferred to the Gurwin Jewish Nursing and Rehabilitation Center under a New York state mandate requiring nursing homes to accept those recovering from COVID-19, even if they still might be contagious.

At the time, the Long Island nursing home had only one known resident who had contracted the virus, according to the facility’s president and CEO, Stuart Almer.

A month later, Gurwin is battling an outbreak that’s killed 24 residents — only three of whom were hospital transfers — and one staff member, who worked in housekeeping, Almer said. And the nursing home is still mandated to take in recovering hospital patients known to have the virus, potentially increasing its spread in the facility.

“We can’t say for sure” whether the virus has spread because of the patients transferred under the state mandate, Almer said. “But it’s certainly not helping the situation.”

Three states hit hard by the pandemic — New York, New Jersey and California — have ordered nursing homes and other long-term care facilities to accept coronavirus patients discharged from hospitals. The policy, intended to help clear in-demand hospital beds for sicker patients, has prompted sharp criticism from the nursing home industry, staff members and concerned families, as well as some leading public health experts.

“Nursing homes are working so hard to keep the virus out, and now we’re going to be introducing new COVID-positive patients?” asked David Grabowski, a professor of health policy at Harvard Medical School. Instead, he believes that states should create COVID-only facilities for recovering patients discharged from hospitals.

“The existing places that can really do this safely in terms of staffing and building space to keep them separate are in the minority,” he added.

When Gurwin staff members told Christina Peredo’s mother about the mandate in late March, her family decided to withdraw her 96-year-old grandfather from the facility, out of fear for his safety, even though he was still on IV antibiotics and recovering from pneumonia unrelated to the virus, she said.

“To make this a mandate without exploring other options, what you’re saying is, ‘Sorry, you’ve lived a good life,’” Peredo, 35, a nurse, said. “It’s reckless and careless.”

The blowback to these policies prompted California to soften its mandate April 1, saying facilities “can be expected” to receive COVID patients only if they have adequate protective gear and can follow the federal government’s infection control recommendations.

In New Jersey, only facilities “that have the ability to separate patients” into three groups — those who have been infected, those who have been exposed and those who have not been exposed — can accept discharged hospital patients or returning residents who’ve been infected, the state health department said in a statement, adding that 130 long-term care facilities are not accepting admissions.

But in New York, the controversy over the mandate has escalated as the virus has battered hospitals and nursing homes alike: The state not only has more coronavirus cases than anywhere in the country, but also the highest number of known long-term care deaths — at least 3,500 — related to the virus, according to the state health department. A broad swath of nursing homes across the state have already accepted COVID-positive hospital patients in compliance with the mandate, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo has openly criticized facilities for opposing it.

“They don’t have a right to object. That is the rule and that is the regulation, and they have to comply with that,” Cuomo, a Democrat, said in a Thursday news conference. “If they can’t do it, we’ll put them in a facility that can do it.”

Nursing homes across the country have struggled to contain the coronavirus’ spread, facing shortages in testing, personal protective equipment and employees, who assist residents with everything from bathing to feeding themselves. Many elderly residents are unable to comply with basic infection control measures like hand-washing or mask-wearing, and suffer from underlying health conditions that make them more likely to succumb to the virus.

As of this week, the coronavirus has killed nearly 11,000 people in nursing homes in 36 states, according to state health data collected by NBC News. More than half of those deaths occurred in New York and New Jersey.

Early in the pandemic, New York had strict guidelines for when infected patients could be discharged from hospitals: The state required patients to have two negative COVID-19 tests; wait at least seven days since the initial positive test; and be fever-free without medication, according to a March 8 advisory.

But as cases rapidly mounted, hospitals became overwhelmed, and recovering patients who didn’t require hospital-level treatment needed somewhere else to go. While patients must be medically stable to be transferred out of a hospital, those heading to a nursing home or other post-acute care facility require rehabilitation and other care they can’t receive at home.

On March 25, New York became the first state to issue a blanket rule prohibiting nursing homes from denying admission or readmission to residents because they are infected with COVID-19, and banned the facilities from testing patients for the disease before they are admitted. (The state had already required all facilities to isolate COVID-positive patients and prohibited staff from moving between treating those who are infected and those who are not.)

“There is an urgent need to expand hospital capacity in New York State to be able to meet the demand for patients with COVID-19 requiring acute care,” the state said in its advisory, which requires “the expedited receipt of residents returning from hospitals.”

Cuomo has defended the policy in the face of rising objections, saying Thursday that facilities that did not follow the rules for managing COVID patients would be investigated by state health officials and the state’s attorney general, which could result in fines or the facility losing its license.

“They have to readmit COVID-positive residents, but only if they have the ability to provide the adequate level of care under Department of Health and CDC guidelines,” Cuomo said, referring to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“If they do not have the ability to provide the appropriate level of care, then they have to transfer that patient or they call the Department of Health, and the Department of Health will transfer that patient,” Cuomo added. (At Thursday’s briefing, state officials said they had not received any such requests.)

Leading industry groups have strongly objected to the mandate, warning it would accelerate the transmission of the virus and put some of the state’s most vulnerable residents at risk.

“We find the New York state advisory to be over-reaching, not consistent with science, unenforceable, and beyond all, not in the least consistent with patient safety principles,” the Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, which represents medical professionals who work in nursing homes, said in a statement.

The American Health Care Association, which represents long-term care facilities, added: "The bottom line is that nursing homes are not a priority in the public health system and this policy reflects that.”

While Almer “vehemently opposes” the mandate, he said that Gurwin had no choice but to comply. He also wants the nursing facility to do what it can to support local hospitals that need to clear beds.

Since the mandate took effect, recuperating patients across New York state have been discharged to nursing homes in Staten Island, Queens and Long Island, among other hot spots, as well as upstate New York.

Gurwin had originally planned to house the patients arriving from hospitals and any other infected patients in a separate, 40-bed unit with its own entrance, dedicated staff and full protective gear, according to Almer. That’s in line with the CDC’s recommendations for nursing homes to isolate patients known to be infected. The first discharged hospital patients began arriving the last week of March, Almer said, just a few days after the mandate took effect.

But Gurwin’s COVID unit quickly filled to capacity as the virus spread inside the facility, and recovering patients kept arriving from local hospitals, he said.

The nursing home currently has 40 long-term residents known to have the virus, in addition to 18 recovering patients transferred from local hospitals. Fifty staff members have also been confirmed positive, though more than half have since recovered and returned to work, according to Dennine Cook, a spokeswoman for the facility.

The rising number of infected residents means that it is not always possible to separate those who are known to be infected from those who are not. If a person outside the space dedicated to COVID patients becomes infected, his or her entire unit is isolated and treated as if any of the residents could be positive, Almer said. But the virus may still spread within the facility, especially to other residents within the unit.

By early April, a second Gurwin resident in his 90s tested positive for the coronavirus, a little over a week after the first hospital patients were transferred to the facility. He subsequently developed pneumonia related to the virus, according to his daughter, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation against her father.

“You’re injecting in something so highly contagious,” said the daughter, who opposes the New York mandate and fears her father may have become infected because of it. Since he became ill, the virus has continued to spread, she added: “His roommate is now COVID-positive. I feel for sure my father contaminated him.”

State health officials say the March 25 guidance was intended to avoid discrimination against infected patients and to help hospitals manage their capacity.

“The policy is to ensure people are not being held in hospitals solely due to their COVID status,” Jill Montag, a state health department spokeswoman, said. “This is important for hospital surge management and their ability to maintain space for patients with acute needs.”

Northwell, the state’s largest health care provider, said its hospitals have had “tremendous” issues with bed space, and that many COVID patients require care in skilled nursing facilities.

“The need to accept COVID positive cases was/is clear,” Dr. Maria Carney, Northwell’s medical director for post-acute services, said in an email. “There are also significant known risks of keeping older, vulnerable patients in a hospital.”

Northwell’s hospitals have sent 788 COVID-positive patients to 118 post-acute facilities since early March, including Gurwin, Carney said. Those include nursing homes that focus on long-term care, as well as facilities that offer short-term rehabilitation; many offer both.

But facilities have been reluctant to accept patients because of the state’s requirements for all infected residents to be isolated in their own rooms with closed doors, among other guidelines, Carney said: “Many community facilities (from my discussions) were and are slow to accept cases because it was/is hard to accept cases while meeting these isolation requirements.”

Both industry leaders and public health experts like Grabowski are urging states to come up with alternatives to avoid exposing at-risk nursing home residents even further.

“Sending hospitalized patients who are likely harboring the virus to nursing homes that do not have the appropriate units, equipment and staff to accept COVID-19 patients is a recipe for disaster,” the American Health Care Association said in a statement. “Governors and public health officials should be working with nursing homes to create as many segregated units as possible right now.”

Connecticut and Massachusetts are both reopening previously shuttered nursing homes to create facilities dedicated to COVID residents, although such efforts have faced delays, and Massachusetts scrapped an earlier attempt to relocate current nursing home residents.

Grabowski suggested that officials could step in to help construct post-acute care facilities for discharged hospital patients, much as the Army Corps of Engineers has constructed temporary hospitals. “Let’s invest in those, and let’s not force nursing homes to do this,” he said.

In Boston, for example, state and local officials teamed up with health care providers to create a temporary 1,000-bed facility in a convention center for recovering patients who don’t need hospital-level care. In Minnesota, providers created a 50-bed facility for recovering coronavirus patients who might otherwise be sent to nursing homes. New Jersey has partnered with three health care facilities with specially designated beds for recovering COVID patients from hospitals “who are awaiting nursing home placement,” the state health department said in a statement.

In New York, however, no plans to create COVID-only nursing homes or rehab facilities are in the works, Montag, the health department spokeswoman, said. “At this point, we do not have plans to relocate nursing home residents.”

And despite signs that coronavirus infections and deaths have peaked in New York City, the influx of patients from local hospitals hasn’t let up, Almer said.

“We’re seeing the surge from the last few weeks,” he said. “If anything, it just continues to intensify.”

To be fair, Cuomo has said that nursing homes must meet certain CDC requirements before accepting recovering patients, and if they can't they should contact the Department of Health to get the patient transferred. Then again, he's forcing the nursing homes to meet those requirements under threat of fines or taking away their licenses. I don't understand why he doesn't do what other cities have done and create rehab facilities for recovering patients in a conference centre or some such location. And what's up with the ban on testing the recovering patients before being transferred to nursing homes?

[clueliss]

@GreyhoundFan of the top 2 counties with cases right now in Kansas, one of them in Ford County (southwest Kansas, Dodge City) with over 400 cases.  Exceptionally red out there.  

[Ozlsn]

4 hours ago, fraurosena said:

The teenagers, aged between 14 and 17 years old, were supposed to sail through the Caribbean seas, but things turned out rather differently. Because of the corona crisis, they couldn't fly back home, so they decided to cross The Atlantic in their sailing ship.

Wow! A very different experience - I hope they manage to put together a book or documentary or something.

4 hours ago, fraurosena said:

Australia has introduced a corona tracing app. The app, which can be used on a voluntary basis

Just as an FYI to any other Australians or current residents - it was reported this morning that there are already dodgy clones of the app on the download sites, less than 24 hours after release.  Be cautious when downloading - if possible go from the official site. Anything that asks for money isn't legit.

4 hours ago, fraurosena said:

Richard Branson has put his airline company Virgin Atlantic up for sale, after a request for 570 million euro in financial aid was turned down by the British government

My favourite meme about this said basically "sell your private island you tosser".

1 hour ago, 47of74 said:

Fox News host Laura Ingraham and network contributor Raymond Arroyo took aim Wednesday night at CNN anchors who have tested positive for the new coronavirus, calling the infections a “deliberate attempt” by the network to “graft” the anchors onto the crisis and likening the situation to a reality show.

What a tool. It amazes me that so many people choose to be such arseholes.

1 hour ago, fraurosena said:

I don't understand why he doesn't do what other cities have done and create rehab facilities for recovering patients in a conference centre or some such location. And what's up with the ban on testing the recovering patients before being transferred to nursing homes?

Totally agree. Conference centres, holiday villages, university residences, hotels - the recovering patients don't have to be in Manhattan, or even greater New York City. The recovering and currently not infected should be as far apart as possible given the level of risk to this group. Personally I'd be doing away with room mates too to lessen the chance of spread - work out ways patients can chat without sharing a room. Run bingo via Zoom or similar. 

[Ozlsn]

Australia is at 6,713 confirmed cases, 10 new since 6am yesterday, and a total of 83 deaths. On the back of the slowed curve two states have relaxed restrictions - Queensland is allowing drives up to 50km from home, picnics, some non-essential shopping (e.g. clothes) and has reopened some parks. Western Australia is allowing gatherings of up to 10 people indoors and outdoors. Both states require social distancing to be maintained. 

Singapore is dealing with outbreaks in migrant worker populations, who live in crowded dormitories, and unsurprisingly the outbreak spread into the community. They also instituted lockdown restrictions, which appear to be working, but it's notable that the community transmission case numbers given in the article specifically exclude migrant workers. (Figures in the article are a low of 9 community transmission cases and 597 migrant worker cases daily. The drop in migrant worker cases is also more likely due to reduced testing rather reduced transmission according to local experts). The other notable paragraph in the article to me was:

But Prof Tambyah said it is not helpful for Singapore to compare itself with New Zealand, Taiwan, or Hong Kong as none of these places have large migrant worker populations living in dormitories. He suggested looking at countries like Qatar or Saudi Arabia, which have comparable outbreaks involving similar sites.

I am wondering if this will renew conversation in Singapore at least about the conditions migrant workers live and work under. 

Indonesia also has a large outbreak, although officially only 2880 confirmed cases. Indonesians (and others!) are dubious about these figures, which are pretty much certainly the result of low testing numbers. Given the government also is reporting that all 34 provinces have recorded cases, and burial numbers are much higher than normal it is likely that cases are in the tens of thousands. Where the government is struggling the private and local volunteer sector has stepped up to support healthcare workers and affected families. 

As far as I can see no one in any of these countries thinks drinking or injecting bleach is a good idea, although cartoonists everywhere appear to be having a field day.