Coronavirus News Updates

[kscarbel2]

Today, the White House was more upfront than anytime before on what they know of the Coronavirus, stating that 100,000 to 240,000 people might perish. Unlike previous briefings. the tone was serious, somber and grim.

The president warned America to brace for a “very, very painful two weeks”

"I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead. We're going to go through a very tough two weeks," Trump said. “It’s absolutely critical for the American people to follow the guidelines for the next 30 days. It’s a matter of life and death.”

White House coronavirus coordinator Deborah Birx displayed charts demonstrating data and modeling that showed an enormous jump in deaths to a range of 100,000 to 240,000 people from the virus in the coming months even with mitigation measures in place.

Asked if Americans should be prepared for the likelihood that 100,000 will die from this virus, Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said: “The answer is yes. As sobering a number as that is, we should be prepared for it."

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[kscarbel2]

Based on personal experience, I urge everyone to wear a mask when out in public. Industrial masks, even a scarf, whatever you can get.

 

The government has steadily said that face masks won't help. But you'll never fine evidence to support the ridiculous claim because it doesn't exist.

 

The truth is, there aren't sufficient quantities to provide for the masses. They barely have enough for medical facilities.

 

There is abundant proof that masks do help prevent viral infections like the Coronavirus. For example, wearing a mask in public resulted in a 70% reduction in the risk of catching SARS, which like Covid-19, is a respiratory illnesses caused by the same family of viruses called coronavirus.

 

Masks work !

[kscarbel2]

A military cargo plane (Antonov An-124) carrying medical supplies to help the US combat the coronavirus outbreak has taken off from an airbase in Russia, after President Trump accepted an offer of assistance from Vladimir Putin.

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[kscarbel2]

MarketWatch  /  April 1, 2020

Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Tuesday that the White House Coronavirus Task Force is giving “serious consideration” to broadening the existing guidance on face masks, but he said first priority must be given to health-care workers who are currently experiencing a shortage of masks.

Currently, the Centers for Disease for Control and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend that the public wear masks [only because there's oddly not enough for the general population].

“The idea of getting a much more broad, community-wide use of masks outside of the health-care setting is under very active discussion at the task force,” said Fauci.

“The thing that has inhibited that is to make sure that we don’t take away the supply of masks from the health-care workers,” he said. “But when we have enough masks, I believe there will be some very serious consideration about broadening this recommendation of using masks.”

“If, in fact, a person who may or may not be infected wants to prevent infecting someone else, one of the best ways to do that is with a mask,” Fauci said.

N95 medical-grade masks help filter viruses that are larger than 0.1 micrometers. The Coronavirus is 0.125 micrometers.

Asian countries, where wearing face masks is relatively common, have had more success effectively “flattening the curve” than western countries.

[kscarbel2]

Common symptoms of the Coronavius (COVID-19) include:

• Fever

• Cough

• Shortness of breath

• Upset stomach, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea

Managing Fever

Do not use NSAIDS (Advil, Motrin, Ibuprofen or Aleve) to manage fever or pain.

Instead, use acetaminophen (Tylenol). Current research indicates that using NSAIDS, such as Ibuprofen, can extend or worsen COVID-19 symptoms.

Managing Cough and Shortness of Breath

Over-the-counter medications used for upper respiratory infections may help alleviate symptoms.

Those medications include guaifenesin (Mucinex), pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) and dextromethorphan (Robitussin, Delsym).

[mowerman]

Thanks for all that. That was a big help. I wish everybody would get on the same page with that though Los Angeles area Orange County and Reno. Right now I think there is just too many people out there that don’t belong. If you don’t need to be out there go home... bob

[kscarbel2]

Russian humanitarian aid arrives in New York City

Thank you Vlad !

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[kscarbel2]

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has 1.2 million N95 face masks coming from Shenzhen, China, being transported on the New England Patriots’ Boeing 767.

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[Red Horse]

No pallets???  Was it the weight or we argued about pallet deposits?😎

[kscarbel2]

Brace for the ‘deepest recession on record,’ says BofA analysts, as jobless claims surge to 6.6 million

BofA economists forecast that the unemployment rate will soon hit 15.6%

There are no parallels for the pandemic fueled slowdown that the U.S. economy is currently contending with, and that is forcing economists like those of Bank of America Global Research to forecast a decidedly grimmer outlook for the American economy than they offered just two weeks ago.

The BofA researchers on Thursday said the coming recession “appears to be deeper and more prolonged than we were led to believe just 14 days ago when we last updated our forecasts, not just in the US but globally as well.”

The April 2 research report, which includes star economist Michelle Meyer, comes as the number of Americans who applied for unemployment benefits last week soared by a record 6.6 million, bringing the increase in new jobless claims in the last two weeks of March to 10 million.

BofA sees between 16 and 20 million job losses, which could send the unemployment rate surging within a few months to 15.6%, which would by far outstrip the unemployment rate during the 2007-09 recession.

The BofA team forecast three consecutive quarters of contraction in gross domestic product, “with the US economy shrinking 7% (annualized) in 1Q, 30% in 2Q and 1% in 3Q.”

On the bright side, the economists estimate that the fourth quarter of 2020 will see a sizable pop in business activity as the measures put in place to slow the deadly contagion are slowly unwound.

That said, the cumulative decline in economic expansion will be severe: “We forecast the cumulative decline in GDP to be 10.4% and this will be the deepest recession on record, nearly five times more severe than the post-war average,” the analysts wrote.

[kscarbel2]

37 minutes ago, Red Horse said:

No pallets???  Was it the weight or we argued about pallet deposits?😎

European truckmakers use reusable pallets and shipping containers for stock orders, as they have a system for getting this "packaging" returned. The concept of the disposable pallet has long been abandoned, being environmentally unsustainable. In this case, it was likely deemed most practical to floor load the aircraft.

The US still floor loads cases of cauliflower in refrigerated trailers.

[Red Horse]

20 minutes ago, kscarbel2 said:

European truckmakers use reusable pallets and shipping containers for stock orders, as they have a system for getting this "packaging" returned. The concept of the disposable pallet has long been abandoned, being environmentally unsustainable. In this case, it was likely deemed most practical to floor load the aircraft.

The US still floor loads cases of cauliflower in refrigerated trailers.

Thx Kevin-as  always appreciate  your global perspective.  My first thought was given the distance of flight, the  pallet weight was an issue.

[kscarbel2]

 

[kscarbel2]

The Washington Post  /  March 26, 2020

Almost 1.5 million N95 respirator masks were found in a U.S. government warehouse in Indiana.

The government plans to issue them to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) rather than hospitals or the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

There were initial concerns that the masks, which are a part of the Customs and Border Protection’s emergency supplies, were expired and therefore unusable. However, it was determined that the N95 masks were still suitable for use and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials decided to give them to the TSA.

[hatcity]

1 hour ago, kscarbel2 said:

The Washington Post  /  March 26, 2020

Almost 1.5 million N95 respirator masks were found in a U.S. government warehouse in Indiana.

The government plans to issue them to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) rather than hospitals or the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

There were initial concerns that the masks, which are a part of the Customs and Border Protection’s emergency supplies, were expired and therefore unusable. However, it was determined that the N95 masks were still suitable for use and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials decided to give them to the TSA.

not essential, but expendable

[Vladislav]

On 4/1/2020 at 11:58 PM, kscarbel2 said:

Russian humanitarian aid arrives in New York City

Thank you Vlad !

.

You're welcome! Hope that's sufficient.

Sure that wasn't my personal action but I wouldn't disagree if asked.

[kscarbel2]

Today, the CDC is finally suggesting that Americans wear face masks when out around other people.

[Mack Technician]

2 hours ago, kscarbel2 said:

Today, the CDC is finally suggesting that Americans wear face masks when out around other people.

On 4/1/2020 at 9:39 AM, kscarbel2 said:

Based on personal experience, I urge everyone to wear a mask when out in public. Industrial masks, even a scarf, whatever you can get.

 

The government has steadily said that face masks won't help. But you'll never fine evidence to support the ridiculous claim because it doesn't exist.

 

The truth is, there aren't sufficient quantities to provide for the masses. They barely have enough for medical facilities.

 

There is abundant proof that masks do help prevent viral infections like the Coronavirus. For example, wearing a mask in public resulted in a 70% reduction in the risk of catching SARS, which like Covid-19, is a respiratory illnesses caused by the same family of viruses called coronavirus.

 

Masks work !

CDC must be in trouble. They’re turning to Odds and Ends for suggestions.... 😉 

[Bullheaded]

10 hours ago, Mack Technician said:

CDC must be in trouble. They’re turning to Odds and Ends for suggestions.... 😉 

Well, I know I now come to the BMT site for all my news and knowledge now!

No BS, just real working men that make this world go around.

[41chevy]

On 4/2/2020 at 6:04 PM, Vladislav said:

You're welcome! Hope that's sufficient.

Sure that wasn't my personal action but I wouldn't disagree if asked.

Maybe we can get the U.S. CDC to send you a new R cab as a thank you.     I'd chip in.

[Maxidyne]

They probably got some stowed away somewhere... But they don't know where.

[Vladislav]

16 hours ago, 41chevy said:

Maybe we can get the U.S. CDC to send you a new R cab as a thank you.     I'd chip in.

No, don't mention it. In fact I would be easily satisfied with a Superliner hood

[kscarbel2]

Associated Press - The Guardian  /  April 4, 2020

Chinese billionaires working with the Chinese government have facilitated ventilator donations to New York state to treat patients with Covid-19.

New York governor Andrew Cuomo has obtained 1,000 ventilators from the Chinese government with the help of billionaires Joseph and Clara Tsai, and Alibaba founder Jack Ma.

Cuomo praised the collaboration of the Chinese government in securing a shipment of the breathing machines that was scheduled to arrive at Kennedy Airport on Saturday. “We’re all in the same battle here,” he said. “And the battle is stopping the spread of the virus.”

In addition, the state of Oregon is loaning New York another 140 ventilators.

The White House has repeatedly claimed it has 10,000 ventilators in a strategic national stockpile. However, states have reported some of those ventilators are unusable, after the Trump administration failed to ensure the stockpile was properly maintained.

The number of people infected in the U.S. has exceeded a quarter-million, with the death toll climbing past 7,000; more than 3,500 of those deaths are in New York state, including more than 1,900 in New York City alone.

“I want this all to be over,” Cuomo said. “It’s only gone on for 30 days since our first case. It feels like an entire lifetime.”

[kscarbel2]

Why U.S. hospitals see promise in plasma from new coronavirus patients

Reuters  /  April 4, 2020

U.S. hospitals desperate to help very sick patients with COVID-19, the highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, are trying a treatment first used in the 1890s that relies on blood plasma donated by recovered patients.

People who survive an infectious disease like COVID-19 are generally left with blood containing antibodies, or proteins made by the body’s immune system to fight off a virus. The blood component that carries the antibodies can be collected and given to newly infected patients - it is known as “convalescent plasma.”

More than 275,000 Americans have tested positive for COVID-19, and epidemiologists say hundreds of thousands more likely have the disease.

To help match donors to hospitals, the AABB, formerly the American Association of Blood Banks, this week issued guidelines on plasma collection. The American Red Cross also launched an online registry for potential donors.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday announced an “expanded access” program for convalescent plasma, coordinated by the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, aimed at making it easier for hospitals across the country to collect and use plasma.

IS THERE EVIDENCE THIS WILL WORK?

“Historically, this has worked,” said Dr. Jeffrey Henderson, associate professor of medicine and molecular microbiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “Before we had vaccines, this was used for infectious diseases like measles and diphtheria.”

Convalescent plasma was also successfully used during the 1918 flu pandemic, he said.

Doctors say protocols, such as dosage, are still uncertain for COVID-19 patients, but they believe the method is worth trying, at least until an effective COVID-19 vaccine or treatment is developed.

The Mayo Clinic and other U.S. sites are conducting a clinical study. Similar trials are under way in other countries where the virus has hit and some data has begun to emerge.

In one trial in China, levels of the virus in five seriously ill COVID-19 patients were undetectable after plasma transfusions, according to study results published last week in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

HOW IS PLASMA BEING TRIED?

The process involves drawing blood from a donor - in this case someone who has recovered from COVID-19 but is in generally good health and meets other criteria for blood donation - and running it through a machine to extract the plasma. The remaining blood goes back into the donor.

The process takes up to 90 minutes, and plasma from a single donor can be used to treat three or four patients.

Donors must have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and need to wait a defined period of time after they test negative for the disease before donating plasma. Tests are also being developed to measure antibody volume.

Centers including Houston Methodist Hospital and several hospitals in hard-hit New York City have used the experimental treatment on an emergency basis for patients who are seriously ill with COVID-19.

Dr. Timothy Byun, a hematologist/oncologist at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, California, dosed his first COVID-19 patient on Wednesday. He said the patient was doing better, but it was too early to tell if the therapy was effective.

St. Joseph, a 450-bed hospital, does not have a blood donation center and instead had to modify a dialysis machine to collect plasma from the donor.

Before the plasma infusion, Byun’s patient had received multiple treatments, including the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and the intravenous anti-inflammatory drug Actemra, but his condition still worsened.

Risks of the plasma therapy could include infusion site reactions or other rare, allergic reactions.

“Of the current therapeutic options, I believe convalescent plasma offers the best chance of efficacy in treatment,” said Dr. Daniel McQuillen, an infectious disease specialist at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Burlington, Massachusetts.

[kscarbel2]

Automakers and Others Aiding Coronavirus Relief

Car & Driver  /  April 4, 2020

Carhartt: Masks, Protective Clothing

Carhartt is branching into protective equipment for health-care workers. The company will start making 50,000 medical gowns on April 6 and 2.5 million masks starting April 20.

FCA: Masks, Meals for Kids

Automaker FCA is currently converting a plant to make face masks for health-care workers and first responders, with a goal of producing a million masks starting in "the next several weeks." FCA also has pledged to partner with nonprofits to provide children more than a million meals in communities around its plants in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio while school is closed. The automaker says it will later extend that food program nationwide and to Canada and Mexico.

Ford and GE: Ventilators

Ford and GE Healthcare will start building the first 20,000 ventilators the week of April 20, at Rawsonville, Michigan, which normally makes transmission and other vehicle components. The goal is to produce 50,000 ventilators per month in the first 100 days and 30,000 per month after that. It's a simplified design, Ford says, that works on air pressure without needing electricity and can be used to meet the needs of most COVID-19 patients.

General Motors: Masks

"Project kickoff to first mask in six days, 23, hours, 30 minutes," GM says. Having jumped on the task at the Warren, Michigan, plant in the third week of March, the automaker is able to start delivering the first 20,000 masks as early as April 8 to front-line health-care workers. The company will make 1.5 million each month once fully ramped up.

General Motors and Ventec: Ventilators

GM's Kokomo, Indiana, facility normally builds electronic components. Now it's the site of an ambitious project with Ventec, maker of critical-care ventilators. Through the partnership, 1000 GM workers will help build up to 10,000 ventilators per month, and the first will be ready to deliver in late April.

Lamborghini: Masks and Shields

The ultra-high-end, low-volume sports-car maker has turned its carbon-fiber and interior workshops into medical-equipment ateliers. Lamborghini will make 1000 masks and 200 face shields a day. They're going to a nearby hospital in hard-hit northern Italy.

Mercedes-AMG: CPAP Machines

The Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains division has partnered with University College London engineers and health-care workers at University College London Hospital (UCLH) to develop a CPAP device to help coronavirus patients. These will be a step up from oxygen and could help many patients avoid need for a ventilator, the company says.

Peugeot and Air Liquide: Respirators

Peugeot (PSA) and other French companies and suppliers, including Air Liquide, Valeo, and Schneider Electric, are planning to increase Air Liquide's existing respirator production for coronavirus patients in France. The group aims to produce 10,000 respirators in 50 days.

Volkswagen and Faurecia: Gowns

VW and fabric specialist Faurecia will be delivering their first 75,000 face masks and gowns to medical workers at New York hospitals and the Javits Center this week. They will be creating 50,000 gowns and up to a quarter-million face masks per week after that. The items are being produced at a Faurecia plant in Mexico.