Dear Reader:

Continued from yesterday:

1. Worldometer: Just over 342 thousand coronavirus cases in India (an increase of about 9 thousands from yesterday), almost 99 thousands deaths (an increase of 376 from yesterday).

news. yahoo. com/ india’s Chennai reimpose lockdown coronavirus cases surge (today): “New Delhi- A lockdown will be reimposed Friday on some 15 million people in the Indian city of Chennai and several neighbouring districts, state officials said, as coronavirus cases surge in the region… It will be in place until the end of June… Only shops selling essential items and restaurants will be allowed to remain open from early morning until 2:00 pm local time during the lockdown…In  major cities such as New Delhi and Mumbai, reports of patients struggling to find hospital beds have triggered speculation about fresh lockdowns being re-introduced there.. In Delhi, mortuaries are overflowing with bodies, and cemetery and crematorium staff say they cannot keep up with the backlog of corpses”,  “India now has he world’s fourth-highest number of infections after the United States, Brazil and Russia”.

2. Wikipedia: The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is one of the nine known human herpesvirus types in the herpes family. Children who contract EBV exhibit few symptoms or may appear asymptomatic, but when EBV is contracted as an adolescent or adult, it may cause fatigue, fever, inflamed throat, and more. Post-infectious Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has also been associated with EBV infection. EBV has been implicated in several diseases, including four types of cancer and multiple sclerosis (infecting and damaging nerve cells in the brain and spinal chord).

“As a relatively complex virus, EBV is not fully understood. Laboratories around the world continue to study the virus and develop new ways to treat the disease it causes… Although under active research, an Epstein-Barr virus vaccine is not yet available. The development of an effective vaccine could prevent up to 200,000 cancers globally per year.”

“The term post-viral fatigue syndrome is used as an alternative name for CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) which occurs after viral infection. A recent review found EBV antibody activity to be higher in patients with CFS…. Viral infection is a significant risk factor for CFS, with one study finding 22% of people with Epstein-Barr virus have chronic fatigue six months later, and 9% having strictly defined CFS”.

Post-Ebola virus syndrome is a post-viral syndrome affecting those who have recovered from infection with Ebola. Symptoms include joint and muscle pain, eye problems, including blindness, various neurological problems, and other ailments. It is not known if the neurological symptoms seen in survivors are a direct result of the virus or, instead, triggered by the immune system’s response to the infection. It is known that Ebola can trigger a massive cytokine storm that can cause bleeding throughout the body, including the brain, which may explain various neurological symptoms that have been reported.

— to be continued…

anita

Dear Reader:

Worldometer: in the last six days, the number of Covid-19 cases in India went up by about 80 thousands, and the number of deaths went up by almost 2,000.

Today about 8.5 thousand new cases and 172 new deaths have been reported by India, population close to 1,380 millions (1.38 billions) . In comparison, today about 10.3 thousand new cases and 126 new deaths have been reported in the US, population close to 331 millions.

msn. com/ en- us/ news/ us/ who warns of dangerous phase of pandemic as outbreaks widen (June 20): “‘Many people are understandably fed up with being at home,’ Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesusus, the director general of the W.H.O., said in a news conference.. ‘Countries are understandably eager to open up their societies and their economies. But the virus is still spreading fast.. in China, where officials had recently proclaimed that they had vanquished the virus- only to see it surge back in Beijing.. In India, which placed all 1.3 billion of its citizens under a lockdown- then moved to reopen even with its strained public health system near the breaking point- officials reported a record number of new cases this week. And the virus is now spreading rapidly in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Some countries where caseloads had appeared to taper- including Israel, Sweden and Costa Rica- are now watching them rise. Cases have continued to surge across much of the United States, with new single-day infection records reported in nine states.

“Some countries where caseloads had appeared to taper — including Israel, Sweden and Costa Rica — are now watching them rise… In Arizona and Texas, more people with the coronavirus are hospitalized now than at any previous point in the pandemic. In Utah, the percent of positive tests compared with total tests reached its highest levels yet this month. In Nevada, the percent of positive tests recently began increasing again after more than a  month of sustained declines.

“In Arizona and Texas, more people with the coronavirus are hospitalized now than at any previous point in the pandemic. In Utah, the percent of positive tests compared with total tests reached the highest levels yet this month. In Nevada, the percent of positive tests recently began increasing again after more than a month of sustained declines”.

Worldometer: Sweden reported 1,481 new cases two days ago, June 18 (the last date available on the New Cases graph), which is the second highest number of new cases per day, the first being June 10 with 1,487 new cases. On June 17 102 new deaths were reported, the highest was 185 new deaths on April 21.

In Israel 230 new cases were reported today, 303 new cases on June 19, which is a recent spike following the lowest decline of new daily cases from May 9- May 26 ( 8 new cases per day up to31 new cases per day).

msn. com/ en- us/ news/ us/ Anthony fauci warns of anti science bias being a problem in us (June 19): “One of the problems we face in the United States is that unfortunately, there is a combination of an anti-science bias.. people.. just don’t believe science and they don’t believe authority,’ Fauci said…

“It’s amazing sometimes the denial there is. It’s the same thing that gets people who are anti-vaxxers, who don’t want people to get vaccinated, even though the data clearly indicate the safety of vaccines,’ Fauci added. ‘That’s really a problem.'”.

-To be continued (unfortunately!)

anita

Dear Reader:

Worldometer: 47,341 new daily coronavirus cases have been reported yesterday, June 26, in the U.S.- the highest number of new cases in a day since the pandemic began. It’s been two days in a row (June 25 and 26) of the highest numbers,  higher than the previous record of 39,116 new daily cases on April 24.

msn. com/ en- us/ health/ medical/ rising infections in younger people fuel calfornia new coronavirus spike (Friday, June 26):

“As of Wednesday, 56% of people diagnosed with Covid-19 were 18 to 49 years old, though they account for only 43.5% of the state’s population.. people older than 65, who used to make up nearly a quarter of those testing positive for Covid-19, now account for fewer than 15% of positive coronavirus tests, roughly in line with their proportion of the population.

“The changes may be due in part to expanded testing. Early in the outbreak, it was nearly impossible to get a test  for the coronavirus unless one was sick enough to be hospitalized. Because young people are less likely to get severely ill  with Covid-19, they may not have been captured in testing numbers…

“In L.A County, 40% of coronavirus cases are occurring among those 18 to 40 years old. That matches the experience in Japan, where a study published by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that the people probably spreading the coronavirus in more than 60 clusters were mostly young adults, ages 20 to 39. Most did not show symptoms when they transmitted the virus, and almost none had a cough.

“Transmission probably happened at such places as restaurants, bars, workplaces, healthcare facilities, gyms and music events. Many clusters were associated with heavy breathing in proximity to others, such as people singing at karaoke parties, cheering at a concert, chatting in a bar or exercising at a bar.”

msn. com/ en- us/ news/ us/ how Arizona lost control of the epidemic (Friday, June 26):

“This week Arizona reported not just a record single- day increase in new cases.. but also record use of inpatient beds and ventilators for suspected and confirmed cases… In Southern states, some epidemiologists also are cautioning about what they are calling a ‘reverse summer effect,’ with warm weather- once thought to interrupt the spread of the virus- driving residents into indoor spaces with recycled air…

“The mean age of Arizonian killed by covid-19 fell from 78 on April 27 to 69 on June 14.. The average age of patients testing positive for the virus dropped from 51 on April 5 to 39 by mid-June… Arizona has three times as many positive tests among people age 20 to 44 as it does in any other age bracket, according to state data. The state’s cases began rising dramatically about May 25, 10 days after Ducey allowed the state’s stay-at-home order to expire.”

msn. com/ en- us/ news/ us/ coronavirus surge in south and west looks different from north (Saturday, June 27):

“The virus that ravaged Northeastern U.S. cities is surging through Southern and Western states. It’s different this time. Younger people are getting sick with Covid-19… Health officials are sounding alarms about a surge in cases racing not through nursing homes, but bars and house parties. Hospitals are filling with medically-vulnerable elderly-  but also 20-somethings and patients in their 30s and 40s. Some took the end of stay-home orders as permission to live their lives again, unimpeded.

“Phoenix entrepreneur Jimmy Flores, 30, spent the night of June 6 at a nightclub with friends, sharing drinks. Two days later, he felt sick. The next week, he was on a hospital oxygen tube after testing positive for Covid-19. ‘I’m young, active, healthy person with no previous conditions,’ he said. ‘I didnt take it seriously for myself. I was not practicing the social- distancing guidelines. I didnt wear a mask. I thought I was invincible.’

“Mr. Flores said he went from not knowing anyone with Covid-19 to knowing 15 victims. After eight days’ hospitalization, he is recovering at home.

‘We’re still in the first wave, and that first wave is taking different shapes,’ Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield said in a Thursday briefing. The U.S. has improved its testing ability and seeing more cases in young people, who typically have better outcomes, he said. But younger people in Texas and Arizona are taking hospital beds and straining the health-care system, he said…

“Arizona’s Covid-19 hospitalizations since it reopened May 15 have grown from 789 to 2,110, according to state data Thursday. Nine of 10 hospital ICU beds were full this week, state data shows. In Texas nearly 6,000 tested positive for Covid-19 Thursday, versus just over 600 new diagnoses on Memorial Day, state data shows; hospitalizations rose to more than 4,700 from just over 1,500  in that period…

“Increased testing is likely responsible for part of the data shift toward younger people, epidemiologists said. Health officials and doctors are testing more mild and asymptomatic patients nationwide than in March and April, as the availability of tests has grown, they said. Another possible factor: The virus is spreading in some of the hottest states. People might be staying in the air-conditioned indoors ‘where you can’t physically distance’ said Dr. Joe K. Gerald, associate professor of public- health policy and management at University of Arizona. Phoenix temperatures hit 108 Thursday…

“The percentage of tests coming back positive is rising around America, which epidemiologists said indicates the disease is spreading. And the percentage of positive tests is now higher in the 18 to 49 age group than among older brackets, CDC data show- a departure from earlier patterns. Of Arizona’s more than 66,000 confirmed cases since the pandemic began, nearly 60% had been younger than 45 as of Friday.

“The Louisiana Department of Health last week announced an outbreak of more than 100 cases linked to a cluster of bars near Louisiana State University. The state is seeing a rise in cases among the 18 to 29 age group  but not among those 65 and older, even as it is doing more testing in settings such as nursing homes, said Alex Billioux, assistant secretary of the state health department’s office of public health…

“Florida reported new daily cases rose from 1,222 on May 27 to 8,933 on Thursday with a median age of 34.

“Health experts said they had expected cases to increase as lockdown ended. In addition to increased testing, the numbers are likely due to changing behaviors, said Nadia Abuelezam, an infectious- disease epidemiologist at Boston College. Young people are likely being less cautious about social distancing or returning to work, she said, while more- vulnerable people- and hard-hit places such as nursing homes- might be taking more precautions…

“Because younger people are more likely to have better Covid-19 outcomes, the new surge in cases might not result in as many deaths as before. Still, ‘there’s a bit of a false narrative out there that because you’re young, you’re OK if you get infected,’ Dr. McDeavitt said. ‘We see people in their 20s and 30s in our ICUs gasping for air because they have Covid-19.’..

“‘I  know many young people out there feel invincible,’ Gov Ducey said Thursday, urging citizens to stay home and practice social distancing when out, ‘but your parents and grandparents are not invincible.’… Texas surge comes after a phased state reopening beginning May 1. Many bar owners, angry they weren’t allowed to open immediately, as restaurants were, lobbied hard and staged a ‘soft opening’ May 15. Three days later, Gov. Abbott said bars could open that week. On the weekend of June 13, bars were bumping on Austin’s Sixth Street nightclub strip. People without masks crowded counters and bounced to DJs. Crowds spread across the street. In recent weeks, the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission began suspending liquor licenses of bars not following rules.”

msn. com/ en- us/ news/ us/ reopening reverses course in texas and florida as coronavirus cases spike (Saturday, June 27):

“Both states are backtracking amid a crisis rising hospitalizations and skyrocketing infection rates. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered bars to close and restaurants to reduce occupancy… In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered bars to close immediately because of ‘widespread noncompliance’ with rules regarding capacity and social distancing”.

My few thoughts:

1. People under the influence of alcohol in bars are not likely to keep social distancing rules, and they are likely to speak louder, laugh etc., which increases the transmission of the virus.

2. People coming  together in enclosed indoor spaces are more likely to infect and get infected than people coming together in outdoor spaces.

3. People coming together in air conditioned enclosed spaces so to cool off from the summer heat increases infection. Maybe air conditioning itself as it circulates the air, facilitates infection as well.

4. The increase in Covid-19 infection in young people is due to young people having gone out to bars and other get together in enclosed spaces following re-opening of states. The virus has been spreading since re-opening in the younger generations because it is younger people who felt confident enough to go out and about. Older people and people with pre-existing conditions normally don’t go  out much and at these times are well aware of how dangerous it is, so they are cautious. This is why the rate of infection in the older, vulnerable population didnt rise. I suppose older/ vulnerable people should stay removed from younger people who have been  out and about since re-opening. We should all be more cautious about keeping social distance from younger people as well as older people.

5. Globally, according to Worldometer, 99% of active Covid-19 patients are in “mild condition” and 1% are in “Serious or critical” condition. It means that the virus although very infectious, still leads to a very low mortality rate (in people who’s health is not significantly compromised), because it is most often serious and severe symptoms that result in death, not mild conditions.

anita

• This reply was modified 4 years, 4 months ago by .

Dear Donovan:

Thank you for posting on my thread, and you are welcome to post again with what you referred to as “positive data against this pandemic here”.

anita

Dear Reader:

Worldometer: close to 12 millions global Covid-19 cases reported, over half a million global Covid-19 deaths reported.

92% of closed cases ended in recovery, and 8% in death.

99% of active cases are those of patients experiencing mild symptoms and 1%  are those of patients experiencing serious or critical symptoms.

In the US, over 3 million cases reported, over 130 thousands deaths. 91% of the closed cases ended in recovery, and 9% in death. No information on the mild/ serious condition of active cases.

Before June 25, the number of new daily cases in the US was lower than 40 thousands. On June 25, for the first time, the number of daily new cases was over 40 thousands . Every day since June 25 (11 days so far) have been days with over 40 thousand new cases. There were over 50 thousands new cases on July 1, July 2, and July 3, and down to the 40 thousands new cases since then.

The highest number of deaths in the US was on April 21, over 2.7 thousand deaths that day. From April 7 to May 7, there were 19 days, each with over 2 thousand deaths per day. From June 10 to the present, there have been less than 1 thousand deaths per day, 251 deaths yesterday, July 5.

anita

Dear Reader:

Wordometer: over 12 million global cases, over half a million global deaths (almost 554 thousands); over 3 million US cases, over 135 thousand US deaths, almost 62 thousand new cases in the US yesterday alone (July 8), which is the highest number of new cases per day in the US since the beginning of the pandemic.

On July 7 there were 993 US deaths, and 890 deaths yesterday, July 8. Each of  these numbers is more than double the number of daily deaths on July 4, July 5 and July 6.

The recent increase of daily new cases in the US started about June 16, and the recent increase of daily deaths started July 7, a lag of 3 weeks. According to the article in my previous post, “There is a long lag- as long as six weeks.. between when a person gets infected and when their death would be reported in the official tally” (https: // coronavirus. jhu. edu/ map. html)

My note: clearly, when there is a significant increase in hospitalizations, as is the recent case in the US, there will be an increase in deaths. It is possible that the increase of deaths in the couple of months to follow will not be as steep as the increase in April-May, because more younger people than older people are hospitalized now than four months ago, and they are significantly more likely to survive, plus the medical care for COvid-19 patients in the US has improved.

Back to the Johns Hopkins University website (jhu, mentioned above), an article from June 25, titled: “As Covid-19 cases peak, a virus once again takes advantage of human instinct”, reads:

“The natural response to a disaster is to at first believe that it is not happening. The Covid-19 pandemic, we are learning, is a disaster playing out in slow motion- when every moment is a little bit worse than one would expect… We love denial’… Rivers said what frustrates her is the sense of resignation about the current state of affairs- to ‘explain why it can’t be helped and that this is just the way that things are destined to unfold, when the fact is there’s a lot that we could do.’ ‘There are many other countries that have gained control of their outbreak and they are in a much better place than we are,’ she noted… The solutions are the same simple ones public health experts have recommended from the beginning: further ramping up the availability and speed of  testing, so patients know when they are infected. Isolating people when they are sick so they don’t infect others. Avoiding crowds and close contact with other people. Washing hands frequently. And, most experts now agree that face masks reduce transmission, helping to keep the virus in check… Until there is an effective vaccine, we need to use the measures we have- masks, some distancing, and reasonable steps to reduce infection- to try to keep the virus in check… it’s all we’ve got right now.”

My note: denial and resignation/ giving up are two reactions to fear: denying that there is danger and giving up trying to lessen the danger.

Denying the danger of Covid-19 is what president trump has done from the beginning. He now believes that the problem is not the virus, but the testing for the virus.  No testing= no virus/ no problem, he figures. He arranged for a political rally not long ago, for thousands of his fans to come together, sitting close to each other, in an indoor setting, no masks.

He always had the inclination to fire/ get rid of any person who states a truth he wants to deny, so he has been keeping Fauci away from the public. I wouldn’t judge trump for his need to deny reality except that he is the president of the United States of America. He should be able to manage his fear better and provide effective leadership, something he hasn’t done yet, and is showing no signs of doing. I better restate this: a person who is unable to manage his/ her fear and provide effective leadership should not have been chosen for the role of President of the United States of America.

State governors who denied the problem govern states in spiking cases, such as Texas, Arizona and Florida.

I met a neighbor yesterday. I told him:” this is the first time since the pandemic that I see you!”. His response was: “What pandemic?” and he added, “this is bu****”. So no pandemic is happening, according to my neighbor. Thing is, my neighbor is living in a secluded area, outside the city limit, alone in a big house. He is not on TV, speaking to millions of people who see him, mask-less. But trump, he is in a very visible position, a position of power. What a shame.

Giving up is another reaction to fear- doing nothing to lessen the danger: not keeping social distancing, not wearing masks, etc. Giving up on trying involves less anxiety/ it reduces fear. Problem is, it reduces the subjective experience of fear, but it increases the real and present danger, which is the spread of the virus.

Each one of us needs to manage our fear, to not deny it and to not give up our efforts to lessen the real and present danger. Living with fear is the greatest human challenge, let’s do our best with this challenge.

anita

Dear Reader:

Worldometer: getting closer to 14 million global cases and 600 thousand global deaths; over 3.3 million cases in the US, over 137 thousand US deaths, almost 72 thousand new cases yesterday, July 10, the highest number of daily new cases since the beginning of the pandemic by far, 849 deaths yesterday, he fourth day of increased deaths in since the recent surge of infections, but way less than the daily number of deaths during the April-May height of infections.

msn. com/ en- us/ news/ us/ the cdc predicts deaths will soar in these 12 states: “‘This week’s national ensemble forecast predicts that there will likely be between 140,000 and 160,000 total reported Covid-19 deaths  by August 1st,’ reports the agency”. Given that the current number of US Covid-19 deaths is over 137 thousands, it makes sense that there will be 3 to 23 thousands more deaths in the next three weeks.

coronavirus. jhu. edu/ data/ new cases: “USA: The first case of Covid-19 in US was reported 170 days ago on 1/21/2020” (January 21). The following countries are also countries whose new daily cases are increasing. This is when these countries reported their first Covid-19 cases on the following dates:  Mexico Feb 27, India Feb 29, Brazil Feb 25, South Africa March 4, Columbia March 5.

A few of the countries who flattened their curves (no increase in number of daily new cases for a long while): China, Singapore, South Korea, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, UK, Belgium, Switzerland, Ireland, Denmark, and Canada.

msn. com/ en- us/ health/ medical/ how coronavirus affects the entire body:

“Coronavirus damages not only the lungs, but the kidneys, liver, heart, brain and nervous system, skin and gastrointestinal tract, doctors said Friday in a review of reports about Covid-19 patients… Their comprehensive picture shows the coronavirus attacks every major system in the human body, directly damaging organs and causing blood to clot, the heart to lose its healthy rhythm, the kidneys to shed blood and protein and the skin to erupt in rashes. It causes headaches, dizziness, muscle aches, stomach pain and other symptoms along with classic respiratory symptoms like coughing and fever.

‘Physicians need to think of Covid-19 as a multisystem disease,’ said Dr. Aakriti Gupta.. ‘There’s a lot of news about clotting but it’s also important to understand that a substantial proportion of these patients suffer kidney, heart, and brain damage, and physicians need to treat those conditions along with the respiratory disease.’

Much of the damage wrought by the virus appears to come because of its affinity for a receptor- a kind of molecular doorway into cells- called ACE2. Cells lining the blood vessels, in the kidneys, the liver ducts, the pancreas, in the intestinal tract and lining the respiratory tract all are covered with ACE2 receptors, which the virus can use to grapple and infect cells, the Columbia team wrot3e in their review published in the journal Nature Medicine. ‘These findings suggest that multiple-organ injury may occur at least in part due to direct viral tissue damage,’ the team wrote.

Coronavirus infection also activates the immune system. Part of that response includes the production of inflammatory proteins called cytokines. This inflammation can damage cells and organs and the so-called cytokine storm is one the causes of severe symptoms.

‘The virus is unusual and it’s hard not to take a step back and not be impressed by how many manifestations it has on the human body,’ Dr. Mahesh Madhavan, another cardiology fellow who worked on the review, said in a statement.

Blood clotting effects appear to be caused by several different mechanisms: direct damage of the cells lining the blood vessels and interferences with the various clotting mechanisms in the blood itself. Low blood oxygen caused by pneumonia can make the blood more likely to clot, the researchers said. Those clots can cause strokes and heart attacks or can lodge in the lungs or legs. They clog the kidneys and interfere with dialysis treatments needed for the sickest patients.

Damage to the pancreas can worsen diabetes, and patients with diabetes have been shown to be at the highest risk of severe illness and death from coronavirus. The virus can directly damage the brain, but some of the neurological effects likely come from the treatment. ‘Covid-19 patients can be intubated for two to three weeks; a quarter require ventilators for 30 or more days,’ Gupta said. ‘These are very prolonged intubations, and patients need a lot of sedation. ‘ICU delirium’ was a well-known condition before Covid, and the hallucinations may be less an effect of the virus and more an effect of the prolonged sedation.'”.

anita