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You are here: Home / Healthcare / COVID-19 Coronavirus / COVID-19 Coronavirus Update: Tuesday/Wednesday, June 16-17

COVID-19 Coronavirus Update: Tuesday/Wednesday, June 16-17

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… Trial results announced on Tuesday showed dexamethasone, used since the 1960s to reduce inflammation in diseases such as arthritis, cut death rates by around a third among the most severely ill COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital…

Although the dexamethasone study’s results are preliminary, the researchers behind the project said it suggests the drug should immediately become standard care in severely stricken patients.

For patients on ventilators, the treatment was shown to reduce mortality by about one third, and for patients requiring only oxygen, mortality was cut by about one fifth, according to preliminary findings shared with WHO.

The benefit was only seen in patients seriously ill with COVID-19 and was not observed in patients with milder disease…

Reader Interactions

47Comments

  1. 1.

    Amir Khalid

    Malaysia’s daily numbers. 10 new cases, all from local infection, comprising seven Malaysians and three non-Malaysians including one immigration detainee. Total 8,515 cases.

    140 more patients recovered, total 7,873 recovered or 92.5% of all cases. There are 521 remaining active cases, of which four are in ICU with no one on a ventilator. No new deaths, total stands at 121 deaths.  Infection fatality rate 1.42%, case fatality rate 1.51%.

  2. 2.

    NotMax

    Run-on consequences.

    An overflow of returned rental vehicles continues to be staged around Kahului Airport due to lack of space and few travelers.

    “Most of the car rental companies are starting to send cars back to the mainland. We’ve had quite a reduction–although it doesn’t look like it–but we’ve had a reduction in vehicles that we house here at the airport,” said [Maui Airports district manager] Moniz.

    Airport officials say there’s some concern about fire dangers in the area. “We did do a joint training program with the Maui Fire Department and the Airport Fire Department just in case that came up–because I believe there was one at Fort Meyers Airport … where 3,000 cars were burned. So we are addressing that dry brush issue,” said Moniz.Source

    Mentioned last week having driven by row upon row of cars parked nose to tail on shoulders and in all the fields surrounding the airport. Personally saw no less than 500, probably over 1000 if those hidden by terrain or obscured by scrub are taken into account.

  3. 3.

    gkoutnik

    “What’s happening in Brazil is unique on a global level. Despite soaring numbers, officials never implemented measures largely successful elsewhere in the world. There has been no national lockdown. No national testing campaign. No agreed-upon plan.”

    Unique? I can think of another country with no rational national response. Oh, right – it’s the one I live in.

  4. 4.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Trial results announced on Tuesday showed dexamethasone, used since the 1960s to reduce inflammation in diseases such as arthritis, cut death rates by around a third among the most severely ill COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital…

    Figures, I can’t take it.

  5. 5.

    NotMax

    @gkoutnik

    Mom’s older sister in Brazil wanted to send her some newspaper articles from there but mail to the U.S. is not being accepted by the Brazilian postal service.

  6. 6.

    Jay Noble

    PM Ardem sounds pissed and the reason for the slip up? People who thought they should be the exception.

  8. 8.

    terben

    From the Australian Dept of Health:

    ‘As at 3:00pm on 17 June 2020, a total of 7,370 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Australia, including 102 deaths and 6,870 have been reported as recovered from COVID-19.

    • Over the past week, there has been an average of 12 new cases reported each day. Of the newly reported cases, the majority have been from Victoria.
    • COVID-19 cases were reported across all ages.
      • The median age of all cases is 46 years (range: 0 to 101 years).
      • The median age of deaths is 80 years (range: 42 to 96 years).
    • There is a relatively equal ratio of male-to-female cases across most age groups.
    • Following the peak of cases at the end of March, since mid-April 2020 there has been a sustained and relatively low number of new cases reported daily.
    • Of cases with a reported place of acquisition, 62% have recent international travel history, including over 1,300 cases associated with cruise ships.
    • The overall proportion of cases under investigation in each state and territory is relatively low, indicating that public health actions, including case identification and contact tracing, is occurring in a timely manner.
    • To date, over 1,876,000 tests have been conducted nationally. Of those tests conducted 0.4% have been positive.
    • The ‘cases in aged care services’ table presents the number of cases that have been reported among care recipients in Australian Government subsidised Residential and In Home Care settings in each state and territory,’

    23 new cases today, 21 in Victoria. 15 of the Victorian cases are among people quarantined, having returned from countries now suffering high rates of infection, eg India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

    Australians are a gregarious bunch who like to travel for business and pleasure. Many of these are returning home to the relative safety that we offer. Inevitably some of these returnees are infected.

    One such case was detected in my state today. Someone who had returned from Pakistan showing symptoms of Covid-19, tested positive while in quarantine in Melbourne, recovered and subsequently travelled to Adelaide. He was tested on arrival and was positive to an antibody test. He is now in self isolation for 2 weeks at home.

  9. 9.

    Patricia Kayden

    Trump:  “Just stop testing! No tests — no Coronavirus!  Simple.”

    Seriously, Trump has stuck his head in the sand on this issue.

  11. 11.

    Amir Khalid

    This entry from The Guardian‘s liveblog is a reminder: you can never let your guard down against the coronavirus.

    Charlotte Graham-McLay

    The quarantine blunder that led to two women in New Zealand – who had recently arrived from Britain and were infected with Covid-19 – leaving quarantine without being tested for the virus appears to have gone from bad to worse for the country’s health authorities.

    Officials initially said the women had driven from the city of Auckland to Wellington – a trip of nearly 650 km, taking about 8 hours – without stopping for fuel or bathroom breaks after they were allowed to leave quarantine early on compassionate grounds because one of their parents had died.

    But the health ministry has now been forced to admit that the women had, in fact, met up with friends early in their journey to get directions after they got lost leaving Auckland. The pair had “limited physical contact” with two friends for up to five minutes, a statement just released by the ministry says.

    The fiasco had initially been framed as simply a failure to test the women before they left quarantine – and has resulted in Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s prime minister, removing the policy of compassionate exemption to isolation for returning travelers who wished to visit dying relatives.

    New Zealand’s top health official initially said that the women had “done everything right” and had not put any member of the public at risk during their trip.

    But news that the women stopped on their trip – information that only came to light after a member of the public posted about it on Facebook, and it was raised in parliament by an opposition lawmaker in parliament – is likely to cause more political ripples for Ardern, her health minister, and other officials.

  14. 14.

    Baud

    @Amir Khalid:

    likely to cause more political ripples for Ardern, her health minister, and other officials

    Really? We don’t have enough accountability here, but that seems ridiculous.

  17. 17.

    satby

    Every week, less and less people wear masks in this area. And a stunning number of them are elderly. I’m really expecting a disastrous summer of overwhelmed hospitals starting in another few weeks.

  18. 18.

    Brachiator

    If Arizona doesn’t change anything, it might become an interesting disaster model. About 17.5 percent of the state population is age 65 and older.

    Here is a May 15 NPR story.

    The state began easing restrictions on businesses in early May and lifted its statewide lockdown order after May 15. Under Arizona’s reopening plan, businesses are advised to follow federal guidance on social distancing.

    And the June 14 result

    Arizona has emerged as one of the country’s newest coronavirus hot spots, with the weekly average of daily cases nearly tripling from two weeks ago. The total number of people hospitalized is climbing, too. Over the past week, Arizona has seen an average of more than 1,300 new COVID-19 cases each day.

    The July 15 numbers could be staggering. But the key date might be August 20, which would include Fourth of July holiday celebrations.

  19. 19.

    Barbara

    @Jay Noble: That’s a lot of people. I read about a group of Italian travelers who went to Martinique to escape the Italian lockdown, who were outraged to learn upon entry that they were required to quarantine for two weeks. Martinique is an overseaes departement of France.  I wouldn’t want to be shut inside on a Caribbean island for two weeks either, but I wouldn’t try to travel from an active hot spot with the expectation of facing no restrictions.

  21. 21.

    Baud

    @satby: I think all of this is a secret Republican to get liberals to be against spending our hard earned tax dollars on those people.

  23. 23.

    NotMax

    @Baud

    Awaiting the announcement as to whether the watch under the Baud! administration will be digital or analog.
    :)

  25. 25.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @BellyCat: I realized after I posted that that I still hadn’t got it quite right. So… FTFM:

    Seriously, Trump has stuck his head in the sand up his ass on this all issues.

  27. 27.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Brachiator:

    If Arizona doesn’t change anything, it might become an interesting disaster model.

    Unintentional dark humor first thing in the morning?

    I like it.

  30. 30.

    New Deal democrat

    @Brachiator:

    As it turns out, the explosion in new cases in Arizona wasn’t on the 15th, but on the 16th. The 7 day rate of new infections rose by close to 20% yesterday alone, to 214 per million.

    Over the last 3 weeks, cases in Arizona have doubled every 9 days. At this rate, they will be as bad as NY was at its peak in two weeks.

    Alabama, Arkansas, and South Carolina aren’t too far behind, and also show exponential increases of doubling about every two weeks.

    While the death rate nationally has continued to decrease slightly, it has started to increase in Arizona and Arkansas.

  31. 31.

    Amir Khalid

    @Baud:

    The two women were released from quarantine without being tested. Someone on the health ministry made that mistake. Then someone else misreported the extent of their contact with locals on their 400-mile drive to Wellington. PM Ardern and the Health Minister aren’t directly responsible, of course, but the buck has to stop somewhere.

  32. 32.

    mrmoshpotato

    @NotMax: Given the recent events (of the past 3.5 years), the morning thread probably went on a Tuesday night bender.

    (The thread, not its author.)

  35. 35.

    YY_Sima Qian

    Yesterday, Beijing reported 31 new domestic confirmed cases, as well as 3 new suspect and 6 new asymptomatic cases, all directly connected to the Xinfadi produce exchange. The neighboring Hebei Province reported 1 new domestic confirmed and 1 new asymptomatic cases, both connected to Xinfadi. The province of Zhejiang in Eastern China reported 1 new domestic confirmed case, a vendor at Xinfadi. Since 6/14, 356K people deemed at higher risk of exposure (people determined by epidemiological investigation and big data to have direct connections to Xinfadi and other produce markets with cases, residents in communities surrounding these markets, and residents in compounds with cases) have been tested with RT-PCR. That is an ~ 0.04% positive rate. Beijing authorities claims that a further 355K people determined by big data to be at risk will be tested today. All testing labs in Beijing are running 24/7, increasing Capacity by several fold.

    In next phase of the testing campaign, Beijing aims to mass screening 6 categories of people: all residents of communities/neighborhoods deemed Medium or High Risk, all workers and vendors at all markets, medical personnel, public devices personnel, students and schools staff that had returned to classroom instruction, and frontline community workers and volunteers.

    So far, most of the cases have direct exposure to Xinfadi, secondary infections are a small minority, and I am not ware if any tertiary infections, yet. Combined with the very low positive rate, despite massive testing and tracing, it would seem Beijing did in fact catch this outbreak early, though the origin is still unknown.

    However, the earliest cases had developed symptoms (albeit often very much) by 6/4 – 6/6, while they were not tested until 6/10 – 6/11, and the authorities did not announce the first confirmed case until 6/12 and the outbreak until 6/13 – 6/14. Detection and reaction a few days earlier could have significantly reduced the number of infections, and more importantly reduced the geologic scope of the outbreak, and thus reduced the cost of test/trace/lock down response. The Chinese authorities had to figure out how to better educate the population (especially the relatively marginalized population without local “Hukous”) on all the symptoms of COVID-19, encourage them to visit fever clinics at the first sign of symptoms, and remove deferents to seeking medical assessment and testing.

    Cities around China are placing everyone who came from Beijing since 5/30 (not just those with connections to Xinfadi) into centralized quarantine and have them tested. Probably an overreaction, given the still relatively small outbreak to date in Beijing.

    Cities across the country have also launched campaigns to test environmental samples and workers/vendors working in major produce markets, wet markets, and supermarkets. No positive results, yet.

  36. 36.

    Brachiator

    An interesting tidbit from the UK Science and Technology May meeting. Comments from Sir David Spiegelhalter, Winton Professor of the public understanding of risk at the University of Cambridge. This appears to be an attempt to provide a quick informal write-up of the talk of scientists on the panel.

    Spiegelhalter says the risk of dying from Covid-19 doubles with every seven years of age. There have only been two deaths under the age of 15, he says. The average age of people going into intensive care is 60, but the median age for women dying of Covid-19 is 84, he says. Men have double the risk of dying of Covid-19 as women do, he says.

    I wonder if this is also what is seen in the US.

  37. 37.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @gkoutnik: Unique? I can think of another country with no rational national response. Oh, right – it’s the one I live in.

    El Presidenties Base is actually backing him up on deliberately breaking the Virus abatement efforts in local communities.

  38. 38.

    Nelle

    @Amir Khalid: I’m having a hard time believing they didn’t stop once for the bathroom or anything else.  I lived roughly halfway between the two cities.  That’s a long drive, slowing down for towns and geography.  Just south of us, the speed drops to 25 km several times as one negotiates tight curves between rock and lake or up and through ravines where it becomes the Desert Road.  It’s mostly two lane road and requires alert and intense driving.  I once met some Americans who said they were la-dee-da when they set off from Auckland and they looked spent when I saw them on arrival on Wellington.  They said, never again in one go.  I think these women stopped and went into public loos, at the minimum.

  40. 40.

    VOR

    I see fewer and fewer people wearing masks at the grocery store or when picking up take-out at restaurants. Facebook shows me people crowding together at restaurants or events without a care in the world. As a society, we are just stupid. It makes me think of this clip from Terminator 2: https://youtu.be/kpEDSvaP_-8

  41. 41.

    frosty

    @NotMax: in early May we passed along a single track railroad line in Eastern Colorado where unused car carriers were sidelined. For 20 miles.

  42. 42.

    J R in WV

    @Amir Khalid:

    Then someone else misreported the extent of their contact with locals on their 400-mile drive to Wellington.

    I’m cynical, but I suspect the two “compassionate” travelers lied when first questioned, as they know they fucked up bigly. Obviously completely irresponsible. Whoever let them go is the responsible party besides the two ill travelers.

    They came to visit ill relatives, and to kill them and others all around them. Typical special kitties, would be Trumpoids here. Or Karens.

  44. 44.

    Another Scott

    @satby:

    WHO:

    Phase 6, the pandemic phase, is characterized by community level outbreaks in at least one other country in a different WHO region in addition to the criteria defined in Phase 5. Designation of this phase will indicate that a global pandemic is under way.

    During the post-peak period, pandemic disease levels in most countries with adequate surveillance will have dropped below peak observed levels. The post-peak period signifies that pandemic activity appears to be decreasing; however, it is uncertain if additional waves will occur and countries will need to be prepared for a second wave.

    Previous pandemics have been characterized by waves of activity spread over months. Once the level of disease activity drops, a critical communications task will be to balance this information with the possibility of another wave. Pandemic waves can be separated by months and an immediate “at-ease” signal may be premature.

    In the post-pandemic period, influenza disease activity will have returned to levels normally seen for seasonal influenza. It is expected that the pandemic virus will behave as a seasonal influenza A virus. At this stage, it is important to maintain surveillance and update pandemic preparedness and response plans accordingly. An intensive phase of recovery and evaluation may be required.

    Or, as someone in the news put it more bluntly: Every previous new pandemic has had at least a 2nd wave, and that 2nd wave hits in the winter, and it is worse than the first. There’s no reason to think that COVID-19 will be any different.

    There is still no effective treatment (The Evil Dex slightly reduces fatalities for people in ICUs – it’s not a cure).

    There is still no vaccine.

    There is still far too much community spread.

    :-(

    Be careful out there!!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  45. 45.

    Royston Vasey

    @Nelle: I currently live in Wellington. I agree that it is unlikely that made the journey from Auckland to Wellington (once they had found the right road out of Auckland) without taking a break.

    They said they stopped by the side of the road for a toilet break. However, it is more likely that they needed additional fuel around maybe Taupo, Waiouru, or Taihape. Here they could of used contact-less pay-at-the-pump and used the bathrooms all without meeting anyone.

    The simplest answer would be for a Health official to visit them in Wellington and get the honest truth from them.

     

    RV in NZ

  46. 46.

    Betty

    @Barbara: As far as I know, most islands are requiring the 14 day quarantine at your own expense, either at a  special facility or hotel. One reason I am not leaving as I would have to do that when I came home at a special facility.

  47. 47.

    Royston Vasey

    @Amir Khalid:

    Sunday 7th June – Left London, UK
    Wednesday 10th June – Arrived London-Doha-Brisbane-Auckland
    Entered managed isolation in Auckland hotel
    The women had just lost a parent and were distraught. The pair asked for and received compassionate leave.

    Saturday 13th June – Drove from Auckland to Wellington
    Picked up car from friend (and then got lost trying to get to motorway & went north instead of south)
    On the journey, claimed not to stop.

    Monday 15th June – Positive test result

    Since their arrival in Wellington, the pair have been in contactless home isolation

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