Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

The GOP is a fucking disgrace.

Everybody saw this coming.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

Infrastructure week. at last.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

Battle won, war still ongoing.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

This really is a full service blog.

Let’s finish the job.

I know this must be bad for Joe Biden, I just don’t know how.

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

When do the post office & the dmv weigh in on the wuhan virus?

Conservatism: there are some people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

You are here: Home / Healthcare / COVID-19 Coronavirus / COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Sunday/Monday, Oct. 11-12

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Sunday/Monday, Oct. 11-12

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(NB: Under laboratory conditions, it seems the virus can survive on non-porous materials under cool, dark conditions — UVF light and room-temp warmth degrades/destroys it. That provides some support for reports that frozen foods kept in the dark for cross-continental shipping could be contaminated, potentially. But I think if it were effectively spread by surface contamination, we’d have a lot more data by now.)

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Reader Interactions

40Comments

  1. 1.

    JPL

    Wash your hands, wear a mask and social distance.   Why are those three things so difficult for some?

    bah humbug

  2. 2.

    YY_Sima Qian

    Yesterday, China reported 0 new domestic confirmed cases and 3 new domestic asymptomatic cases, 21 new imported confirmed cases and 29 imported asymptomatic cases and 1 imported suspect cases:

    * Shanghai Municipality – 5 confirmed cases, 2 Chinese nationals returning from Russia and 1 from Chad (via France), 1 Palestinian national coming from Saudi Arabia (via Russia), 1 Syrian national coming from Syria (via Russia), and 1 Albanian national coming from Albania (via Austria); 1 suspect case, no information released
    * Panjin Port in Liaoning Province – 4 confirmed cases, all Vietnamese crew members roff a cargo ship
    * Guangzhou in Guangdong Province – 3 confirmed cases, 2 Chinese nationals returning from Saudi Arabia and 1 from Guinea; 11 asymptomatic cases, 5 Chinese nationals returning from Saudi Arabia, 2 from the Philippines and 1 each from Pakistan, Kuwait and Oman and Nepal
    * Shijiazhuang in Hebei Province – 2 confirmed and 8 asymptomatic cases, no information released
    * Taiyuan in Shanxi Province – 2 confirmed cases, both Chinese nationals returning from Poland
    * Beijing Municipality – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese national returning from Pakistan
    * Tianjin Municipality – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese crew member off a cargo ship (recently residing in Spain); 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese student returning from Spain
    * Hohhot in Inner Mongolia – 1 confirmed case, no information released
    * Chengdu in Sichuan Province – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese nationals returning from the Philippines; 2 asymptomatic cases, 1 Chinese national each returning from Egypt and Cambodia
    * Fuzhou in Fujian Province – 1 confirmed case (previously asymptomatic), a Chinese national returning from Indonesia
    * Xiamen in Fujian Province – 4 asymptomatic cases, 2 Chinese nationals returning from Nigeria and 1 each from Singapore and the Philippines
    * Rizhao Port in Shandong Province – 1 asymptomatic case, a Filipino crew member off a cargo ship
    * Xi’an in Shaanxi Province – 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national returning from Uzbekistan
    * Nanjing in Jiangsu Province – 1 asymptomatic case, no information released

    As I mentioned in comment to A.L.’s daily COVID-19 update yesterday, Qingdao in Shandong Province had reported 3 domestic asymptomatic cases. 2 of the asymptomatic cases have been redesigned as confirmed over night. 377 close contacts of the 1st 3 cases, as well as all patients and caretakers of the Pulmonology hospital in the city have been tested, a further 4 confirmed and 5 asymptomatic cases have been found, all are patients or caretakers staying in the Pulmonology hospital in question, as well as a relative of a patient. That makes the current total at Qingdao 6 confirmed and 6 asymptomatic cases, which will be reflected in tomorrow’s National Health Commission update. Further 132 Tier 1 close contacts and 171 Tier 2 close contacts of these cases have been identified and tested, all negative so far and will remain under quarantine; 810 regular contacts of these cases have been traced and tested, all negative. Samples have been collected from all staff, patients and caretakers in all medical institutions in the city, 162,601 individuals in all, the 154,815 results obtained so far are all negative. Samples have been collected from 114,221 individuals in community screening, of the 75,296 results obtained so far, all negative. I think these samples are not pooled, but tested individually, along side the 100% mass screening of all residents. It appears that the cluster is indeed centered at the Pulmonoly hospital, whether it is caused by failure of containment around the imported cases being treated there is still unclear. However, if all medical staff at the Pulmonology hospital test negative, then it really begs the question what is the source of the cluster.

    The municipal government has clarified that they will attempt to collect samples from all 6M residents within the urban districts within 3 days, and all 9M residents including the outlying districts within 5 days. Mass screening in residential compounds already started last night, and is gathering steam this morning. Given the speed of the mass response effort, I think it is safe to assume local governments in China have made contingency plans triggered by detection of new clusters and outbreaks, working from a standard template.

    Other than the impacted hospitals and residential compounds, no part of Qingdao is yet under lock down, and all areas are still deemed Low Risk, with no restrictions entering and leaving the city. Some local governments elsewhere in China, however, have asked people who have visited Qingdao in the past 14 days to get tested, and even self-quarantine for additional 14 days. More have issues travel advisories against going to Qingdao, except for urgent business. One of my team members in Beijing spent the China National Day break at Qingdao with his family, though at a seaside resort on the other side of the city from the Pulmonology hospital. The airport they flew into and out of, on the other hand, is on the northern side, where the cluster is. So far, his health code is still green, but we agreed that he should hold off on business travel until the situation at Qingdao becomes clear. The risk of him being infected is infinitesimal, but some people we might meet could nevertheless feel uncomfortable. Furthermore, if parts of Qingdao is declared Medium or High Risk, his health code could turn yellow, and that becomes messy if he is caught traveling when that happens.

    Today, Hong Kong reported 11 new cases, 5 from local infection, all but 1 have sources of infection identified.

  4. 4.

    NotMax

    Number of countries reporting cumulative case totals of 500k or more increases from 12 to 13.

    U.S. ~7872k
    India ~7121k
    Brazil ~5095k
    Russia ~1312k
    Colombia ~911k
    Argentina ~894k
    Spain ~861k
    Peru ~849k
    Mexico ~818k
    France ~735k
    South Africa ~692k
    U.K. ~604k
    Iran ~500k
    .

  5. 5.

    OzarkHillbilly

    “In South Dakota, we didn’t take a one-size-fits-all approach and the results have been incredible,” Gov. Kristi Noem told lawmakers in her state,

    No lie told. What is also incredible is that she hasn’t been tarred, feathered, and rode on a pole right out of the state.

  6. 6.

    Tony Jay

    Today I have a funeral for a friend’s father (sudden onset severe dementia hitting around July/August during Lockdown, hospitalised in September, pneumonia, went in his sleep) while waiting for Lady Jay’s test results to get back (she suspects hyper-thyroidism to explain her ENTIRE LIFE SO FAR) and Flobalob’s Government of Henchmen is about to impose severe Lockdown rules on Liverpool to show how very seriously they’re taking their catastrophic failure to deal with the pandemic as anything more than an opportunity for wholesale looting and powergrabs.

    And it’s raining. Bleaugh!!!

  7. 7.

    OzarkHillbilly

    The governors putting a positive spin on their states’ worsening situations face little political fallout for doing so, and are even facing pressure from the right to lift any remaining restrictions. That’s the case in Arkansas, where a group of Republican lawmakers are suing to invalidate a mask mandate and other directives imposed by GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
    ……………………………………….
    Hutchinson has cited progress with the state’s testing positivity, but has acknowledged it needs to improve in other areas such as hospitalizations and rate of new cases. Hutchinson has continued resisting calls to roll back some of the state’s reopening, saying he’s relying more on personal responsibility.

    “We’re Republicans, we’re conservative and we don’t want to increase restrictions on business, we don’t want to increase mandates and the only way you can navigate through this crisis is by simply making sure that we have individual discipline,” Hutchinson told his cabinet last week.

    Saying he wants to rely on personal responsibility while his party sues him over the simplest personal responsibility requirement.

  8. 8.

    Amir Khalid

    Here in Malaysia, conditional movement control orders will be imposed on the states of Sabah and Selangor. The CMCO takes effect midnight tonight in Sabah, and midnight tomorrow night in Selangor, and includes the Federal Territories of KL and Putrajaya which are geographically located within Selangor. The CMCO in both states will last through 26th October.

  10. 10.

    JPL

    Today is the first day of early voting and hopefully I’ll cast my ballot for Biden, Ossoff, Warnock  and Lucy McBath.   My personal plan is to arrive early, but if there is already a line wait until tomorrow.    This is what happens when you have a pandemic.    I didn’t receive a mail in ballot for the primary and decided not to chance it this time.

  11. 11.

    Chyron HR

    @JPL:

    Will the Democratic ads accusing her of wanting to put Trump on Mt. Rushmore be decried as attacks on her “family” or her “religion”?

  15. 15.

    Amir Khalid

    @Amir Khalid:

    CMCO is less restrictive than total lockdown. Most economic activities that have been permitted to resume may go on but schools are closed and attendance at houses of worship is restricted.

  16. 16.

    mrmoshpotato

    Musicians from Wuhan commemorate China’s fight against coronavirus at the opening concert of the Beijing Music Festival, called ‘Untitled: Dedicated to 2020’

    How was this not called ‘Go Fuck Yourself: Dedicated to 2020’?

  17. 17.

    YY_Sima Qian

    @ A.L.

    As I mentioned before, fomite transmission via cold chain logistics is absolutely a tail risk, may be the tip of the tail. For countries still suffering surges of COVID-19 with high prevalence in the population, energy is better focused on H-H respiratory transmission (droplet and aerosol), with secondary focus on fomite transmission via surfaces in common areas, which together probably drive > 95% of all transmission. On the other hand, contact tracing at such places are so poor that fomite transmission is probably lost in the noise.

    However, for countries and regions that have successfully eradicated COVID-19 domestically, and has maintained strong defenses at the border with mandatory testing and quarantine of incoming visitors, managing such tail risks are absolutely worthwhile. After all the effort that went into achieving and sustaining eradication, no sense risking those achievements by leaving a back door open, however small.

    The potential risk of fomite transmission via cold chain logistics is probably the most visible and intensely discussed in China, yet the country continues to import mind boggling quantities of fresh and frozen foot products to feed the population. When I shop for grocery, I still see frozen beef from Brazil and Australia, frozen lamb from New Zealand, frozen pork from Denmark and Spain, frozen seafood off the oceangoing fishing fleets, cheese from France, butter from the Netherlands, oranges from South Africa, blueberries from Chile, tropical fruits from Southeast Asia and Taiwan. In any case, I would those most at risk from fomite transmission via cold chain logistics are the logistics and service workers that handle such products as part of their jobs, not the average consumer.

  18. 18.

    Brachiator

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    @JPL: Nobody tells them what to do.

    And it’s not just a US problem. A story about the Coronavirus and the Netherlands.

    According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the Netherlands now has Europe’s second highest rate of coronavirus infection, with an average of just over 322 new infections per 100,000 people in the past 14 days. Only the Czech Republic has a higher reported rate of spread.

    Some of the possible reasons for the increase in cases?

    The current death rate is lower than in Spain and France at 1.2 people per 100,000. But the number of Dutch infections gives a clue to how many people might not be following the latest rules to wear face masks in public indoors, limit guests at home to three, leave bars at 10pm and work from home wherever possible.

    One journalist in Friday’s press conference pointed out one possible explanation: the Dutch love to challenge an order and he said debates were part of the ‘polder’ model of building this country’s network of sea defences. But now Rutte, as well as an IPO poll of 66% of Dutch people, seems to think we need a stricter approach.

    BTW, community spread also seems to be a big problem in the US, where we don’t emphasize limiting the number of people we voluntarily associate with or visit or allow into our homes.

    Also in the Netherlands, young adults are most likely to bend the rules, and of course, have high rates of infection. There is some informed speculation that younger people visited other countries to party during the summer and brought the pandemic back home.

    And with winter coming in many parts of the world, there is concern that there will be more of an upsurge in cases in many affected countries, even those who have had reasonable success in containing the virus in the past.

  19. 19.

    Mary G

    California and here in the OC, except for what looks like a cluster in an assisted living facility, have been doing pretty well. At least until half of LA celebrated the Lakers win tonight.

  20. 20.

    YY_Sima Qian

    @mrmoshpotato: Because the COVID-19 experience around most of the western pacific rim has been quite different from western Eurasia and the Americas. Hubei Province had a dark Jan. – Feb., which lifted by Apr. – May. Most of the rest of China saw severe restrictions that had lifted back in Feb. – Mar. South Korea was not hit hard, even with the big outbreak in Mar., and Taiwan, Vietnam, Singapore (except the foreign worker forms) and Malaysia (despite the current outbreak) have been barely touched, relatively speaking.

  26. 26.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @JPL:

    Same for me, except I’m early voting tomorrow rather than today. Biden/Harris, Ossoff, Warnock, and Bourdeaux.

  27. 27.

    Amir Khalid

    Malaysia’s daily Covid-19 numbers. DG of Health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah is reporting 563 new cases, for a cumulative reported total of 16,220 cases.

    Of 562  cases from local infection, 10 are Malaysians returning from high-risk zones in Sabah. Of the rest, Sabah has 291 cases: 28 from existing clusters, four from the new Kolong cluster, and 259 from various Covid-19 screenings. KL has 25 cases: 10 from the Baiduri cluster, eight from the new Bah Perdana cluster, four from the new Bah Kasturi cluster, two close-contact screenings, and one from the Sungei Way cluster. Kedah has 10 cases: five from th Tembok prison cluster, three from the Bah Ketil cluster, snd two from the Bah Sintok university cluster. Negeri Sembilan has eight cases: three close-contact screenings, two from the Buang Sayang cluster, one from the Selasih cluster, and two from various Covid-19 screenings. Perak has four cases: two from the Tembok cluster and two close-contact screenings. Johorefas two cases, both from the new Rinting cluster. Putrajaya has two cases: one from the new Bah Kasturi cluster, one from the Selasih cluster. Labuan has one case from the Bah Bundle cluster. And Melaka has pne case, a close-contacr screening.

    The one imported case is a Malaysian returning from Indonesia.

    109 more patients recovered and were discharged for a total of 11,022 patients recovered — 67.95% of the cumulative reported total. 5,039 activr and contagious cases are currently in hospital; 98 are in ICU, 29 of them on respirators.

    Two deaths have been reported today, both in Sabah: one 84 year old woman with hypertension, heart disease and chronic lung disease; and one 48 year old woman.  This brings the total to 159 deaths — 0.98% of the cumulative reported total, 1.43% of resolved cases.

  28. 28.

    evap

    @SiubhanDuinne:    Biden/Harris, Ossoff, Warnock, and Nikema Williams (John Lewis seat) for me.   I’ll pass by the closest early voting place for me on my morning walk today and I’ll be checking out the lines.   My plan is try tomorrow or Wed in the middle of the day once the early morning surge has died down.

  31. 31.

    debbie

    @JPL:

    Good luck today. Here, everyone who’s voted early in-person has been very impressed by the speed and efficiency. Hope it’s the same for you and everyone preparing to leave for the polls!

  32. 32.

    Jager

    My ex and her husband live in Arizona, and they have a summer home on Lake Sacajawea in North Dakota. My daughter from Santa Cruz flew up to visit her mom in August. She masked up one day to go to the grocery store for her mom, two ND asshats followed her around the store making remarks about her mask and coughed on her when she was in the checkout line.  Her mom ( a retired cardiac Nurse Practitioner) laughed at her concerns. I have relatives there and all of them except for my sister and her husband in Bismarck have laughed off COVID 19.

    We live in Ventura County, CA, we have well over 100,000 more people than the entire state of ND with fewer deaths and cases. I sent my ex the stats and she never responded. I’m at the point where I’m in an EF Goldman mode about them.

  34. 34.

    Anne Laurie

    @YY_Sima Qian: As I mentioned before, fomite transmission via cold chain logistics is absolutely a tail risk, may be the tip of the tail. For countries still suffering surges of COVID-19 with high prevalence in the population, energy is better focused on H-H respiratory transmission (droplet and aerosol), with secondary focus on fomite transmission via surfaces in common areas, which together probably drive > 95% of all transmission…

    Agreed!  But scary headlines [VIRUS LURKS ON YR BANK NOTES & CELL PHONE!!!)  are popping up all over news-twitter, so I thought it was better to clarify that fomite transmission is, as you say, very much the least of our worries at the moment.

  35. 35.

    YY_Sima Qian

    @mrmoshpotato: I pine for the Norwegian fjords, too! And the African savannah, the South Pacific corals, the Andean peaks, and the European cathedrals and museums.

  36. 36.

    Sloane Ranger

    Yesterday’s figures from the UK.

    There were 12,872 new cases nationwide, down @2000 from the previous day and the 7 day rolling average is beginning to show a bit of a downturn. however, we need to remember that the figures for the last few days cover the weekend and so there may be a spike over the next few days as new cases that were not counted over the weekend enter the stats. Certainly the experts don’t sound very optimistic. New cases broken down by home nation are as follows,

    England – 10,383 (down by @2000)
    Northern Ireland – 1066 (up by @150)
    Scotland – 956 (down by @50)
    Wales – 467 (down by @150).

    Deaths – There were 65 deaths yesterday, 62 in England, 1 in Northern Ireland and 2 in Wales.

    Testing – 285,015 tests were processed out of a capacity of 313,844.

    Hospitalisations – There were 3837 people in hospital as of Thursday last week. 442 people were on ventilators as of Friday. Both figures slowly increasing.

    General – Nothing to report that hasn’t been covered in Annie’s post. Will let you know about BoJo’s super new plan tomorrow, unless I get scooped.

  37. 37.

    Shalimar

     

    @mrmoshpotato: I would buy tickets, but something more permanent would be nice.  I have developed a dislike of Mt. Rushmore this year since it has become obvious Trumo will be on it eventually.  And it isn’t even that impressive.   Looks best on a postcard, not in person.

  39. 39.

    LongHairedWeirdo

    Regarding surface contamination, once I understand how they find transmission vectors, I realized they might never know, for sure, if it’s reasonably possible, nor how dangerous it is.

    The one almost universal vector is “being around an infected person”. Now, my workplace has phone booths (for cell phone calls, private remote meetings, etc. – no actual phones). If one person used one, and the next person to use it caught Covid-19, that *might* mean there’s surface transmission – or, that the two people were close enough to each other, for long enough, to transmit the virus.

    To prove surface contamination was *the* cause, you’d need to know that this was the only possible source of exposure, and that’s really hard to prove – how do you know they didn’t meet? On the other side, most people who are contact-traced end up finding a sick (even if asymptomatic) person.

    Conversely, to prove food transmission, you’d need someone who handled the food (e.g., a food service worker) and an infected consumer of that food, with no other links (which is why food service workers are the natural example – the guy flipping your burgers doesn’t usually work register at the same time). With millions of cases, there are no contact traces that show that form of transmission, so they’ve *essentially* ruled out food borne transmission, but they still keep a sharp eye out for them.

  40. 40.

    Yutsano

    @YY_Sima Qian: I just want to take one of the last 747s flying to Germany. I flew on one a long time ago. I’m ready for what could be one last ride on the Queen of the Skies.

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