Posted on October 14, 2020 by [email protected]_84
BERLIN — The number of newly reported coronavirus cases in Germany has passed 5,000 for the first time since mid-April.
The country’s disease control agency, the Robert Koch Institute, said Wednesday that a further 5,132 infections and 43 deaths from COVID-19 were recorded over the past day.
Chancellor Angela Merkel is meeting the governors of Germany’s 16 states Wednesday to discuss which measures to take in response to the growing case load.
Officials are particularly concerned that COVID-19 infections might increase among older people, who are more likely to suffer serious illnesses.
So far, some 620 people in Germany are receiving intensive care treatment for COVID-19.
Since the start of the pandemic, Germany has recorded a total of 334,585 coronavirus infections, of which almost 282,000 are considered to have recovered. There have been 9,677 deaths in the country from COVID-19.
HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:
— More masks, less play: Europe tightens rules as virus surges
— Possible safety issue spurs pause of COVID-19 antibody study
— AP-NORC poll: New angst for caregivers in time of COVID-19
— Lives Lost: Indian doctor embodied his family’s dreams
__ Despite virus fears, Texas sends most voters to the polls
___
— Follow AP’s pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
___
HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
LONDON — Health officials are scheduled to meet Wednesday to discuss whether to add areas of northern England, including Manchester and Lancashire, to the highest-risk tier, meaning additional anti-coronavirus measures such as closing pubs could soon be imposed there. Only Liverpool was placed in the highest-risk category when the plan was unveiled Monday.
The discussions come as the regional government in Northern Ireland prepares to announce even tougher measures, including a two-week school closure. Northern Ireland has the highest infection rate among the U.K.’s four nations.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is being criticized by all sides two days after announcing his three-tier approach to controlling the virus.
A report released Tuesday showed that the government’s science advisers have called for tougher measures, including a two- to three-week national lockdown. The opposition Labour Party has called for that advice to be followed, while members of Johnson’s Conservative Party say the measures already in place go too far and are damaging the economy.
___
BERLIN — Berlin’s Staatskapelle orchestra under star conductor Daniel Barenboim has called off a three-country European tour planned for November because of the coronavirus pandemic and the difficulties of juggling different countries’ travel restrictions.
The Staatskapelle had planned to play Beethoven works in Paris, Athens and Vienna between Nov. 6 and 22.
The orchestra said Wednesday that it had proven impossible to go ahead with the tour, “not least because of the complex situation with travel to three countries, each with different travel and quarantine rules.” It said the orchestra hopes to be able to rearrange the concerts in the future.
The decision comes after new coronavirus infections hit a record daily increase last week across Europe.
—-
NEW DELHI
Tag: cases
COVID Cases Climbing in 36 States | Health News
Posted on October 14, 2020 by [email protected]_84
By Robin Foster and E.J. Mundell
HealthDay Reporters
(HealthDay)
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Coronavirus outbreaks in the Midwest and Western United States have driven the national case count to its highest level since August, fueling fears of what the coming winter will mean for the country.
COVID-19 cases are starting to climb in 36 states, including parts of the Northeast, which is starting to backslide after months of progress, The New York Times reported. More than 820 new deaths and more than 54,500 new cases were announced across the country on Tuesday, the newspaper said. Idaho and Wisconsin set single-day records for new cases.
About 50,000 new cases are being reported each day in the United States for the week ending Monday, the Times reported. That is still less than in late July, when the country was seeing more than 66,000 cases each day.
But the trajectory is worsening, and experts fear what could happen as cold weather drives people indoors, where the virus can spread more easily, the newspaper said. The latest spike in cases shows up just before the increased mingling of people that comes with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Sixteen states each added more new cases in the seven-day period ending Monday than they had in any other weeklong stretch of the pandemic. North Dakota and South Dakota are reporting more new cases per person than any state has previously, the Times reported.
“A lot of the places being hit are Midwest states that were spared in the beginning,” William Hanage, a Harvard University infectious diseases researcher, told the Washington Post. “That’s of particular concern because a lot of these smaller regions don’t have the ICU beds and capacity that the urban centers had.”
COVID-19 hospitalizations have already begun rising in almost a dozen states, including Ohio and Pennsylvania, raising the probability that increasing death counts will soon follow, the Post reported.
Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN that he hopes the numbers “jolt the American public into a realization that we really can’t let this happen, because it’s on a trajectory of getting worse and worse.” He called the rising numbers “the worst possible thing that could happen as we get into the cooler months.”
It is unclear what is driving the climbing case count, but it could be the long-feared winter effect already taking place, or the reopening of businesses and schools, or just people letting down their guard on social distancing efforts, the Post reported.
Second COVID vaccine trial paused
A second coronavirus vaccine trial was paused this week after an unexplained illness surfaced in one of the trial’s volunteers.
Johnson & Johnson, which only began a phase 3 trial of its vaccine last month, did not offer any more details on the illness and did not say whether the sick participant had received the vaccine or a placebo. The trial pause was first reported by the health news website STAT
Category: health Tags: cases, Climbing, COVID, health, News, States
UK shielders on the rise in Covid cases
Posted on October 14, 2020 by [email protected]_84
People vulnerable to Covid because of their health say they feel forgotten, anxious and unsupported despite new government advice to to take extra precautions due to a sharp rise in coronavirus infections in England.
© Provided by The Guardian
Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images
Support worker Marie-Louise Anacoura, one of more than 2 million people on the government’s shielding list in England, says not enough is being done to protect those who are vulnerable. Noting that most people on the list will not be advised to stay home, Anacoura, 49, adds: “I have COPD [Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease] and I’m very apprehensive of getting coronavirus. I think shielding should be mandatory as it’s the only way I’ll be able to stay at home and not work.”
© Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images
A news display features Boris Johnson as shoppers make their way along the streets of Manchester.
Anacoura shielded until 1 August when she returned to work caring for a patient she has treated for 12 years. “I only go out to work and back, and I cover the night shifts on my own so I don’t have to mingle with others,” she says. “He [the patient] likes to go out during the day which is difficult for me, but I can’t, and won’t, not let him have a life.
“There is a pressure to keep working because I can’t expect my colleagues to continue to cover for me when shielding is not mandatory. It’s dangerous for me to work while the country is like this.”
She feels the government has “forgotten” about those who are at high risk of catching Covid. “The cases are rising and they’re doing nothing about the vulnerable. I understand that for some people shielding can be isolating, but I’m more anxious now than I was at the start of the pandemic, and I know I wouldn’t survive if I got it.”
This anxiety is shared by Jane Carter, an administrator in Bristol who has sarcoidosis, a rare inflammatory disease that usually affects the lungs and skin. “It’s quite scary but I’m incredibly lucky that my employer has been clear I should work from home,” says Carter, 46.
“I’m so concerned about how the government is communicating with us,” she adds. “I feel strongly that advisory shielding should be back in place. I’m aware some people don’t want to shield, and that is fine, but it came with a level of protection that is now not present.”
Carter lives on her own and is concerned she no longer gets enough exercise because she is anxious about going out. “I don’t move about as much and I have limited space. I did my own shopping during the summer but since cases have been rising I’ve gone back to online deliveries. I love living alone but I do wonder sometimes how long I will stay content with the situation as it is.
“It’s much scarier now we’ve seen how the virus affects people. I feel like I’m definitely
Category: health Tags: cases, COVID, rise, shielders
Germany hits 5,000 new cases, Merkel eyes action
Posted on October 14, 2020 by [email protected]_84
BERLIN — The number of newly reported coronavirus cases in Germany has passed 5,000 for the first time since mid-April.
The country’s disease control agency, the Robert Koch Institute, said Wednesday that a further 5,132 infections and 43 deaths from COVID-19 were recorded over the past day.
Chancellor Angela Merkel is meeting the governors of Germany’s 16 states Wednesday to discuss which measures to take in response to the growing case load.
Officials are particularly concerned that COVID-19 infections might increase among older people, who are more likely to suffer serious illnesses.
So far, some 620 people in Germany are receiving intensive care treatment for COVID-19.
Since the start of the pandemic, Germany has recorded a total of 334,585 coronavirus infections, of which almost 282,000 are considered to have recovered. There have been 9,677 deaths in the country from COVID-19.
HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:
— More masks, less play: Europe tightens rules as virus surges
— Possible safety issue spurs pause of COVID-19 antibody study
— AP-NORC poll: New angst for caregivers in time of COVID-19
— Lives Lost: Indian doctor embodied his family’s dreams
__ Despite virus fears, Texas sends most voters to the polls
___
— Follow AP’s pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
___
HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
LONDON — Health officials are scheduled to meet Wednesday to discuss whether to add areas of northern England, including Manchester and Lancashire, to the highest-risk tier, meaning additional anti-coronavirus measures such as closing pubs could soon be imposed there. Only Liverpool was placed in the highest-risk category when the plan was unveiled Monday.
The discussions come as the regional government in Northern Ireland prepares to announce even tougher measures, including a two-week school closure. Northern Ireland has the highest infection rate among the U.K.’s four nations.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is being criticized by all sides two days after announcing his three-tier approach to controlling the virus.
A report released Tuesday showed that the government’s science advisers have called for tougher measures, including a two- to three-week national lockdown. The opposition Labour Party has called for that advice to be followed, while members of Johnson’s Conservative Party say the measures already in place go too far and are damaging the economy.
___
BERLIN — Berlin’s Staatskapelle orchestra under star conductor Daniel Barenboim has called off a three-country European tour planned for November because of the coronavirus pandemic and the difficulties of juggling different countries’ travel restrictions.
The Staatskapelle had planned to play Beethoven works in Paris, Athens and Vienna between Nov. 6 and 22.
The orchestra said Wednesday that it had proven impossible to go ahead with the tour, “not least because of the complex situation with travel to three countries, each with different travel and quarantine rules.” It said the orchestra hopes to be able to rearrange the concerts in the future.
The decision comes after new coronavirus infections hit a record daily increase last week across Europe.
—-
NEW DELHI
Category: health Tags: action, cases, eyes, Germany, hits, Merkel
Anthony Fauci warns COVID surge as cases rise in north, weather cools
Posted on October 14, 2020 by [email protected]_84
Dr. Anthony Fauci says top U.S. college athletic programs and professional sports leagues are managing risks for COVID-19 infections far more professionally than the situation at the White House that led to President Donald Trump’s illness. (Oct. 6)
AP Domestic
The nation’s top infectious disease expert said the United States faces a “difficult situation” with a rise in positive coronavirus tests through a wide swath of northern states as the weather cools.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the share of positive coronavirus tests is increasing in the Northwest, Midwest and other northern states.
The share of tests that detect the virus is a key indicator of whether the coronavirus is spreading or under control in a community. Public health officials want to see less than 3% of all tests return positive. An ideal rate is less than 1%, Fauci said Tuesday during a College of American Pathologists meeting.
“We’re starting to see a number of states well above that, which is often, and in fact invariably, highly predictive of a resurgence of cases,” Fauci said. A rise in the share of positive cases “we know leads to an increase in hospitalizations and then ultimately an increase in deaths.”
Data from the COVID Tracking Project shows 36 states have a higher rate of tests coming back positive than the previous week. Another 41 states have higher case counts in the past week compared to a week before, an analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows.
As the fall weather cools and people spend more time indoors, public health experts hoped “we had rather good control over infection dynamics in the country,” Fauci said. “As a matter of fact, unfortunately, that’s not the case.”
Fauci said the nation is averaging between 40,000 and 50,000 new cases every day. The United States has reported more than 7.8 million cases and 215,085 deaths.
A USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins data through late Monday shows 16 states set records for new cases in a week, while Kansas, North Dakota and South Dakota had a record number of deaths in a week.
Fauci said shutting down the nation again to slow the virus’ spread is something “we do not want to do.” and urged Americans to commit to public health recommendations to slow SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. People should wear masks, maintain a distance of at least six feet from others, avoid crowds and wash hands frequently.
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says a coronavirus vaccine could come earlier than expected. (Photo: AP)
The nation should know by the end of 2020 whether there is a safe and effective vaccine. With five vaccine candidates now in the late-stage clinical studies, Fauci said doses of any Food and Drug Administration-authorized vaccine could be shipped by the end of the year or early 2021, first to those who are most vulnerable.
And although the development has been speedy,
Category: health Tags: Anthony, cases, cools, COVID, Fauci, north, rise, surge, warns, weather
One client in one spin studio that followed all the rules triggers a coronavirus outbreak with at least 61 cases
Posted on October 14, 2020 by [email protected]_84
SPINCO, in Hamilton, Ontario, just reopened in July and had all of the right protocols in place, including screening of staff and attendees, tracking all those in attendance at each class, masking before and after classes, laundering towels and cleaning the rooms within 30 minutes of a complete class, said Dr. Elizabeth Richardson, Hamilton’s medical officer of health, in a statement.
Public health officials are very concerned about the number of cases and the size of the outbreak, especially because the city is not currently a hotspot and the facility was not ignoring health protocols, they said in a statement to CNN.
“They have also supported public health services in our investigation by sharing the messaging with all their members,” said Richardson.
There are currently 44 confirmed positive primary cases associated with SPINCO and 17 confirmed secondary cases. Exposure was linked to several classes held from September 28 to October 4.
The studio’s co-owners, Naz Zarezadegan and Ira Price, told The Hamilton Spectator on Monday that public health officials told them “patient zero displayed no symptoms.”
SPINCO said it will stay closed pending further investigation by health officials.
City officials say SPINCO was operating at 50% capacity, with a 6-foot radius around each bike, and that this might raise questions about the safety of gyms and fitness studios during the pandemic.
“We continue to look at what does it mean, what do we need to understand about exercises classes,” Richardson said in a media briefing Tuesday.
Canada is reckoning with a second wave of the coronavirus which has been marked by a doubling of new, daily positive cases of Covid-19 within the past month. Targeted restrictions and closures are in place in many urban centers including Toronto and Montreal, but not in Hamilton.
Source Article …
Category: health Tags: cases, client, coronavirus, outbreak, rules, spin, studio, triggers
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