Dr. Stuart Weiss: COVID-19 Update Monday 24-August-2020
Dr. Stuart Weiss, FACEP, FAAP, CBCP
August 24, 2020
Today’s topics: College Campuses
| A really interesting German Experiment A very interesting study was done this past weekend in Quarterback Immobilien Arena in Leipzig, Germany. As you know, large venue concerts and events were shut down very early in the pandemic to slow the spread of the virus. In some countries, small events have begun to occur and in Germany, indoor events have been allowed. Experts generally agree that personal contact at large indoor events are risky but no one know exactly where. It is in the seating bowl, the line for the bathroom, the entrances? Well, the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg decided to study this so they threw a concert. The event, called Restart 19 featured a pop artist called Tim Bendzko. 1400 volunteers outfitted with masks, digital location trackers and hand disinfectant laced with fluorescent dye were carefully positioned in one of three different seating plans over ten hours. The first plan had no social distancing, the second had moderate safety measures and the the third had strict safety measures. To be safe, all participants were tested for CoViD-19 and had their temperatures taken. Each “concert” featured performances by Mr. Bendzko followed by a break during which participants went to simulated food and drink vendors and used the restrooms. Researchers looked at the close contacts between people using the trackers and looked at surfaces with ultraviolet light to see what areas were the highest touch areas. This was the first large scale experiment to learn more about indoor events I look forward to seeing the results of the study. Please, I just got over the killer Hornets Remember the killer hornets. Those lovely huge insects we learned about a few months ago. I had nightmares about them up until recently. I guess mother nature wasn’t done with us just yet. So in an effort to show us that things can always get worse, NASA announced yesterday that an asteroid is speeding its way towards us and will come really really close on Monday November 2nd, the day before the election. Yes, you read that right, in the middle of a pandemic, demonstrations and a divisive US presidential election, we have an asteroid, 2018VP1 to be exact. The good news is that it is only about 6 1/2 feet wide and poses no existential threat to the humanity unless you happen to be standing in the spot where it hits. NASA says that if it did enter our atmosphere, it would burn up anyway. And the chance of it actually hitting us is only 0.41% but its coming none-the-less. Just saying…. Be well and take care of yourself. There are storm clouds and asteroids on the horizon.–Dr. Stu |
COVID-19 HEADLINES FOR TODAY
Coronavirus update for August 24, 2020
| World Wide Updates Germany issues travel warning for Paris and France’s Cote d’Azur region French Covid-19 cases on the rise in late August Japan reports 746 new Covid-19 cases South Korea confirms 266 new Covid-19 cases New Zealand reports 8 new coronavirus cases Italy reports more than 6000 new coronavirus cases in the last week Usain Bolt says he’s self-isolating while awaiting Covid-19 test results Spain’s regions tighten safety measures as Covid-19 cases rise UK reports 853 new cases of Covid-19 Hong-Kong man re-infected by Covid-19 after four-and-a-half months leading to immunity concerns Zoom is down in some parts of the world Coronavirus outbreak at Scottish school sees staff and students told to self-isolate China has been giving homegrown vaccine to “high risk” professionals since July Mexico goes back to (virtual) school India hopes to jumpstart Bollywood with new film production guidance South Korea stops in-person classes at almost 2,000 schools Disaster looms for Boris Johnson as fall crises collide South Korean President warns that country is facing a virus crisis worse than the first wave Security guard infected with Covid-19 while working at quarantine hotel, in Australia, alleges lack of PPE US universities halt in-person classes and begin campus monitoring after rising coronavirus cases Japanese airline testing hands-free bathroom doors New Zealand extends coronavirus restrictions as PM warns of more cases At least 15 Peru partygoers test positive for Covid-19 following deadly stampede Australia’s Victoria state reports 116 new coronavirus cases, lowest increase in 7 weeks Mexican President says pandemic is “losing steam” as country reports almost 4,000 new infections Peru reports more than 3,700 new coronavirus cases Brazil reports more than 23,000 new coronavirus cases Gaza reports first Covid-19 cases outside quarantine areas and declares lockdown Sweden not expecting big second wave: chief epidemiologist Total Cases Worldwide: 23,740,305 Total Deaths Worldwide: 814,800 Total Recovered: 16,224,155 US Updates US stocks finish higher NFL says no players tested positive for Covid-19 in latest results Trump tells supporters “vaccines are going to be, I believe, announced very soon” Rhode Island will provide an additional $300 per week in unemployment for three weeks, governor says NHL reports fourth consecutive week of no Covid-19 cases Louisiana won’t open state-run shelters ahead of storms because of Covid-19, governor says Notre Dame reports an additional 50 cases of Covid-19 over the weekend Duke University returns only 12 positives out of more than 4,400 students tested for Covid-19 Georgia Covid-19 mega-testing site extended to September 11 University of Kansas cracks down on 2 fraternities for hosting parties Danbury, Connecticut is facing a “serious outbreak” of Covid-19, state health commissioner says Covid-19 testing will be set up at New York airports, governor says Florida reports more than 2,200 new coronavirus cases and 72 deaths Louisiana will pause coronavirus testing statewide ahead of Tropical Storm Laura Miami Dolphins will allow up to 13,000 fans at home opener There’s a Zoom outage on the first day of school in Atlanta, district says White House officials raised the possibility of fast-tracking a vaccine before phase 3 trials were completed New coronavirus cases are decreasing in half of US states US FDA announces emergency authorization for convalescent plasma to treat Covid-19 Health officials in multiple states report coronavirus cases linked to Sturgis Motorcycle Rally KFC suspends six-decades-old ‘Finger Licking’ Good’ slogan due to coronavirus 57% of Republicans find 176,000 coronavirus death toll in the U.S. ‘acceptable’ One dead, 52 others test positive for coronavirus after Maine wedding Total US cases: 5,907,643 Total US deaths: 180,946 Total Recovered: 3,201,507 Total Tested in US: 72,198,267 Total cases in CA: 673,435 Total deaths in CA: 12,174 Total cases in TX: 605,622 Total deaths in TX: 11,821 Total cases in FL: 602,829 Total deaths in FL: 10,399 Total cases in NY: 460,911 Total deaths in NY: 32,968 Contact us |
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