Dr. Stuart Weiss: COVID-19 Update Thursday 29-October-2020
Rapid Test Center of New York
Dr. Stuart Weiss, FACEP, FAAP, CBCP
October 29, 2020
CoViD-19 News and Information you can trust
Welcome to our new subscribers from the Rapid Test Center.
| One Door Closes…Another One Opens For those of you who have been reading our newsletter, you may remember that 4-5 months ago, iCrowd joined together with several production and staging companies to help the Film and Television industry get going again. Well, its been a very successful effort and we’ve helped over 25 productions get going in a CoViD-19 safe way. iCrowd will be leaving that group in the next few days and we’re excited to be joining a collaboration with Columbia University. They are doing some really interesting things over there and we will add our operational expertise to their efforts. We also have another really interesting opportunity on the horizon that will continue to help the Film, Television and special event industry. So although one door is closing, some really interesting ones are opening. We’ll let you now how this develops. Testing Center Supplies For those of you who tried to get a CoViD-19 test earlier this week, you may have noticed that we were closed due to a national shortage of testing cartridges. I’m happy to report that we received a big shipment of cartridges. We have also just received a second testing platform. We will soon be installing and running tests on the Mesa Biotech Accula system. This new test is a combination of PCR and Lateral Flow Assay. Its interesting technology that provides accurate quick results. And while I’m talking about new testing technology, we have been talking to a company that is developing a hand held CoViD-19 testing device. Imagine a small device that you place in your mouth for a moment. Then you hold it in your hand and while you walk towards an entrance gate, the tests processes due to the heat in your hand. When you arrive at the gate, you scan your device to get your CoViD-19 results, toss the small device in the garbage, scan your ticket and you’re in. If and when this technology comes out, we could then open stadiums and concert halls. I’m pretty excited about this but its a little ways off. Thanksgiving Many of my clients have been involved in discussions with their employees about Thanksgiving. For readers outside the US, Thanksgiving is traditionally a family holiday with large gatherings of people who come together to eat and drink for long periods of time on the fourth Thursday of November each year. I usually end up overeating big amounts of comfort food. Its one of my favorite holidays on the calendar. So what do we do this year? We need to be smart about this. We are entering what will undoubtedly be one of the toughest periods for the US since the pandemic began. Our numbers are steadily increasing. Remember that outdoor socially distanced events are the safest. For those of you who live in warm regions, have family gatherings outside and socially distance family units. Have people who live together sit at a table together. Make sure you have serving dishes on each table so you don’t pass items from one family unit to another. While folks are socializing, ask them to wear face coverings. Its not an imposition, its for the safety and comfort of your guests. For those of us who live in colder regions, we might have to forgo a big Thanksgiving celebration this year. Its only one year and you certainly don’t want to accidently infect grandma or grandpa and have them end up in the hospital. Have a small intimate Thanksgiving or a Zoom Thanksgiving. One of my clients is in the middle of a film shoot with a break for Thanksgiving. To keep the production safe, crew and cast must be asked to keep themselves safe over the holiday. No big family gatherings. It will put the entire production at risk. No one wants to be the person who shuts down an entire production. This holiday season will be challenging for everyone. We are all suffering from pandemic fatigue and it will be worse when we have to miss holiday traditions. But its only one year. By this time next year, we should be well on our way to vaccine immunity. Stay safe and try to remember to protect yourself and your families, especially as the holidays approach. Be well, Dr. Stu Weiss |
| COVID-19 HEADLINES FOR TODAYCoronavirus update for October 29, 2020 World Wide Updates The Czech Republic is trying to tackle a shortage of health care workers as Covid-19 cases surge Greece imposes more regional lockdowns as Covid-19 cases rise Professional sports can continue in France despite new national lockdown Singapore to lift border restrictions for Mainland China and Australia’s Victoria State Oxford, Hull, Luton and parts of Yorkshire and Midlands to enter tier 2 on Saturday Poland’s total number of coronavirus cases tripled in less than a month More than a million sign Marcus Rashford’s free school meal petition for children in England Russia reports new record daily increase in coronavirus cases A second lockdown in the UK is not inevitable, claims government minister Angela Merkel slams populists who call virus harmless Czech Republic adds a field hospital as surge in Covid-19 cases strains its health care system Taiwan just went 200 days without a local coronavirus transmission Spain’s Catalan regional government announced a 15-day ban on entering or leaving its territory Immunity to coronavirus lingers for months, study finds France imposes month-long lockdown as coronavirus cases flood hospitals As most countries struggle to plan weeks ahead, China just set its agenda for the next 15 years Germany reports new daily high in coronavirus infections India’s coronavirus cases surge past 8 million Mexico’s reported Covid-19 death toll has surpassed 90,000 France and Germany announce partial lockdowns Europe passes 10 million coronavirus cases as infections surge Disneyland Paris to close again, as France goes into second nationwide lockdown Coronavirus dims Mexico’s bright Day of the Dead celebration Czech Republic records highest rate of new coronavirus infections and deaths per capita in EU Spain registers new record rise in daily infections West Yorkshire to be placed under strictest restrictions from Monday Greece introduces regional lockdown in north after Covid surge UK reports 280 more deaths overnight as 23,065 people test positive Algeria’s president underwent medical tests in a German hospital and is in a stable condition Brazil expects to have a vaccine against Covid-19 approved and ready for use in a national inoculation program by June Cyprus and Lithuania have been removed from the UK’s list of travel corridors Four in 10 close contacts of people who tested positive for Covid-19 in England are still not being reached by Test and Trace Austria will announce tighter restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus on Saturday Millions of residents across central Scotland face a continued ban on indoor socializing and drinking in pubs and restaurants Total Cases Worldwide: 45,250,191 Total Deaths Worldwide: 1,184,772 Total Recovered: 32,906,518 US Updates Moderna will have follow-up safety data on its Covid-19 vaccine in late November, CEO says Pandemic service cuts threatened by MTA could kill 450,000 jobs in region US will cross 100,000 daily Covid-19 infections “at some point” in next couple of weeks, former FDA head says Ohio governor says the “virus is raging” in his state CDC’s ensemble forecast now projects up to 256,000 US Covid-19 deaths by Nov. 21 Milwaukee mayor says coronavirus pandemic is “out of control” in Wisconsin Congress waiting for White House to move on stimulus relief, speaker Pelosi says in letter United Airlines to offer free Covid-19 tests for passengers on select routes Trump bet against science, and voters are casting judgment Manhattan lawmaker calls for stipends for low-income people who quarantine More than 40 US states are reporting an increase in Covid-19 cases Sisters charged for allegedly stabbing store security guard 27 times after he told them to wear a mask Justin Turner, Dodgers player who was pulled mid-game for a positive Covid-19 test did not travel back with the team The US government says it will pay for any future coronavirus vaccine for all Americans U.S. hospitals facing ‘increased and imminent’ threat of cyber-attacks: FBI NYC sees ‘meaningful jump’ in COVID infection rate, de Blasio warns of ‘huge restrictions’ Moderna and Pfizer might have Covid-19 vaccine results at same time, Fauci says US steps up deportations of Haitians ahead of election, raising Covid fears Texans close facility after positive test U.S agrees to purchase $375M of COVID antibody drug 2 attendees at Trump rally in North Carolina test positive for coronavirus Los Angeles Chargers have player test positive for COVID-19 Florida adds more than 4,000 new COVID-19 cases and 77 deaths as positivity drops to less than 5% Oil prices post lowest finish in about 5 months as rising coronavirus cases underline demand fears Total US cases: 9,192,311 Total US deaths: 233,999 Total Recovered: 5,962,436 Total Tested in US: 139,513,001 Total cases in TX: 936,867 Total deaths in TX: 18,386 Total cases in CA: 922,440 Total deaths in CA: 17,556 Total cases in FL: 794,624 Total deaths in FL: 16,656 Total cases in NY: 539,378 Total deaths in NY: 33,641 Contact us |
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