What you need to know about the coronavirus on Wednesday, July 16

07/16/2020 Health, Science, World


When it comes to information about the coronavirus, most Americans don’t trust President Donald Trump. But they do trust Dr. Anthony Fauci, despite attempts by the White House to discredit the country’s leading infectious disease expert.
Fauci himself described the attacks he has faced as “a little strange” and warned that they would end up hurting the president. Almost every aspect of the raging pandemic, from fan distribution to reopening of schools, has become a political problem. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s executive order to ban local municipalities from imposing masks is just the latest example of the power struggle.
But the facts matter. And they are not good. The number of infected Americans is rapidly approaching 3.5 million. At least 39 US states report an increase in the number of new cases from the previous week. The worst affected parts of Arizona and Texas are bringing refrigerated trucks as the morgues fill up. An influential University of Washington model projects that 224,000 people will die from the virus by Nov. 1, an increase of nearly 16,000 from last week.

Facts and trust are important because the battle against this highly contagious and invisible enemy cannot be won without them. The new coronavirus spreads when people interact with each other, so clear and consistent science-based targeting is key. Confusion about what to do and what not to do is a major problem that could cause real harm.

Because the virus is brand new, some uncertainty is inevitable. Tips may need to change over time. How to avoid confusing the public as the message evolves? Communication expert Peter M. Sandman says one way to do this is to “emphatically and loudly warn the audience beforehand to expect uncertainties, reversals, and even mistakes.”
The capital sin of crisis messages? Overconfidence. Like saying that the virus will disappear or that its state is working well, even when the facts say otherwise.

YOU ASKED. WE RESPOND

Q: Was the increase in cases in the south caused by visitors from the north?

A: Coronavirus cases are emerging in the south because states reopened too soon, not because northerners traveled to southern destinations on Memorial Day, the Harvard Global Health Institute said in a statement yesterday.

The institute has rejected comments by Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, blaming travelers from the north for the rise in the south.

“The northerners are not the cause of large outbreaks in the south,” the institute said in a statement. “What states that are seeing big outbreaks have in common is that they relaxed Covid-19 regulations around the same time in May, prompting the increase in cases seen in early June.”

Submit your questions here. Are you a healthcare worker fighting Covid-19? Send us a message on WhatsApp about the challenges you face: +1 347-322-0415.

WHAT IS IMPORTANT TODAY

Coronavirus is angering governments

Major protests have erupted in several countries as protesters take to the streets to express anger at the perceived failures of their leaders to meet the unprecedented challenges that the pandemic is mounting. In Israel, growing public discontent coincided with a record number of new cases of coronavirus. In the Serbian capital Belgrade, protests sparked by the government’s plan to impose a curfew turned violent last week. In Lebanon, hunger protests began in May, just as the country was loosening its grip and beginning to deal with poor living conditions exacerbated by the shutdown of the economy.

A coronavirus test could cost as little as $ 20 or as much as $ 850

The list price of a Covid-19 diagnostic test in the US varies widely by hospital, a new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation showed. The study found that large facilities across the country charge between $ 20 and $ 850 for each test, not including the cost of the provider visit, the installation fee, or other services.

While federal law now requires insurers, Medicare, and Medicaid to cover testing at no cost to patients and provide funds to cover the cost of testing for the uninsured, limits on requirements mean that some patients may still receive bills Kaiser said. The typical list price for the test was $ 127, and about half of hospitals charge between $ 100 and $ 199. Almost one in five values ​​their tests at more than $ 200.

She tested positive a second time

Shelby Hedgecock thought that a negative Covid-19 test meant that she had recovered from her initial infection. But three months and another positive test later, she still feels bad. “I have neurological problems, cognitive problems, problems with putting words together,” he told CNN’s Chris Cuomo on Wednesday. “It is everywhere and I am incredibly tired.”

As health experts work to control the virus, stories like Hedgecock’s raise concerns about whether people can be reinfected and whether collective immunity is possible.

How they did it

When Covid-19 suddenly devastated New York, hospitals seemed “apocalyptic.” The refrigerated trucks became morgues because there was not enough room for all the victims. That was March. Now, infection, hospitalization, or death rates have plummeted in New York and in several other states, paving the way for a full economic reopening.

New York is not alone. Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Vermont managed to control the epidemics. This is how they did it, and what they are doing to keep it that way.

ON OUR RADAR

Chilean nurse Damaris Silva plays the violin for patients in Santiago, Chile.
  • Latin America and the Caribbean have exceeded 3.5 million cases of Covid-19 and more than 150,000 deaths. The death toll in Brazil has now exceeded 75,000.
  • One million people in the UK have quit smoking during the pandemic.
  • Walmart, Kroger and Kohl’s will begin to require customers of American stores to wear masks. They are teaming up with major chains like Starbucks, Best Buy, Costco, and others to impose the rule.
  • India is fast approaching the 1 million cases mark. Meanwhile, China registered only one new case in the past 24 hours.
  • Scenes of drunken young tourists frolicking without masks on the streets of a resort town have sparked concern in Spain as the country teeters on the brink of a new coronavirus surge.
  • Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has tested positive for Covid-19. His announcement came on the day his state reported a record number of new cases.
  • China’s economy is growing again after its worst three-month period in decades, a sign that could bode well for the post-coronavirus global recovery.
  • The 132nd Tournament of Roses Parade, held every New Year’s day in Pasadena, California, has been canceled due to coronavirus concerns.
  • A website allows people to look through another person’s window to change.

TIPS

Even babies need dietary advice.

Experts from the US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee have, for the first time, issued guidelines for feeding children under the age of two. The key message is not surprising: added sugar is bad.

“Nutritional exposures during the first 1,000 days of life not only contribute to long-term health, but also help shape taste preferences and food choices,” the report says.

Get the complete guidelines on how to feed your baby here.

TODAY’S PODCAST

“While it was still being discussed in other parts of the world in terms of monitoring people as they arrive in the country from abroad, they already had it in place … They did temperature checks. They did health surveys because of to Ebola. sprout. ” – David McKenzie, CNN International Correspondent

Many experts prepared for the worst and predicted a Covid-19 crisis in Africa. But while the numbers have increased in some countries like South Africa, the continent has largely escaped the worst so far, McKenzie tells Dr. Sanjay Gupta, chief medical correspondent for CNN. Listen now.

.

Tags

Designed by Tricksfast Solutions
© Copyright 2024, All Rights Reserved