I need to be real with everyone: Stay home. Unless it is a necessity. Need food, supplies, meds? Head to the store quick. Giving blood? Awesome! Go there and come back home.Need to go to work? Totally understandable. You have to make a living.
Otherwise, stay home.
That is what the CDC, HHS and the President are asking of everyone.
I drove to the store to get some food yesterday and I saw three different parties with large groups of people BBQing, drinking beers, having a great time. Usually, I’m all for that! Right now? Not so much.
I know, I know. How boring! But we are all in this together and we need to heed the advice of the professionals and “Slow the Spread” of this thing.
I saw some friends posting about charities hosting car washes, bake sales, and other fund-raising-related gatherings.
Not good.
I mean, great! I’m glad people are trying to help! But for now, we need to be practicing social distancing. Getting a bunch of people together for a car wash is probably not the best way to do that.
Latest Numbers:
Total United States cases: 15,219 as of Friday (7.038 on March 19th)
— Travel-related: 337 (269 on March 19th)
— Close contact: 321 (276 on March 19th)
— Under investigation: 14,561 (6,493 on March 19th) – this number reflects the increase in testing.
Total deaths: 201 (97 on March 19th)
States reporting cases: 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and US Virgin Islands
(Numbers pulled from other reliable resources) Total United States cases reported by other medical sites:
Johns Hopkins:
Total cases: 26,747 (9,415 on March 19th)
Total deaths: 340 (150 on March 19th)
Total recovered: 176 (106 on March 19th)
The United States now has the fourth-most cases tallied in the world. China, Italy and Spain are the only countries ahead of us.
Some regional numbers:
Louisiana – 763
Alabama – 131
Map not available
Arkansas – 118
Tennessee – 371
Map not available
Mississippi – 140
New research
Stool samples show coronavirus
This isn’t exactly “research” but it is interesting. And while it may be obvious to some in the medical world, but for some (me, too) I didn’t even stop to think about this.
A child in China who was diagnosed with the virus never became symptomatic. In a paper titled, “Detection of Novel Coronavirus by RT-PCR in Stool Specimen from Asymptomatic Child, China” the authors highlight that despite being asymptomatic, the virus was actually detected in stool samples. they wrote: “We report an asymptomatic child who was positive for a 2019 novel coronavirus by reverse transcription PCR in a stool specimen 17 days after the last virus exposure. The child was virus positive in stool specimens for at least an additional 9 days. Respiratory tract specimens were negative by reverse transcription PCR.”
Interesting stuff. Now this is just one kid. Out of all the cases in the world. But, you know how your super clean-freak friends always tell you to put the toilet seat down when flushing? Here is another reason. From now on, put the lid down. That way, the spray of tiny dirty water droplets – some that may even potentially (albeit a low chance) have Coronavirus – are held in check.
Mental health during this pandemic
I’ve really been trying to push mental health information out recently because I understand how isolating social distancing can be. I also recognize that if you end up being quarantined – like with the virus in a hospital – that no one is allowed to see you.
That can be scary. For everyone.
Well, researchers are starting to take note of this, too. In an article, titled “The emotional impact of Coronavirus 2019-nCoV (new Coronavirus disease)” the authors mainly focused on China, and then expand on how this impacted both the patients and the worker.
Williams (2020) points out that in two correspondences published in Lancet Psychiatry, experts drew attention to patient populations that may need tailored interventions: older adults and international migrant workers (Yang et al., 2020; Liem et al., 2020). Hence, considering the large aging Chinese population and their susceptibility to COVID-19, older adults with psychiatric conditions may be experiencing further distress (Williams, 2020). Moreover, they may not have access to care as a result of mass quarantine restrictions and public transport closure (Yang et al., 2020). Liu et al. (2020) highlighted that the COVID-19 epidemic has underscored potential gaps in mental health services during emergencies, while also testing the resilience of healthcare workers and medical systems. Duan and Zhu (2020) noted an increase of psychological problems during this epidemic, including anxiety, depression, and stress.
It is noteworthy that despite the common mental health problems and disorders found among patients and health workers in such settings, most health professionals working in isolation units and hospitals do not receive any training for providing mental health care (Xiang et al., 2020). Barbisch et al. (2015) describe how the confinement “caused a sense of collective hysteria, leading the staff to desperate measures.” Fear seems more certainly a consequence of mass quarantine. Anxiety within Wuhan is to be expected even without being in quarantine. During disease outbreaks, community anxiety can rise following the first death, increased media reporting, and an escalating number of new cases. Thus, mass quarantine is likely to raise anxiety substantially, for multiple reasons. Elevated anxiety may also have knock-on implications for other health measures (Rubin and Wessely, 2020).
From the CDC
The CDC has some tips for every day cleaning during this pandemic.
— Wear disposable gloves and gowns for all tasks in the cleaning process, including handling trash.
— Additional personal protective equipment (PPE) might be required based on the cleaning/disinfectant products being used and whether there is a risk of splash.
— Gloves and gowns should be removed carefully to avoid contamination of the wearer and the surrounding area.
— Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds.
— Always wash immediately after removing gloves and after contact with an ill person.
— Hand sanitizer: If soap and water are not available and hands are not visibly dirty, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol may be used. However, if hands are visibly dirty, always wash hands with soap and water.
And always wash your hands…
… After blowing one’s nose, coughing, or sneezing.
… After using the restroom.
… Before eating or preparing food.
… After contact with animals or pets.
… Before and after providing routine care for another person who needs assistance (e.g., a child).
FEMA is taking over
The President and the Coronavirus Task Force announced that FEMA will now be the response leader for COVID-19. FEMA is now at Level 1 for the COVID-19 response, the highest level for a national emergency. This means the CDC may not be the main source of information going forward, though that is not fully clear at the time.
As a scientist, I’m not sure how FEMA is suited to handle communicating the science of this outbreak to people. Nor am I aware of their specific training with communicating medical risk to people. That isn’t to say they are not suited, I am just not sure how they have been – or have not been – trained to handle this task.
The “Wonder Drug” promises
Just in case you didn’t get a chance to read the post from last night, I wanted to take a second to talk again about some of the promises being made out there. Because I think, again speaking as a scientist, that some of the false hope being offered is a bit damaging to everything the CDC is trying to accomplish.
Saying that XXX-drug will do this and that drug will cure that isn’t being honest with people.
Some drugs *could* work, other drugs *may* help is a better way to think of it. But saying drugs *will* help is just offering false hope. And, sadly, may allow some people to lower their discipline for social distancing and take the necessary steps to protect themselves. Because some may think, well, no biggie if I get it, there is a drug for it now!
But that isn’t true.
Because researchers and medical professionals just don’t know yet. And you can’t prescribe drugs based on a “feeling” or an “instinct.” There needs to be clinical trials, tests and confirmation – against a null hypothesis – to show that something is, or is not effective.
On top of that, each person is different, and each case is different. Just because a drug worked to fight COVID-19 in one person, doesn’t mean it will work in the next. That is what the clinical trials are for. That person may have just “gotten better” on their own. Researchers have no way of knowing until these trials are conducted.
So please, as hard as it is (I know, I want this to go away, too) try to temper expectations when you se headlines of “THESE DRUGS ARE GUNNA FIX IT!” because we have no way of knowing that right now.
And we won’t – barring some kind of miraculous breakthrough – for at least another few months. At the earliest.
