First Covid-19 outbreak in a U.S. nursing home

Washington state reported on Saturday the first death in the U.S. from the new coronavirus, the first health care worker to be infected with the disease, and most worrying, the first known outbreak in a long-term care facility.

At a nursing facility in Kirkland, Wash, approximately 27 of the 108 residents and 25 of the 180 staff have some symptoms, health officials said during a teleconference with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Authorities report that some among them have pneumonia.

Read the full article here at statnews.com

COVID-19 – Coronavirus Deep Dive

What were the demographics of the forty-one admitted 2019-nCoV patients included in this study?

  • Most were men (30/41 patients; 73%)

  • Median age = 49 years

  • 13/41 patients (32%) had underlying disease (e.g. diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, COPD, cancer)

What kind of symptoms did the forty-one admitted 2019-nCoV patients included in this study have?

  • Fever (40/41 patients; 98%)

  • Cough (31/41 patients; 76%)

  • Myalgia or Fatigue (18/41 patients; 44%)

  • These three symptoms were the major ones. There were patients who had sputum production, headache, hemoptysis, and diarrhea; however, these symptoms were less common.

  • Dyspnea occurred in 55% later in the course, with mean time to onset of dyspnea at 8 days.

Here’s a nice short summary of a recent study published in Lancet.  The balance of the source article can be found at emDOCs.net

And if you want to maintain your sanity regarding this emerging infectious disease threat avoid social media. 

Social media, for all its many ills and its few redeeming qualities, identifies idiots.

Can we turn serious for a minute? Are you on social media, talking to people that you don’t know about things that you know nothing about? If so, what are you doing? There’s a great big wonderful wide world out there. Why not trying exploring it? Talk to people. See things. Read stuff that is longer than 14 words.

Berry Tramel: Garth Brooks’ Barry Sanders jersey brings out the idiots, thinking he was endorsing Bernie Sanders

 

 

Corona Sales Plummet in China Amid Coronavirus Pandemic — VinePair

Despite the fact that the COVID-19 coronavirus has nothing whatsoever to do with Corona, the parent company of the Mexican lager has nonetheless suffered a crushing financial loss due to the growing pandemic. Anheuser-Busch InBev (A-B InBev), the international producer and distributor of Corona beer, reported Thursday that a decline in Chinese on- and off-premise…

via Corona Sales Plummet in China Amid Coronavirus Pandemic — VinePair

Yikes!

Singapore develops antibody test to detect novel coronavirus infection — Science Chronicle

Unlike the currently used molecular test that uses oral swab samples, the antibody test developed by Duke-NUS Medical School has several advantages — it can detect past infection in people who have now recovered, it relies on blood samples, and can identify asymptomatic cases. Using an antibody test developed by the Duke-NUS Medical School that […]

via Singapore develops antibody test to detect novel coronavirus infection — Science Chronicle

COVID-19: China once again changes case definition in Hubei province — Science Chronicle

On February 20, China once again changed the case definition in Hubei province. All clinically confirmed cases will now be classified under suspected cases. Only molecular test positives will be labelled as confirmed. On February 12, the number of new COVID-19 cases reported from mainland China witnessed the biggest increase for a given day when […]

via COVID-19: China once again changes case definition in Hubei province — Science Chronicle

Hmm…