Category Archives: Infectious Virus

UK prime minister commits to future independent inquiry into pandemic

Posted on by • Posted in 2020 Election Issues, Accountability, Coronavirus, Crisis, Crisis Management, Economic Crisis, Economy Reopening, Independent Inquiry, Infection Control, Infection Control Plan, Infectious Virus, Leadership Decentralized, Mortality, National Strategy, Pandemic, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Public Health, Public Safety, Social Distancing, Transparency • Leave a comment

https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-07-15-20-intl/index.html

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits the headquarters of the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust in England on July 13.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson committed to an eventual independent inquiry into “what happened” in the UK during the coronavirus pandemic, but added that now is not the time for it.

“Of course we will seek to learn the lessons of this pandemic in the future,” Johnson told the House of Commons during parliament’s weekly prime minister’s questions on Wednesday.

Johnson also told lawmakers he cannot “simply with a magic wand” ensure every job is retained throughout this period.

When asked by opposition leader Keir Starmer if he would personally intervene in reports that airline British Airways are re-hiring staff on worse terms, Johnson said the government is “absolutely clear” they want companies to keep workers in employment “where they possibly can.”

“No one should underestimate the scale of the challenge this country faces,” Johnson said, assuring the government is doing a “huge amount” to help the aviation sector.

 

 

 

 

The US saw a record number of new Covid-19 cases yesterday. These are the country’s virus hotspots.

Posted on by • Posted in 2020 Election Issues, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Coronavirus, Crisis, Crisis Management, Economic Crisis, Economy Reopening, False Hope, False Narrative, Infection Control, Infection Control Plan, Infectious Virus, Leadership Decentralized, Mislead, Misleading, Mortality, National Strategy, Pandemic, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Public Health, Public Safety, Quarantine, Social Distancing, Wishful Thinking • Leave a comment

https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-07-15-20-intl/index.html

A sign about social distancing is seen on July 14 in Long Beach, California.

The United States saw a record number of new cases Tuesday with 67,417, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. As of Tuesday, more than 3.4 million people in the US have been infected, and 38 states are reporting an increase in the number of new cases from the week before.

With Covid-19 cases soaring in the US South and Southwest, the nation’s public health experts fear the end is not yet in sight and wonder what normal will look like as the pandemic stretches on through the rest of the year.

While New York and New Jersey were the early virus hotspots, California, Florida, Arizona and Texas now have become the states to watch, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease doctor, said Tuesday.

The states continue to report new records: 

  • California: Hospitalizations and ICU admissions for Covid-19 patients continue to rise in the state, setting a new record with a total of 6,745 hospitalizations and 1,886 ICU admissions, according to data from the California Department of Public Health.
  • Texas: The state reported at least 10,745 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, a record high daily number.
  • Florida: The Florida Department of Health reported at least 9,194 new cases and an additional 132 deaths Tuesday, the most deaths in one day in the state. Meanwhile, at least 54 hospitals have reached their ICU capacity.
  • Arizona: The state has led the nation — for over a month — with the highest 7-day average of new coronavirus cases per 100,000 people, according to a CNN analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University.

Meanwhile, at least 27 states have paused or rolled back plans to reopen their economies. Among them is Nevada, where 37 bars have filed a lawsuit to fight Gov. Steve Sisolak’s order to revert back to Phase 1 of the state’s reopening plan.

But Fauci cautioned that relaxed restrictions in California, Florida, Arizona and Texas are partly to blame for rising cases in those states, particularly among young people.

Addressing the climb in the number of cases overall and among young people, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield said Tuesday the nation is in a much better place than it was in the spring, because the mortality rate is lower, but said “we’re not out of the woods for this.”

 

 

 

 

Coronavirus cases soar by more than 1 million over 5 days

Posted on by • Posted in 2020 Election Issues, Asymptomatic Transmission, Coronavirus, Economic Crisis, Economy Reopening, Evidence-based Leadership, Evidence-Based Plan, Evidence-Based Policy, False Hope, False Narrative, Health Policy, Infection Control, Infection Control Plan, Infectious Virus, Leadership Decentralized, Mislead, Misleading, Mixed Message, Mortality, National Strategy, Pandemic, Partisanship, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Public Health, Public Safety, Quarantine, Scientists, Social Distancing, Suppressing Transmission, World Health Organization (WHO) • Leave a comment

https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/14/world/million-coronavirus-cases-five-days-intl/index.html

Coronavirus cases soar by more than 1 million over 5 days - WRCBtv ...

Coronavirus cases soared by more than a million globally in just five days as the numbers continue to accelerate from week to week, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.

Reported cases increased by 1,046,200 from July 6 through July 10, up from a 994,400 increase over the five days from July 5 through July 9.
The total global case number surpassed 13 million on Monday, growing by 1,061,600 between July 8 and July 13.
While some countries that were hit early in the outbreak have managed to contain the virus, the number of cases globally has been accelerating fairly steadily.
There have now been more than half a million deaths from the virus worldwide, according to JHU data.
The World Health Organization’s director-general on Monday warned there would be “no return to the old normal for the foreseeable future.”
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a media briefing in Geneva that there were no shortcuts out of this pandemic, and that while we may hope for an effective vaccine, there must be a focus on using the tools that are available now to suppress transmission and save lives.
“We need to reach a sustainable situation where we do have adequate control of this virus without shutting down our lives entirely, or lurching from lockdown to lockdown,” Tedros said.
He told reporters there was a “roadmap to a situation where we can control the disease and get on with our lives” that would require three things: a focus on reducing mortality and suppressing transmission; an “empowered, engaged community” that takes individual measures to protect the whole community; and strong government leadership and communication.
Two countries accounted for half of all new cases added worldwide on Sunday, he told the briefing.
“Yesterday, 230,000 cases of Covid-19 were reported to WHO. Almost 80% of those cases were reported from just 10 countries, and 50% come from just two countries,” he said.
Tedros did not name the countries, but WHO data indicated that he was referring to the United States and Brazil. According to the JHU tally of cases, the US, India and Brazil accounted for more than 112,000 new cases on Sunday.
The US has the world’s highest confirmed numbers, with at least 3.4 million recorded cases and at least 135,615 deaths. Brazil has almost 2 million confirmed cases and India is closing in on one million.
“Let me be blunt: Too many countries are headed in the wrong direction,” Tedros said.
“If governments do not clearly communicate with their citizens and roll out a comprehensive strategy focused on suppressing transmission and saving lives; if populations do not follow the basic principles of physical distancing, hand washing, wearing masks, there is only one way this is going to go. It’s going to get worse and worse and worse.”
“But it does not have to be this way,” he added. “It’s never too late to bring the virus under control, even if there has been explosive transmission.”

 

 

 

Fauci has been an example of conscience and courage.

Posted on by • Posted in 2020 Election Issues, Accountability, Asymptomatic Transmission, Blame, Conviction, Core Values, Coronavirus, Courage, Credibility, Crisis, Crisis Management, Economic Crisis, Economic Recovery, Economy Reopening, Emergency Preparedness, Ethics, Evidence-Based Care, Evidence-based Leadership, Evidence-Based Plan, Evidence-Based Policy, Failure, False Hope, False Narrative, Honesty, Infection Control, Infection Control Plan, Infectious Virus, Integrity, Mislead, Misleading, Mistrust, Mixed Message, Pandemic, Pass the Buck, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Public Health, Public Safety, Quarantine, Scapegoat, Scientists, Social Distancing, Supply Chain, Trust, Truth, Wishful Thinking • Leave a comment

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/fauci-has-been-an-example-of-conscience-and-courage-trump-has-been-nothing-but-weak/2020/07/13/7c9a7578-c52b-11ea-8ffe-372be8d82298_story.html?fbclid=IwAR0n0o67FMhhUjxqU11cfrd4daMkW0ZWZtIg–I1P3ioLPA7ka7Ew0XT_EA&utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook

Opinion | Fauci has been an example of conscience and courage ...

When historians try to identify the most shameful documents from the Trump administration, a few are likely to stand out. For unconstitutional bigotry, it is hard to beat the initial executive order banning travel to the United States from Muslim countries. For cruelty and smallness, there is the “zero tolerance” directive to federal prosecutors that led to family separations at the border. For naked corruption, there is the transcript of the quid-pro-quo conversation between President Trump and the president of Ukraine.

But for rash, foolish irresponsibility, I’d nominate the opposition research paper recently circulated by the White House in an attempt to discredit the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ Anthony S. Fauci. As reported by The Post, the document recounted a number of instances — on community transmission, asymptomatic transmission and mask wearing in particular — where Fauci’s views have shifted over time. As far as I know, this official record is unique: A White House attack on the government’s leading infectious-disease specialist during a raging pandemic. It indicates an administration so far gone in rage, bitterness and paranoia that it can no longer be trusted to preserve American lives.

From a purely political standpoint, it is understandable that the administration would want to divert attention from its covid-19 record. Trump’s policy of reopening at any cost is exacting a mounting cost. Five months into the greatest health crisis of modern U.S. history, there are still serious problems with supply chains for protective equipment. There are still long wait times for testing results in many places. The contact tracing process in many communities remains (as one health expert described it to me) “a joke.” More than 132,000 Americans have died.

Rather than addressing these failures, Trump has chosen to sabotage a public official who admits their existence. Rather than confronting these problems, Trump wants to ensure his whole administration lies about them in unison. The president has surveyed America’s massive spike in new infections and thinks the most urgent matter is . . . message discipline.

It is true that a number of Fauci’s views on the novel coronavirus have evolved (though some of the administration’s charges against him are distorted). But attacking a scientist for making such shifts is to willfully misunderstand the role of science in the fight against disease. We do not trust public health officials during an emerging pandemic because they have fully formed scientific views from the beginning. We trust them because 1) they are making judgments based on the best available information and 2) they have no other motive than the health of the public. If, say, health officials were initially mistaken about the possibility of asymptomatic transmission, it is not failure when they change their views according to better data. It is the nature of the scientific method and the definition of their duty.

In the inch-deep world of politics, amending your view based on new information is a flip-flop. In epidemiology, it is known as, well, epidemiology.

Meanwhile, the president is failing according to both requirements of public trust. Trump is not making judgments based on the best available information. And he clearly has political goals that compete with (and often override) his commitment to public health. The president is hoping against hope that the public will forget about the virus until November, or at least about the federal role in fighting it. To apply a veneer of normalcy, he is holding public events that endanger his staff and his audience and is planning a Republican convention that will double as a petri dish.

It now seems likely that the most decisive moment of the American pandemic took place in mid-April when new cases began to stabilize around 25,000 a day. Even four or six more weeks of firm presidential leadership — urging the tough, sacrificial application of stay-at-home orders — might have reduced the burden of disease to more sustainable levels, as happened in Western Europe. And this would have relieved stress on systems of testing, tracing and treatment.

But Trump’s nerve failed him. Instead of holding firm, he began siding with populist demands for immediate opening, pressuring governors to take precipitous steps and encouraging skepticism about basic public health information and measures. This may well have been the defining moment of the Trump presidency. And he was weak, weak, weak.

It is typical for Trump to shift blame. But in this case, the president has selected his fall guy poorly. Fauci has been an example of conscience and courage in an administration that values neither. When Trump encourages a contrast to his own selfishness and cravenness, he only damages himself.

 

 

 

 

Quest reports longer waits for test results

Posted on by • Posted in Clinical Testing, Coronavirus, Economic Crisis, Economy Reopening, Infection Control, Infection Control Plan, Infectious Virus, Pandemic, Public Health, Public Safety, Quarantine, Social Distancing • Leave a comment

https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-vitals-285240f4-9110-4c86-ad7e-e0c37085a957.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosvitals&stream=top

Quest Diagnostics reports weeklong turnaround times in coronavirus ...

Quest Diagnostics said its average turnaround time for a COVID-19 test is now at “seven or more days,” up from four to five days at the end of June.

  • Its testing backlog is getting worse because of the high demand in parts of the country where infection is spreading, Axios’ Bob Herman writes.

Why it matters: Long backlogs make testing less useful — public health officials need to know what their local situation is like now, not what it was like a week ago. Delays are especially problematic if people who are infected continue to go about their lives while they wait for their results.

Between the lines: Quest told investors Monday that its second-quarter revenue will be down 6%, hovering around $1.83 billion, as coronavirus testing has supplanted other, more lucrative tests that had to be put off.

  • But Quest still expects to register a profit of at least $1.33 per share thanks to $65 million of government bailout funds and high volumes of COVID-19 tests.

 

 

5.4 million Americans lost health insurance

Posted on by • Posted in 2020 Election Issues, ACA, Bad Debt Expense, Chronic Care Management, Chronic Conditions, Chronic Diseases, Coronavirus, Crisis, Crisis Management, Deferred Healthcare, Economic Crisis, Economy Reopening, Employee Furlough, Employee Hiring Freeze, Employee Layoffs, Employee Pay Cuts, Employer-Based Health Insurance, Health Insurance Coverage Adequacy, Health Policy, High Deductible Health Plans, High Drug Prices, High Premiums, High Prices, Infection Control, Infection Control Plan, Infectious Virus, Job, Job Market, Job Search, Job Security, Out of Pocket Expenses, Pandemic, Preexisting Conditions, Public Health, Public Safety, Uncompensated Care, Underinsured, Unemployment, Unemployment Insurance, Uninsured • Leave a comment

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Medicare for All (@AllOnMedicare) | Twitter

Roughly 5.4 million adults in the U.S. lost their health insurance from February to May after losing their jobs, according to a new estimate from Families USA, a group that favors the Affordable Care Act.

Why it matters: There are more adults under 65 without insurance in Southern states, which are the same states setting new records for single-day coronavirus infections along with rising hospitalizations, Axios’ Orion Rummler writes.

What they found: 3.9 million adults lost health insurance over one year during the Great Recession, per Families USA’s analysis. It only took four months in this current crisis for an estimated 5.4 million Americans to lose health insurance.

  • More than 20% of adults in Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas were without insurance as of May.
  • All of these states have set new records in the past two weeks for their highest number of coronavirus infections in a single day, per data from the COVID Tracking Project.
  • 46% of adults who lost coverage due to the pandemic came from five states: Florida, New York, Texas, California and North Carolina.

The backdrop: 21 million Americans were unemployed in May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ nonfarm payrolls report.

 

 

 

 

More Republicans say they’re wearing masks

Posted on by • Posted in 2020 Election Issues, Coronavirus, Crisis, Crisis Management, Economic Crisis, Economy Reopening, Infection Control, Infection Control Plan, Infectious Virus, Pandemic, Partisanship, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Public Health, Public Safety, Quarantine, Social Distancing • Leave a comment

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Trump dons face mask during Walter Reed visit - Axios

Nearly two-thirds of Americans — and a noticeably increasing number of Republicans — say they’re wearing a face mask whenever they leave the house, according to the Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index.

Why it matters: A weakening partisan divide over masks, and a broad-based increase in the number of people wearing them, would be a welcome development as most of the country tries to beat back a rapidly growing outbreak, Axios’ Sam Baker writes.

By the numbers: 62% of those surveyed said they’re wearing a mask “all the time” when they leave the house — up from 53% when we asked the same question two weeks ago.

  • The biggest jump was among Republicans: 45% say they’re wearing a mask all the time, up from 35% at the end of June.
  • Even though it’s narrowing, there’s still a big partisan divide: 95% of Democrats say they wear a mask some or all of the time outside the house, compared with 74% of Republicans.

Between the lines: These numbers may seem high — do two-thirds of the people you pass on the street have a mask on? But the fact that more people are claiming to wear them is at least a sign that masks are increasingly seen as important.

  • Among people who said they wear a mask sometimes, 32% reported that they’ve been denied entry into an establishment because they weren’t wearing one, and 21% said someone else has told them to put one on.
  • 15% said they’ve told someone else to put on a mask.

 

 

 

Despite seeing great risk, Americans slow to make major changes to deal with COVID

Posted on by • Posted in 2020 Election Issues, Clinical Testing, Contact Tracing, Coronavirus, Crisis, Crisis Management, Economic Crisis, Economic Recovery, Economy Reopening, Infection Control, Infection Control Plan, Infectious Virus, Mortality, National Strategy, Pandemic, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Public Health, Public Safety, Quarantine, Social Distancing • Leave a comment

https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/news-polls/axios-ipsos-coronavirus-index

Chart

New Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index study finds that social distancing continues to decline except for mask use.

Washington DC, July 14, 2020

Fewer Americans report self-quarantining now than any point since the start of the pandemic according to our latest Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index. This corresponds with socializing and commercial activity remaining high, if not quite to pre-pandemic levels. However, more Americans see returning to a pre-coronavirus life as a large risk now than at any time since the high-point of the initial wave in mid-April.

Detailed findings:

1. Despite the surge in cases across the South and West, Americans continue to venture out of the home at higher rates and do not re-embrace major social distancing.

  • Fewer than one in five (19%) of Americans report self-quarantining the last week, the lowest level since tracking began at the eve of the outbreak in early March.
  • Just under half of Americans (47%) report visiting friends and relatives in the last week, a third (30%) report going out to eat, and about one in six (16%) visited elderly relatives in the last week – all essentially unchanged from levels in mid-June before the current spike in cases.

2. However, as cases surge, Americans are increasingly seeing normal activities as posing large risks.

  • A third of Americans (33%) see attending in-person gatherings of friends as a large risk to their health. Additionally, over a third (37%) say dining out, just under a third (30%) say going to a salon, and over a quarter (27%) of Americans working remote or temporarily not working say returning to their normal place of employment is a large risk. All are the highest levels since mid to late May.
  • As debate about back-to-school rages, a large majority of parents (71%) say sending their child to school in the fall is a large or moderate risk.

Chart 2

3. Most Americans appear to be embracing mask use as a tool to cope with the coronavirus pandemic.

  • As of July, three in five Americans (62%) report wearing a mask at all times when leaving the home with an additional 23% reporting sometimes wearing a mask (85% total). This is the highest level of mask use since tracking began in April.
  • Among the approximately two in five (38%) Americans who do not wear a mask at all times when out of the home…
    • A third (32%) report not being allowed into an establishment without a mask (about 12% of the total population).
    • One in five (21%) report being told to wear a mask by another person (about 8% of the total population), up from 15% at the end of May.

4. As the pandemic continues, public trust in both the federal government and state governments has fallen to a low in this tracking.

  • A third of Americans (32%) have a fair amount or great deal of trust in the federal government to look out after the best interests of their family. This is down from 53% in mid-March.
  • Just over half (55%) trust their state governments, down from 71% in mid-March. Trust in the state government is lowest in the states currently hit the hardest (47% average cross AZ, FL, GA, and TX).

Washington DC, June 30, 2020

As June ends, the latest wave of the Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index finds that American fears of the coronavirus pandemic have resurged to levels last seen during the acute parts of the initial wave. This comes, however, as Americans continue to leave the home more frequently, albeit while taking protective measures.

Detailed Findings:

1. Levels of concerns have returned to levels last seen in early May as the pandemic spreads across the South and West.

  • Almost two-thirds (60%) of Americans are very concerned about the coronavirus outbreak, with an additional quarter (24%) somewhat concerned.
  • Over three quarters (78%) are at least somewhat concerned about the possibility of getting sick, up 9 points from the beginning of June.
  • Three quarters (76%) are concerned about their community re-opening too soon, the highest level in our tracking.

corona concerns

2. Correspondingly, perceptions of risk also continue to increase, particularly views of activities that may bring the respondent into contact with large groups of people.

  • Over two-thirds (70%) currently say that returning to their pre-COVID life is a moderate or large risk.

3. Risk aversion may also put a damper on the upcoming Fourth of July holiday with 78% saying attending celebrations is a large or moderate risk.

Risky Business

4. Americans have started curtailing social engagement, however the number engaging in out of home commercial activities remains stable or continues to increase.

  • Less than half (45%) of Americans say they visited friends and family in the last week, down from the post-COVID high of 49% last week. Additionally, visiting elderly relatives is flat at 14%.
  • However, going out to eat continues to increase, now with 31% of Americans reporting having done so in the last week. Visiting a salon or retail store is flat from last week.

Washington DC, June 23, 2020

Our latest Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index finds that Americans are increasingly concerned about coronavirus and seeing ‘regular’ activities as increasingly risky after sentiment moderated earlier in June. This uptick in fears comes as Americans address a possible second wave and reflect on their potential to re-enter social distance quarantines if major warning thresholds are met.

Detailed Findings:

1. American concern with the coronavirus outbreak, while not as widespread as during early April, has increased notably over the past two weeks.

  • Currently, 85% of Americans are at least somewhat concerned with the outbreak, including 56% who are extremely or very concerned. This is up from 80% and 48% respectively in early June.
  • Concern with communities re-opening too soon (to 71% from 64%) and the possibility of getting sick (to 76% from 69%) are also up 7 percentage points over the last two weeks.
  • Eighty-five percent of Americans are concerned about a second wave of the coronavirus, including 59% who are extremely or very concerned.

2. “Normal” activities are seen as increasingly risky by many including doing their job, going to the grocery store, or socializing with friends after multiple weeks of minimizing concerns.

Chart

3. Americans continue to report that if a second wave hits their state, they will substantially withdraw to protect their health. They also express that they are watching for a wide range of signals of a second wave indicating it may not be official announcements that trigger a rebound in behavior.

  • About four in five Americans say they are likely to stay home and avoid others as much as possible if…
    • The CDC issued guidelines for people in their state to stay home.
    • Their state’s governor issued guidelines for people to stay home.
    • There is a new spike in cases in their state.
    • Nearby hospital ICUs report full or near-full capacity.
    • Someone they know tests positive for the virus.
    • Someone they know is dying from the virus.

Chart

4. Social distancing behaviors continue to subside, but geographical differences remain in people’s experiences.

  • Half of Americans (49%) visited friends or relatives in the last week, up from 47% last week and 19% in early April. However, in the states with the greatest increase in cases (AZ, FL, SC) socializing with friends has declined from 52% to 44% in the last two weeks.
  • The number of Americans working remotely has also begun to decline, this week at 37% of all employed persons from 43% last week.

5. One percent of the U.S. population has tested positive for coronavirus at this point.

  • About one in ten Americans have been tested (11%) and about one in ten (9%) of those tested, tested positive, equal to about 1% of the overall population.

Washington DC, June 16, 2020

At the end of our third month of tracking America’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index finds that even while Americans are increasingly engaging with each other outside the home, concerns about a second wave and perceived risks of regular activities mount.

Detailed Findings:

1. More Americans are very concerned about the overall COVID-19 outbreak than last week as a majority express high levels of concern about a second wave of the coronavirus.

  • Fifty-four percent of Americans are extremely or very concerned about the outbreak, up from 48% last week, while 56% report being extremely or very concerned about a second wave.
  • Sixty-four percent view returning to their pre-COVID life as risky right now, up from 57% last week.

2. If there is a second wave, large majorities of Americans report that they are likely to pull back into more socially distancing behaviors.

  • Two-thirds (65%) say they are somewhat or very likely to self-quarantine in the event of a second wave in their state and almost all (85%) report they will take steps to social distance.
  • This extends to social interactions – 79% report they are likely to stop gathering with friends or family – and commercial behavior – 73% report they would stop going to non-grocery retail stores.

3. As discussion of a second wave mounts, Americans report seeing many ‘normal’ activities as being more risky than just a week ago.

  • The number of Americans who report viewing gatherings of friends and family as risky has climbed 5 percentage points from last week (57% moderate or large risk from 52%).
  • Additionally, views of dining in at a restaurant (64% risky from 60%), shopping at a retail store (57% risky from 52%), or going to a barber or salon (58% risky from 54%) have all increased this week.
  • Large gatherings remain highly suspect with 89% viewing attending protests and 74% viewing attending Fourth of July celebrations as a risk to their health or well-being.

Visual

4. Over a third of Americans know someone who has tested positive for coronavirus.

  • While 35% know someone who has tested positive, it remains more prevalent in the Northeast (53%) than other parts of the country.
  • Nine percent of Americans report they have been tested for coronavirus in our latest survey. Of those, 6% say they tested positive. This represents about 0.6% of the U.S. population.

 

Americans aren’t pushing to reopen the schools

Posted on by • Posted in 2020 Election Issues, Coronavirus, Crisis, Crisis Management, Economic Crisis, Economy Reopening, Evidence-based Leadership, Evidence-Based Plan, Evidence-Based Policy, False Hope, False Narrative, Infection Control, Infection Control Plan, Infectious Virus, Mortality, National Strategy, Pandemic, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Public Health, Public Safety, Quarantine, School Reopening, Social Distancing, Wishful Thinking • Leave a comment

https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-vitals-285240f4-9110-4c86-ad7e-e0c37085a957.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosvitals&stream=top

Classroom concerns: WCSD families asked to weigh in on school ...

Most U.S. parents say it would be risky to send their children back to school in the fall — including a slim majority of Republicans and a staggering nine in 10 Black Americans — in this week’s installment of the Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index, Axios’ Margaret Talev reports.

Why it matters: President Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos have threatened to withhold federal funds from schools that don’t reopen. The new findings suggest that this pressure campaign could backfire with many of the voters to whom Trump is trying to appeal ahead of the election.

What they’re saying: “Americans at this point, and parents more specifically, can’t be force-fed policies that go against what they think,” says Cliff Young, president of Ipsos U.S. Public Affairs.

  • “You can’t wish away or scare away a virus,” Young says. “And right now, they’re not feeling safe in putting their children back in school.”
  • “There’s political risks as well — serious political risks for Trump and Republicans. Because even the Republican base sees a risk in putting kids back into the school in the fall.”

Driving the news: Officials on Monday began announcing decisions impacting schools in some major metro areas, erring on the side of caution in response to health concerns and parents’ anxieties.

  • In California, school officials announced that public schools in Los Angeles and San Diego will hold online classes only.
  • Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday that New York schools will open only if the daily infection rates in their region are below 5% over a 14-day average, and that “we’re not going to use our children as guinea pigs.”