4/6 deaths in Washington State were from the same nursing home.
What's the endgame here? Schools close for 1 day, and then what?
Dear Members:I am sure everyone is aware of the unfortunate case of COVID-19 identified in a man in Westchester that has led to the recommendation that a shul and a Yeshiva should be temporarily closed. We all hope and pray that he has a refuah shelaima and that no additional cases occur.In the latter regard, and in the hope of diminishing the high levels of anxiety prevalent, I wanted to reassure the community that very little has practically changed regarding the recommendations we sent out erev Shabbos.Indeed, a very positive study was reported just hours ago from the CDC. This MMWR “early release” report provides some comfort to the COVID-19 hysteria. This study looked at the first 10 cases in the US with travel-related COVID-19 and the risk to their household contacts. .In these 10 cases, only two instances of person-to-person transmission of COVID-19 have been documented. The details are as follows. Among the first 10 patients with travel-related confirmed COVID-19 reported in the United States, a total of 445 persons who had close contact with one of the 10 patients on or after the date of the patient’s symptom onset were identified.Nineteen (4%) of the 445 contacts were members of a patient’s household, and five of these 19 contacts continued to have household exposure to the patient with confirmed COVID-19 during the patient’s isolation period; 104 (23%) were community members who spent at least 10 minutes within 6 feet of a patient with confirmed disease; 100 (22%) were community members who were exposed (defined as at least 10 minutes spent within 6 feet of the patient) in a health care setting; and 222 (50%) were health care personnel.Reassuring Results: Two persons who were household members of patients with confirmed COVID-19 tested positive. However, despite intensive follow-up, no sustained person-to-person transmission of symptomatic COVID-19 was observed in the United States among the other close contacts of the first 10 persons with diagnosed travel-related COVID-19. Boruch Hashem - community exposure in this study was not found. That does NOT mean it is not a risk - but probably it is not as bad as many of you think. And while it is one small study, everyone needs to take a deep breath. Rabbi Aaron E. Glatt, MD
From Rabbi Dr Aaron Glatt yesterday via the Young Israel of Woodmere:
Being exposed to someone with a disease does not mean that "there is a likelihood that it has already spread from him to others in the frum community."Merely being in the same room with someone is not enough to catch this. Even shaking his hand would not be enough if he did not have secretions on his hand and the person who shook his hand did not go to his own mouth or nose with his hand afterwards.Although it is possible that someone could have caught it, I think that its a leap to say that "there is a likelihood that it has already spread from him to others in the frum community."
https://www.yu.edu/health-alert"We have unfortunately received news this morning that our student has tested positive for COVID-19. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family as well as to all those affected."Hashem yerachem
I just don’t get it. We’ve had 3 months to prepare and learn from what’s going on in China, and still the US displaying the competence of a 3rd world country. No test kits available, very narrow testing criteria that is missing tons of cases, proper contamination procedures are not in place almost anywhere, and a severe shortage of PPE. The only containment measure in place is to tell people not to panic because the known “immediate” risk is still low, despite the fact that they're expecting it to be a full blown breakout very soon. And with 9 deaths out of 21 cases in WA, that means we don’t know about most cases besides the most severe ones, and only weeks after they became infected. The early progress of the infected/deaths ratio most resembles the numbers that first came out of Iran. Really sad. https://kuow.org/stories/what-s-with-this-protective-medical-gear-readers-wrote-in-worried
https://abc7ny.com/health/cuomo-positive-case-of-coronavirus-in-westchester-county/5981682/Another confirmed case in NY.Westchester Day School is closed, in addition to SAR Academy. Both schools are associated with the Westchester County man who has tested positive.
Given the incubation period and the fact that it’s a frum guy who presumably goes to shul it is exceedingly likely that it is already becoming widespread in the frum community as we speak.
I sincerely hope you turn out to be right. Unfortunately I highly doubt it.
Nebach! The whole family now https://abc7ny.com/health/family-neighbor-of-westchester-covid-19-patient-test-positive/5984230/
Are people canceling Pesach plans, such as traveling to a program,or Israel, due to Covid 19??
Yesterday there was a quote from the WHO that you cant infect during incubation period, which was different than they were saying before. Not sure what's correct
Possibly just trying to lower the global panic levels.