Month: January 2020

2019-nCov, Health, Local News

***US Government Declares Public Health Emergency*** Links to Official Information***

The World Health Organization declared A Declaration of Public Health Emergency of International Concern or DPHEIC yesterday, and the US Government has now declared a Public Health Emergency.   A nasty virus has emerged that we know nothing about, and there is no vaccine.  Since the last writing, human to human transmission in the USA, and the first transmission from a patient to a health care worker outside of China occurred in France.  195 evacuees from Wuhan are now quarantined for 14 days at an air force base in California, one person tried to take off from there yesterday and was put back in quarantine for the rest of the time.  They are all being watched closely. In China, something like 58, 000,000 (fifty-eight million) people are basically quarantined.  Movement is greatly restricted in China; many airlines have stopped service there at this time.  Almost 12,000 cases in 24 countries confirmed worldwide so far, and 259 dead.

Here is a list of links to public information so you all can educate yourselves about this.  The CDC folks stress in today’s presser how important it is to get everyone educated about this new threat.  Because of that, The Newsteader will post a list of links to all of the official public information so you can read it at your leisure. There are some pretty scary things in them, for example:

At today’s CDC briefing Dr. Nancy Messonnier  said “Please remember that we do not believe that a negative result on this test means that somebody is out of danger for developing this disease, nor for communicating it to someone else.”

Transcript of today’s CDC Briefing

Statement from the World Health Organization regarding DPHEIC

White House Briefing Video<——-This talks about new restrictions on entering the country, quarantine and more.

Letter from a bunch of Doctors in Germany to the New England Journal of Medicine regarding asymptomatic  transfer of virus

It Isn’t Just About How Many People Die

Here are just a few ways this could affect you:

First: Right now, the regular seasonal flu is making its rounds, and hospitals are already jammed with patients.  Is there a plan in case hospitals get overwhelmed?  Will there be a quarantine station close by?

Second:  Even if no one around here gets sick.  Pretty much everything is made in China now.  Your electronics, car parts, medicine.  With most factories shut down over there, our supply line gets shut down on a lot of goods.  Make sure you get your prescriptions filled in case there is a shortage (remind your friends of this).  A personal story about how something someplace else can affect you here:  Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast.  That was a very bad storm and caused a lot of damage.  Well, a few weeks after the storm, I couldn’t get my dog’s super special food!  The distribution center was in NJ and got destroyed in the storm and the supply ran out.  Lesson learned.  Something that happens far away has a ripple effect.  If there is something you rely on that is made in China, now would be a good time to stock up on it.

Third:  Whogetsit

 

Feature Stories, Letters to the Editor, Reader Submissions

Another Elder Care Horror Story

Letter to the Editor:

Do not allow your loved one to be placed at Comprehensive Rehab and Nursing Center at Williamsville on 147 Reist Street, Williamsville.

Last week, a loved one who is terminal and completely immobile was transferred to this facility where patient call buttons don’t work and/or are ignored.

Within his time there, one 24 hour period, our loved one was neglected by an uncaring staff who didn’t read his medical file because “it was too long” and therefore had no idea he had special dietary and medical needs, was told “this isn’t a babysitting service” when he begged for help shifting his legs, was called “grouchy and mean” when he voiced pain, was denied a bed pan because timing was inconvenient, and was forced to sit in soiled sheets and underclothing for hours.

While there, loved one’s health declined significantly leading to a family member dialing 911 to have him transported back to the hospital. At this time, another patient begged for an ambulance too, as she had fallen three times in a short amount of time without any intervening help from staff.

When family arrived to retrieve loved one’s personal belongings, a significant amount of money had gone missing. Repeated attempts to retrieve it have been ignored by the staff. A police report has been filed.

A quick glance through Google reviews show many similar horror stories.

I’m only writing this in the desperate hopes that another human being will be spared a similar experience at this horrendous facility.

Kristen Skeet

 

Health, Press release

CDC Issues Federal Quarantine Order to Repatriated U.S. Citizens at March Air Reserve Base

For Immediate Release: Friday, January 31, 2020

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), under statutory authority of the Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, has issued federal quarantine orders to all 195 United States citizens who repatriated to the U.S. on January 29, 2020. The quarantine will last 14 days from when the plane left Wuhan, China.  This action is a precautionary and preventive step to maximize the containment of the virus in the interest of the health of the American public.

This legal order will protect the health of the repatriated citizens, their families, and their communities. These individuals will continue to be housed at the March Air Reserve Base in Ontario, California. Medical staff will continue to monitor the health of each traveler, including temperature checks and observation for respiratory symptoms.  If an individual presents symptoms, medical care will be readily available. Even if a screening test comes back negative from CDC’s laboratory results, it does not conclusively mean an individual is at no risk of developing the disease over the likely 14-day incubation period.

This legal order is part of a public health response that is necessary to prevent the transmission and spread of this virus in the U.S.  The World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The current epidemic in Mainland China has demonstrated the virus’s capacity to spread globally. CDC is using one of the tools in our toolbox as a way to contain the potential impact of this novel virus on the United States.

This outbreak investigation is ongoing; we learn more every day about this newly emerging virus.  First and foremost, CDC is committed to protecting the health and safety of all Americans.  While CDC continues to believe the immediate risk to the larger American public is low at this time, this legal order has been put in place as a necessary step to fully assess and care for these repatriated Americans, protecting them, their loved ones, and their communities.

For the latest information on the outbreak, visit CDC’s Novel Coronavirus 2019 website.