posted
Another problem causing economic damages for the US.
quote: Washington state now has another bug to worry about after 'murder hornets.' Gypsy moths
Such a threat, in fact, that Gov. Jay Inslee issued an emergency proclamation because of the creatures, saying there was an "imminent danger of an infestation" of the plant pests in parts of Snohomish County.
"This imminent danger of infestation seriously endangers the agricultural and horticultural industries of the state of Washington and seriously threatens the economic well-being and quality of life of state residents," the proclamation said.
The threat is posed by both Asian gypsy moths and Asian-European hybrid gypsy moths, according to the proclamation.
According to one government agency, the pests can cause major damage
quote: The effects of COVID-19 on the health of racial and ethnic minority groups is still emerging; however, current data suggest a disproportionate burden of illness and death among racial and ethnic minority groups. A recent CDC MMWR report included race and ethnicity data from 580 patients hospitalized with lab-confirmed COVID-19 found that 45% of individuals for whom race or ethnicity data was available were white, compared to 55% of individuals in the surrounding community. However, 33% of hospitalized patients were black compared to 18% in the community and 8% were Hispanic, compared to 14% in the community. These data suggest an overrepresentation of blacks among hospitalized patients. Among COVID-19 deaths for which race and ethnicity data were available, New York Citypdf iconexternal icon identified death rates among Black/African American persons (92.3 deaths per 100,000 population) and Hispanic/Latino persons (74.3) that were substantially higher than that of white (45.2) or Asian (34.5) persons.
Studies are underway to confirm these data and understand and potentially reduce the impact of COVID-19 on the health of racial and ethnic minorities.
India has extended a nearly two-month-old stringent lockdown by another two weeks with Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai and some other key regions still battling to control the rising curve of coronavirus infections.
Spain's daily death toll from the coronavirus is 87, the health ministry has said, dropping below 100 for the first time in two months.
Burundi is pushing ahead with an election on Wednesday that will end President Pierre Nkurunziza's divisive and bloody 15-year rule. But the coronavirus poses a threat to the May 20 vote, and the government has kicked out World Health Organization workers after concerns were raised.
Former President Barack Obama has criticised US leaders for the handling of the coronavirus response, telling college graduates in an online commencement address that the pandemic shows many officials "aren't even pretending to be in charge".
Globally, more than 4.6 million people have been infected and more than 312,000 have died from COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University. Almost 1.7 million people have recovered.
Tukuler
multidisciplinary Black Scholar
Member # 19944
posted
Yep
This virus is affecting ppl forced to perform essential operations so mostly can't work from a home office or any kinda 6ft distance from coughing sneezing spit-talking virus spreaders.
Due to class and employment it disproportionately affects ADOS the USA's permanent underclass by government choice, living a lot in highly compact housing, always at the bottom of every indicator of wealth, below all immigrants from where ever.
quote:Originally posted by Ish Geber:
quote: The effects of COVID-19 on the health of racial and ethnic minority groups is still emerging; however, current data suggest a disproportionate burden of illness and death among racial and ethnic minority groups. A recent CDC MMWR report included race and ethnicity data from 580 patients hospitalized with lab-confirmed COVID-19 found that 45% of individuals for whom race or ethnicity data was available were white, compared to 55% of individuals in the surrounding community. However, 33% of hospitalized patients were black compared to 18% in the community and 8% were Hispanic, compared to 14% in the community. These data suggest an overrepresentation of blacks among hospitalized patients. Among COVID-19 deaths for which race and ethnicity data were available, New York Citypdf iconexternal icon identified death rates among Black/African American persons (92.3 deaths per 100,000 population) and Hispanic/Latino persons (74.3) that were substantially higher than that of white (45.2) or Asian (34.5) persons.
Studies are underway to confirm these data and understand and potentially reduce the impact of COVID-19 on the health of racial and ethnic minorities.
quote:Coronavirus (COVID-19): Press Conference with Marc Lipsitch, 04/7/20
MODERATOR: Next question.
Q: Professor Lipsitch, thank you. Hello. Thank you for this talk. I’d like to ask you, according to your opinion, do former patients develop immunity, or they might get sick again? And also, if you have any fear that the virus mutations might reload the threats in the near future?
MARC LIPSITCH: So, it’s not my opinion that we don’t know, it’s just a fact that we don’t know what immunity is like to this coronavirus in terms of its effectiveness and whether it’s completely protective, partially protective, or not very protective, and how long it lasts. There just aren’t studies yet. That is a very large question on everyone’s mind for all sorts of different reasons. It would affect how soon the epidemic might come to an end, it would affect whether we can test people for antibodies and send them back to work, etc.
So, there are a lot of studies being designed at the moment to try to figure that out. We need serologic tests before we can do that and we need specifically quantitative serologic tests that give you a level of antibodies, not just a yes/no answer.
So, the clear answer at this point is we don’t know. The indication from other corona viruses is that previous infection is partially protective even a year later.
I don’t know if there have been studies of very short term, less than a year, but there are been challenge studies one year later, where individuals who had previously been deliberately challenged with a coronavirus not so closely related to this one but somewhat related to this one, were re-challenged year later and they had very mild infections, if any symptoms at all. And they also had very attenuated shedding of virus. So, that’s not complete immunity, but it might actually be the best possible thing if you sort of keep getting boosted but don’t get sick and don’t shed very much virus.
We also know from SARS, the original SARS, the SARS in 2003, that it seems like immunity was a bit longer lived than that, maybe several years. And so, all we can do is reason from analogies.
In terms of the question about mutation, the virus mutates. That’s why you can build trees of its descent and trace that it moved from Washington to some other place and the Iceland study has also looked at geographic spread. The way you do that is by seeing which strains share mutations.
So that’s not in question. The question is whether those mutations will lead to escape from our immune systems or escape from a vaccine, if there is one.
And on that I’m guided by Trevor Bedford at the Fred Hutch Cancer Research Institute, who’s been studying this question and his opinion is that those changes will be not very fast and not very likely, so that we should have it – it shouldn’t immediately escape immunity.
We know with flu that potentially can, with the flu viruses can escape immunity. As far as I’m aware, that is not the main challenge in maintaining immunity with coronavirus. Rather it’s just the virus, I mean, that the immune response itself is not that effective
So, I think it all remains to be seen. But that’s not at the top of my list of worries at this point.
This virus is affecting ppl forced to perform essential operations so mostly can't work from a home office or any kinda 6ft distance from coughing sneezing spit-talking virus spreaders.
Due to class and employment it disproportionately affects ADOS the USA's permanent underclass by government choice, living a lot in highly compact housing, always at the bottom of every indicator of wealth, below all immigrants from where ever.
quote:Originally posted by Ish Geber: The effects of COVID-19 on the health of racial and ethnic minority groups is still emerging; however, current data suggest a disproportionate burden of illness and death among racial and ethnic minority groups. A recent CDC MMWR report included race and ethnicity data from 580 patients hospitalized with lab-confirmed COVID-19 found that 45% of individuals for whom race or ethnicity data was available were white, compared to 55% of individuals in the surrounding community. However, 33% of hospitalized patients were black compared to 18% in the community and 8% were Hispanic, compared to 14% in the community. These data suggest an overrepresentation of blacks among hospitalized patients. Among COVID-19 deaths for which race and ethnicity data were available, New York Citypdf iconexternal icon identified death rates among Black/African American persons (92.3 deaths per 100,000 population) and Hispanic/Latino persons (74.3) that were substantially higher than that of white (45.2) or Asian (34.5) persons.
Studies are underway to confirm these data and understand and potentially reduce the impact of COVID-19 on the health of racial and ethnic minorities.
quote: Over 100 Million in China’s Northeast Face Renewed Lockdown
Some 108 million people in China’s northeast region are being plunged back under lockdown conditions as a new and growing cluster of infections causes a backslide in the nation’s return to normal.
In an abrupt reversal of the re-opening taking place across the nation, cities in Jilin province have cut off trains and buses, shut schools and quarantined tens of thousands of people. The strict measures have dismayed many residents who had thought the worst of the nation’s epidemic was over.
People “are feeling more cautious again,” said Fan Pai, who works at a trading company in Shenyang, a city in nearby Liaoning province that’s also facing renewed restrictions. “Children playing outside are wearing masks again” and health care workers are walking around in protective gear, she said. “It’s frustrating because you don’t know when it will end.”
quote: Fears of new coronavirus outbreak in Chinese region of 100 million people after two cities went into Wuhan-style lockdown
Fears of a possible new COVID-19 outbreak in a Chinese region of over 100 million residents have escalated after two cities from the area went under Wuhan-style lockdown.
Officials from Jilin province of north-eastern China appointed two hospitals today as designated coronavirus facilities to deal with the overwhelming spike of suspected COVID-19 patients.
Chinese officials have imposed strict quarantine measures on two cities in Jilin as a local infection cluster continues to spread and threaten neighbouring areas.
It comes as Wuhan, the city where the pandemic began, reported a new infection today, bringing the total of active confirmed cases in the former epicentre to seven.
quote: Coronavirus Symptoms Among Patients In Northeast China Are Taking Longer To Show, Doctor Says
Chinese doctors are monitoring an outbreak of coronavirus in the northeast that appears to have stemmed from contact with arrivals from Russia and that manifests differently, with patients taking longer to develop symptoms after becoming infected than the outbreak seen in Wuhan.
Tukuler
multidisciplinary Black Scholar
Member # 19944
posted
Spring is usually harvest time for Big Sam Williams and other New Orleans musicians. Mr. Williams and his band, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, expected to play more than 25 shows at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in late April. During those weeks he can bring in $50,000, a big part of his annual income and enough to sustain him when the humid summer quiets the city’s streets. This year the Funky Nation is in his driveway, socially distanced and streaming live on Facebook for tips. “There is no side job,” Mr. Williams, a trombonist, said. “This is what I do.”
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New Orleans and Louisiana are taking a direct hit from the coronavirus pandemic. More people in the state are currently on unemployment rolls—300,000—and more have died—2,500—than when Hurricane Katrina slammed the shores 15 years ago. The New Orleans area at one point had the worst coronavirus death rate in the U.S.
As with Katrina, the burden is falling disproportionately on black Louisianians. Black residents make up 32% of the state’s population but 55% of its deaths from Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The numbers are similar in New York, Chicago and across the country.
Economists and civic leaders are warning that the deaths are only the start of what could be a devastating setback to black communities in America. Black workers are losing jobs at elevated rates and are less prepared for the shock. Many black-owned small businesses have been unable to access a government-supported loan program meant to keep them afloat.
“Even if you have been able to get ahead, these disasters set us back,” said Ashley Shelton, executive director of the Power Coalition, a Louisiana advocacy group. “We are in the quiet time before the storm.”
A recent study showed how little they have to fall back on. Black families have a median of only 32 cents in available cash or other liquid assets for every $1 a white family has, according to the JPMorgan Chase Institute, the bank’s internal think tank. Black families in New Orleans had only 27 cents.
The institute spent two years matching anonymous data from its banking records to race disclosures in voting records, compiling information on 1.8 million households in three states.
The JPMorgan data showed that black families cut their everyday spending after an involuntary job loss more sharply than white families, buying fewer groceries and essential goods. It also showed that black families increase health-care spending after getting tax refunds, evidence they delay regular health spending.
Advocates say the pandemic is deepening a long-existing economic divide. Without savings, people have to choose between going to work at the risk of getting sick or running out of money. Those in lower-income jobs rarely have the ability to work from home. They are also more likely to share housing, limiting the ability to isolate.
“We pay close attention to these catastrophic, seismic events” like the coronavirus crisis, said Darrick Hamilton, executive director of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at the Ohio State University. But financial insecurity, he said, is an everyday reality for many families even when the economy is good. There are few places in the U.S. worse suited for this particular recession than Louisiana and New Orleans.
The economy relies heavily on tourism and energy, two industries in a deep spiral. Last month, Moody’s Analytics said Louisiana was the state worst prepared for this recession.
Since the middle of March, more than 630,000 people have filed for unemployment insurance. That is 30% of the state’s labor force—one of the worst rates in the nation, according to an analysis from the Economic Policy Institute.
In New Orleans, black household income has been trending down and falling further behind that of white households in the city and that of black families in the U.S. In 2018, the median black household in the city made about $25,000 a year, according to census data. The median white household made about $68,000 a year.
The coronavirus is likely worsening that disparity. Black workers disproportionately hold jobs in industries hit hardest, like tourism and restaurants, according to the Data Center, a local research group. Residents and civic leaders say black residents are filling the lines for food assistance.
Kim Robinson, 53 years old, was furloughed in March by Compass Group, a contracting company. She had been working in the office building of Royal Dutch Shell PLC, stocking coffee machines and shelves. She made $16 an hour and liked the work, though she had to stretch to pay her $850 rent and other bills.
“It’s not bad for New Orleans, but it’s never enough,” Ms. Robinson said. “Even if you have financial literacy, it’s really hard to save $50 a week.”
She successfully filed for unemployment and her employer is still covering medical benefits, but she doesn’t know when or whether she will return to work. She bought a used computer on eBay, is training herself on Zoom and is studying local laws in hopes of doing more advocacy work.
Ms. Robinson, a lifelong resident, evacuated the city during Katrina. But as devastating as the hurricane was, that catastrophe came and went. The coronavirus is an invisible enemy that has halted everything.
“This is bigger than Katrina,” Ms. Robinson said. “With this you’re at a standstill.”
Tracy Davis, meanwhile, continues to go to work. The 50-year-old mother of four is a school cafeteria employee who makes $13 an hour. With schools closed, she is getting “calamity pay,” a full check to prepare and hand out free meals to residents in need twice a week. She and other employees are given protective gear, and Ms. Davis said she feels comfortable going to work. But she still worries about a possible exposure. “Every day, going out your door, you’re thinking, ‘Are you going to be a Covid-19 patient?’” she said.
Community leaders worry that attempts to ease the pain of the recession, like the $2 trillion federal stimulus package passed in late March, are missing the black population.
In particular, the structure of the small-business loan initiative known as the Paycheck Protection Program left behind many minority businesses, advocates across the country say. Big banks prioritized helping existing customers secure the loans, and many minority-owned small businesses don’t have strong banking relationships.
In New Orleans, many such businesses don’t even borrow from banks, said Quentin L. Messer Jr., chief executive of the New Orleans Business Alliance. When they do, they often shop for whichever bank will give them the best rate, leaving them without close ties to a particular lender.
“These things happened pre-Covid-19,” Mr. Messer said. “Now we will see it in the ability, or inability, to bounce back.”
Without tourists or performances, the artists who nurture New Orleans’s soul are also stretched thin.
When the coronavirus hit, Mr. Williams, 39, padded his income with grants that local groups and artistic centers cobbled together. After the stimulus package expanded unemployment insurance to gig workers, he was able to start collecting in April.
Still, Mr. Williams and his wife, who have 3-year-old twin boys, rely solely on his income and don’t know when he will have a real paid gig again. They are focused on saving at least three months of expenses, which include $1,500 a month for their mortgage.
For now, he and his band play to a Facebook crowd that can reach 90,000. The money—a few hundred dollars for each of them per performance—doesn’t compare with real shows, but Mr. Williams said it has eased his anxiety just to get out and blow. “I felt a huge relief,” he said, “just to be playing again.”
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