Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 (nCoV-2019)

[Jasmine18]

Post-break due to length:

Apart from the emergencies powers above, and the ability to deploy the military, control borders and airspace, public health is a co-managed area of responsibility between the federal government and the provinces.

Every large level of government has Emergency powers and plans.

Toronto has just activated its Emergency Operations Centre.

There are in fact plans to deal with a pandemic already in place.

So take a breath..............government has dealt with SARS before and invoked emergency powers before, and life goes on.

****

As to whether such drastic actions are needed; the clear answer is, not yet.

But should that change, its very do-able.

Yeah I am.not advocating we do anything crazy but just saying some harsh decisions may have to be made soon and should be ready for that mentally.


As we seen in italy we cannot let the disease spread too wide as it will overwhelm our health system. I read they enacted war time style medical triage in lombardy.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Yes I am so happy we have Doug Ford and Justin Trudeau in charge of our country
..?

Neither DoFo nor Trudeau had done anything that suggest mishandling of this file so far.

Yeah I am.not advocating we do anything crazy but just saying some harsh decisions may have to be made soon and should be ready for that mentally.

You had been advocating some harsh policies that had proven to be ineffective since the beginning of this thread.

AoD

 

[Jasmine18]

Neither DoFo nor Trudeau had done anything that suggest mishandling of this file so far.



You had been advocating some harsh policies that had proven to be ineffective since the beginning of this thread.

AoD

Well things change

First we said chinese efforts caused more harm


Now who and experts praise them.


This experience will shape policies around pandemics a lot

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

Yeah I am.not advocating we do anything crazy but just saying some harsh decisions may have to be made soon and should be ready for that mentally.

As we seen in italy we cannot let the disease spread too wide as it will overwhelm our health system. I read they enacted war time style medical triage in lombardy.

There is a significant difference between Canada and Italy and that is geography. We are a very spread out country, an outbreak in Vancouver does not necessarily affect things in Halifax, some 5,000 kilometres away.

If the situation worsens here, we should want to impose travel restrictions within the country, but otherwise, it makes sense to allow the provinces to handle the micromanagement of the pandemic.

 

[tiffer24]

Statement from the PMO says the Prime Minister’s wife, Sophie, recently travelled to the UK, and developed “mild flu-like symptoms including a low fever late last night.” She is being tested. Out of an abundance of caution, and until results are back, PM is self isolating too.

 

[MisterF]

There is a significant difference between Canada and Italy and that is geography. We are a very spread out country, an outbreak in Vancouver does not necessarily affect things in Halifax, some 5,000 kilometres away.

If the situation worsens here, we should want to impose travel restrictions within the country, but otherwise, it makes sense to allow the provinces to handle the micromanagement of the pandemic.

True, but it's important to remember that our population is also very concentrated. We have 20 million people in the Windsor-Quebec corridor, an area smaller than Italy.

 

[W. K. Lis]

While Canada maybe better prepared than the U.S., the U.S. is still the elephant next to us.

Unprepared

Dated February 25, 2020, from link.

The coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, is spreading rapidly outside of China. The World Health Organization has confirmed 833 cases in South Korea, 144 cases in Japan, and 124 cases in Italy. In response, Italy "locked down 50,000 people in 10 northern towns to contain the first major coronavirus outbreak in Europe." Iranian authorities "have ordered the closure of schools, universities and other educational centers in 14 provinces."

Overall, the number of new coronavirus cases outside of China has doubled every 5.5 days since late January. The surge of new cases in South Korea, Italy, and Japan fit into this pattern.

Globally, according to the WHO, there have been 79,407 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 2,622 deaths. The overwhelming number of cases are within China, concentrated in the Hubei province. But there are now confirmed cases in 32 countries.

The window for containing the epidemic is running out, according to experts. We are on the brink of a global pandemic.

In the United States, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports there are now 53 confirmed cases, up from 34 last week. All of the confirmed cases inside the United States have involved people who traveled to Asia. The CDC recommends avoiding non-essential travel to China. Older adults and people with chronic medical conditions are advised to avoid traveling to Japan and South Korea.

The spread of the virus is a threat to people's lives and the global economy. Stock markets in the United States and around the world were down sharply on Monday on fears that the spread of the coronavirus could create a global economic slowdown. Chinese factories are an essential component of the global supply chain for many products, including cars, cell phones, and clothing.

Is the United States prepared to deal with this growing threat? Who is in charge of the domestic response? Right now, there are more questions than answers.

Tearing down America's pandemic response infrastructure
In 2018, the Trump administration ousted Rear Adm. Tim Ziemer, who served as the Senior Director of Global Health Security. Ziemer was a member of the National Security Council, where he was responsible for coordinating "responses to global health emergencies and potential pandemics." Ziemer was lauded as "one of the most quietly effective leaders in public health." His work on Malaria during the Obama administration helped save 6 million lives.

"Admiral Ziemer’s departure is deeply alarming," Congressman Ami Bera (D-CA) said in May 2018. "Expertise like his is critical in avoiding large outbreaks." Beth Cameron, who served on the National Security Council in the Obama administration, said that Ziemer's ouster was “a major loss for health security, biodefense, and pandemic preparedness” and noted that it "is unclear in his absence who at the White House would be in charge of a pandemic."

John Bolton, who was serving as Trump's National Security Adviser at the time, did not just remove Ziemer. He decided to eliminate the position, and "the NSC’s entire global health security unit." Bolton also forced out Tom Bossert, a highly regarded expert who was Ziemer's counterpart at the Department of Homeland Security. "Neither the NSC nor DHS epidemic teams have been replaced," Foreign Policy reported in January.

Trump slashed funding for the CDC's epidemic prevention activities, forcing the agency to end its work "in 39 out of 49 countries because money is running out" in 2018. The program, which started in 2014, was designed to "help countries prevent infectious-disease threats from becoming epidemics." Among the countries no longer included: China.

Trump has also tried to decimate funding for the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, which is tasked with fighting the spread of disease. Congress, however, has refused to comply. So the Trump administration has simply let the group slowly atrophy, failing to replace members who quit or retire.

Who is in charge?
Who is in charge of the United States' response to the coronavirus? You might assume it is the CDC. You would be wrong.

There were several hundred Americans aboard a cruise ship, the Diamond Princess, that experienced an outbreak of COVID-19 near Japan. The Americans were evacuated and, before they were flown home, 14 tested positive for the coronavirus. The CDC advised that these infected passengers should not be flown home with the rest of the group, arguing that they could infect the others.

The CDC, however, was overruled by the "State Department and a top Trump administration health official." The decision was made even though to government "had already told passengers they would not be evacuated with anyone who was infected or who showed symptoms." CDC officials were so distraught that they "demanded to be left out of the news release that explained that infected people were being flown back to the United States."

At the moment, there is no "clear chain of command for pandemic response."

Flunking the test
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States, so far, is relatively low. But there are also serious problems with the system set up to identify new outbreaks.

The test developed by the CDC to detect the coronavirus has not been able to be verified as accurate by most labs. As a result, just "three of the more than 100 public health labs across the country have verified the CDC test for use." This has "hampered CDC’s plan to screen samples collected by its national flu-surveillance network for the coronavirus." These issues "could impede the U.S. government’s ability to detect scattered cases before they snowball into larger outbreaks."

The CDC is now reformulating the test. The FDA, however, "would have to authorize any changes to the coronavirus test before the CDC could distribute a new one."

Politics over science
Inside the White House, the concern has been around how the coronavirus could impact Trump's reelection. Senior officials fear "a sustained outbreak could slow global markets and upend a strong U.S. economy that has been central to Trump’s political pitch."

Trump has been eager to downplay the threat of the coronavirus in public, recently expressing confidence that the virus would dissipate in a few weeks when the weather gets warmer.

Now, the virus that we’re talking about having to do — you know, a lot of people think that goes away in April with the heat — as the heat comes in. Typically, that will go away in April. We’re in great shape though. We have 12 cases — 11 cases, and many of them are in good shape now.

There is no scientific basis for Trump's claim, which is based on the assumption that the coronavirus will follow the same pattern as the seasonal flu. Columbia University epidemiologist Stephen Morse called Trump's comments "wishful thinking" and warned against being "lulled by hopeful, but quite possibly wrong analogies."

Trump's willingness to disregard science when it suits him is dangerous. Containing the coronavirus requires the government to base its policies on science and provide the public with accurate information. It also requires the public to trust the information it is receiving from government officials.

Trump, however, has spent three years undermining trust in all institutions. The result is an information environment that makes it more difficult to contain a potential outbreak.

 

[W. K. Lis]

To those who think that the warmer weather would end the pandemic...

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson Test Positive For COVID-19 Coronavirus

The pair reportedly contracted the virus on set of the new Elvis Presley film.

From link.

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson have reportedly tested positive for COVID-19, the virus also known as the Coronavirus, according to The New York Times and Deadline.

Both actors are in Australia for pre-production of the new untitled Elvis Presley film from Warner Bros. Hanks is set to play Presley’s longtime manager Colonel Tom Parker in the film.

Hanks and Wilson are reported to have caught the virus after a “company member” working on the film tested positive for the virus, according to a statement from Warner Bros. provided to Deadline. In a statement sent to The New York Times and Deadline, Hanks writes that he and Wilson “felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches.”

“To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the Coronavirus, and were found to be positive,” Hanks said in the statement, which Deadline printed in full.

Hanks reportedly told the site the pair is working with medical professionals “tested, observed, and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires.”

“Not much more to it than a one-day-at-a-time approach, no?” Hanks wrote, adding. “We’ll keep the world posted and updated. Take care of yourselves!”

Warner Bros. is said to be working closely with Australian health agencies to “identify and contact anyone who may have come in direct contact” with those carrying the virus, according to a statement from the studio provided to Deadline.

The studio added, “The health and safety of our company members is always our top priority, and we are taking precautions to protect everyone who works on our productions around the world."

It is summer in Australia.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Not sure if it is the wisest thing to say at this time:

Coronavirus: Premier Doug Ford's advice for travel on March break no longer applies

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says families should go ahead and travel during March break despite fears over the novel coronavirus.

ottawacitizen.com

AoD

 

[Northern Light]

Not sure if it is the wisest thing to say at this time:

Coronavirus: Premier Doug Ford's advice for travel on March break no longer applies

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says families should go ahead and travel during March break despite fears over the novel coronavirus.

ottawacitizen.com

AoD

 

[Jasmine18]

Doug ford : all is well

Next week : we building a wall around ontario

 

[Northern Light]

 

[W. K. Lis]

View attachment 236181

One of Doug Ford's wishes when he was a student (allegedly) in high school in Etobicoke. He did (also allegedly) skip classes in high school.

 

[christiesplits]

I feel privileged that I have the ability to work from home. For lower paid service, hospitality and retail workers, they don't have that option.

 

[gabe]

The economic impact of this coronavirus will be absolutely disastrous.

No NBA, MLS NHL possibly MLB. That will surely kill off some amazing bars and restaurants. My local Chinese restaurant is 90% empty at dinner time now. He will be shutting the doors soon if things don't pick up.

Friends of mine in the bar business will be looking for jobs soon. Raptors/Leafs fans help pay the rent.