FLINT, MI A Genesee County district courtroom was closed this week to allow for disinfecting following the discovery that a judge and his staff had been potentially exposed to COVID-19.
District Judge Herman Marable Jr. told MLive-The Flint Journal Thursday, Oct. 1, that a litigant who appeared before the court Sept. 22 had tested positive for the virus.
On Sept. 29, Marable received a phone call from the court administrator.
She told me that she had been contacted by the health department, Marable said.
The district court administrator as well as the Genesee County health director could not immediately be reached for comment.
It was reported Sept. 22 that six health department employees were in quarantine after one of them had tested positive for COVID-19.
The health department and district court share space within the McCree Health and Human Services Building.
Marable said he has not been made aware of the infected persons identity due to privacy laws.
I pray that he or she have a speedy recovery, he commented, expressing some disappointment at missing a fundraiser Thursday night for his election run to fill a 7th Circuit Court seat. We are reminded once again that many in Genesee County have suffered and died from COVID, and that this horrible virus continues to impact our families and our society.
Marable noted he and his court recorder have been tested and were negative for the virus.
We are feeling fine, and we have not had any symptoms, he said. I am thankful for the negative test result, and we look forward to returning to work next week when officials allow the re-opening of my courtroom.
The courts had been closed for several months due to the ongoing pandemic, with jury trials just starting back up a little more than two weeks ago.
RELATED: Jury trials resume in Genesee County with COVID-19 safety measures in place
Restrictions remain in place such as the number of people allowed in courtrooms as well as plastic screens put up, required use of masks and social distancing.
Marable thanked his staff and fellow judges for their continued work amid the current situation.
He expects his courtroom to reopen early next week, but Marable expressed some uneasiness with the situation that has unfolded.
The courts were closed for almost 100 days and were not in control of the virus, he said. I dont know what the future is going to hold in terms of what happens. They say the numbers are creeping up. We have to make sure that we protect the public and the staff.
Figures from the Genesee County Health Departments website on COVID-19 cases in the area show a total of 3,961 confirmed cases and 281 deaths.
The seven-day average for Genesee County shows 41 COVID-19 cases each day, up from 29 cases each day the prior week. The most recent COVID-19 death for the county was reported on Sept. 8.
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But what is now clear is that the policy was about politics and economics more than public health.
Public health records, scores of scientific studies and interviews with more than two dozen experts show the policy of unobstructed travel was never based on hard science. It was a political decision, recast as health advice, which emerged after a plague outbreak in India in the 1990s. By the time Covid-19 surfaced, it had become an article of faith.
Its part of the religion of global health: Travel and trade restrictions are bad, said Lawrence O. Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University who helped write the global rules known as the International Health Regulations. Im one of the congregants.
Covid-19 has shattered that faith. Before the pandemic, a few studies had demonstrated that travel restrictions delayed, but did not stop, the spread of SARS, pandemic flu and Ebola. Most, however, were based on mathematical models. No one had collected real-world data. The effect of travel restrictions on the spread of the latest coronavirus is still not understood.
Anyone who is truthful is going to tell you its a big fat We dont know, said Prof. Keiji Fukuda, a former senior World Health Organization official who teaches at the University of Hong Kong.
Not knowing is especially vexing as the world seeks a way back to normalcy. For months, national leaders have invoked travel restrictions that vary in strictness and are often contradictory. Some shut their borders and simultaneously imposed domestic lockdowns, others required tests and quarantines. Many regularly revised their lists of risky destinations, sometimes responding tit for tat when their citizens were denied entry.
The restrictions have humbled powerful nations like the United States, whose citizens are no longer welcome across most of the world. Even so, President Trump has called his travel restrictions the biggest decision we made so far and attacked the W.H.O.s early advice on borders as disastrous.
Still, it is too soon to know, based on data and hard science, how much travel restrictions help, and if they do, which restrictions help most. Experts who had defended open borders at the start of the pandemic now say countries should use judicious travel measures. The W.H.O. now calls for a gradual reopening in which each country weighs its own risks.
The worldwide death toll from the coronavirus pandemic has eclipsed 1 million. The milestone recorded by Johns Hopkins University comes more than nine months into a crisis that has forced multitudes to change the way they live, learn and work. (Sept. 28) AP Domestic
Shasta Countys reopening efforts are likely to take a hit owingto a surge in positive COVID-19 cases driven by college-aged students.
While 96 people in their 20s have tested positive since Sept. 18, Redding's two accredited colleges,Shasta College and Simpson University, have told the Record Searchlight they have had a combined eight cases since the schools started in mid-August and inearly September, respectively.
While public health spokeswoman Kerri Schuette said cases at Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry would be counted among those "associated with college students," Bethel initially declined to say if any of its students have been infected with the coronavirus.
In a news release Thursday afternoon, Bethel spokesman AaronTesauro said the church recognizes the community is at risk of additional restrictions due to the increase in cases,has been talking almost daily to public health officials and is taking steps to safeguard the community.
But in a followup email early Thursday evening, Bethel acknowledged that "aportion of the new cases in Shasta County have been amongst our students and staff, so we are taking swift action under the guidance of Public Health to minimize additional spread."
The email did not specify how many students and staff have been infected.
A sign at the entrance of Whiskeytown National Recreation Area tells visitors to social distance due to coronavirus concerns on Friday, April 24, 2020.(Photo: Matthew Brannon/Record Searchlight)
Bethel is asking anyone with symptoms or who has come in close contact with somebody who has COVID-19 to quarantine as specified by theCenters for Disease Control guidelines.
"This has led to a large number of people staying home as a precaution," the evening release said.
News: Here's how to get the flu shot outdoors and for free this year
In addition, Bethel will cancel its Oct. 4 and Oct. 11 in-person church services that havebeen held outdoors on itsbaseball field.
And starting Monday, the School of Supernatural Ministry will pivot to online instruction and the school will ask employees who can do so to work remotely. Those who can't,can come on campus, but must social distance and wear face coverings, Tesauro said.
Bethel officials did not say when in-person instruction would resume.
Schuette said the county expects its risk designation in the eyes of the state tomove from "moderate" to "substantial" next week.
We expect to be in the 'red'come next week. We are planning for that, Schuette said.
That means bars and breweries would be forced to close again. Restaurants, movie theaters and places of worship would have to scale back their operations.
The Shasta County Health and Human Services Public Health branch on Sunday, April 5, 2020.(Photo: Matthew Brannon/Record Searchlight)
Meanwhile, both Simpson University and Shasta College have kept their COVID-19 cases low employing different learning strategies. Simpson resumed in-person instruction when school started in September. Shasta College students are doing online instruction and will continue that in the spring.
Bethel has said its School of Supernatural Ministry accepted fewer students for its 2020-2021 academic school year and will be operating at 70% capacity due to the coronavirus pandemic from 2,300 students last year to 1,600 this year.
News: Shasta County COVID updates: 33 more cases reported, with many new patients in their 20s or younger
Tesauro also said that students were required to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival and take aCOVID-19 test prior to beginning school. While on campus or in rooms where six feet of distancing isn't possible, all students will berequired to wear face coverings, according to Tesauro.
In addition, Bethel said it's working with public health officials to start a second round of testing for students and staff, Thursday's news release said.
Schuette said preventing an outbreak among college students is challenging because they often live together and work in businesses around the community.
Many of us used to be in college and we know what it was like to go to school and work to make ends meet, she said. Youre living with a bunch of people to save money. ... If somebody is sick with COVID and continues to do all those things, they are exposing a lot of people and that creates and exponential problem.
To date, local health officials have not identified the schools where positive coronavirus cases have been confirmed.
But in many cases when there has been a case at a school, the school itself has sent out communications to the students, staff members and sometimes the community, Schuette said.
Mark Endraske, Simpsons dean of students who also leads the schools COVID task force, met with public health officials and he was told the universitys low number of cases is due to good planning and its work with health officials, spokeswoman Candace Brown said.
News: As COVID-19 cases rise, 3 Shasta high schools won't fully restart in-person classes
Brown said the five cases are Shasta County residents who commute to campus.
"We are encouraged by the support and know that continuedcare and attention will be necessary for our COVID response so that we finish the semester well," Endraske said in a statement.
As an extra precaution, students who go home for the Thanksgiving break will be asked to stay home and finish their course work remotely, Brown said.
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David Benda covers business, development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly "Buzz on the Street" column.Hes part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, coverbreaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 1-530-225-8219. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.
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There could be a lasting impact caused by some of the changes due to the pandemic.
The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic will have a lasting mental health impact that might still be felt in 10 years.
Unlike other tragic events, such as destructive weather, there is no realistic timeline where we know the pandemic will be over.
Also, people tend to come together during those types of events, but social distancing makes it difficult or impossible to socialize.
Michael R Liebowitz, MD, a professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University, explained in an interview withHCPLive, how patients can handle the mental health stress involved in the pandemic and what doctors can do to make the situation easier on patients.
He explained that no matter what the world is going to be different, even when the threat of the virus is subdued. However, things like telehealth could actually be a benefit for many patients that lasts beyond the pandemic.
We have no idea how long this is going to last and we dont really have a clear idea of what its going to be like when we come out of this and how much we come out of this, Liebowitz said. There are some potential benefits that could come out of this as well.
It has been two weeks since Governor Gretchen Whitmer last held a news conference addressing the state on the fight against COVID-19.
That doesnt mean major steps havent been taken since. Governor Whitmer signed the state budget, extended the state of emergency and adjusted nursing home restrictions this week.
Theres no question, says Gov. Whitmer, This will not go on forever.
Seven months into the battle against COVID-19 and Whitmer says the end is coming, just not sure when.
Thats why its so critical, as we continue to learn about the virus, that we make changes along the way to keep people safe, says Whitmer.
That includes long term care facilities. On Wednesday her office announced tighter restrictions on where COVID positive residents can be and allowing more freedoms for the healthy.
This has been her most contentious issue, with nearly a third of Michigans COVID deaths coming from these facilities.
I know that there are Republican talking points that Democratic governors have higher rates, says Whitmer, Thats just not true.
Next week, even more changes as public venues and theaters open. This comes as Michigans numbers have stayed steady and not spiked as other segments open up.
Weve pushed our fatality rate low. We have pushed our positivity rate low. Were doing 30,000 tests a day, says Whitmer, Were doing a lot of things that I think make us a leader, however we recognize that its all very precarious. If people just drop their guard, we can heat up like Wisconsin. Right now theyre a national hotspot.
The most recent announcement shows there is non-COVID work to be done still. Thursday she announced a $500 million investment to drastically renovate and secure Michigans water infrastructure.
It will go toward upgrading lead service lines and fixing old sewer systems, so there are a lot of aspects to this that will make drinking water safer for people, says Whitmer, It will help municipalities with their water infrastructure that has been under invested as a state wide issue.
As the race for a COVID-19 vaccine intensifies, San Diego is set to take part in a massive international study of a vaccine developed by drugmaker Johnson & Johnson.
If the news feels like dj vu, thats because its the third COVID-19 vaccine trial to reach San Diego, joining studies led by Massachusetts biotech Moderna and British pharma giant AstraZeneca.
The international trial will enroll 60,000 participants across 34 U.S. states and 10 countries, from Mexico and Argentina to South Africa to the Philippines.
Local researchers aim to enroll 3,000 to 3,500 San Diegans. That includes 2,000 volunteers at UC San Diego and 1,000 to 1,500 at M3 Wake Research, an organization that provides clinical research facilities and services.
M3 Wake Researchs site is in the city of San Diego. UCSDs will be in National City rather than its Hillcrest or La Jolla medical centers to make the trial accessible to South Bay communities that have been hit hard by the pandemic.
I think it is critical that we expand the participation in these (vaccine) studies, all of them, to reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of the United States, said Dr. Susan Little, director of the UCSD site.
The trial is open to healthy adults 18 and up, including those who have underlying conditions such as diabetes or heart disease but are in stable condition.
To be eligible, you cant already have had COVID-19. If you were to vaccinate those who already had the disease, youd never know if they were protected by their previous immune response or by the vaccine.
But vaccinate people who will never be exposed to the virus, and youll also never know whether the vaccine worked. Thats why these trials are so large so that enough participants get exposed to the coronavirus for researchers to know whether a vaccine works.
Half of the trial participants will get a single injection of the vaccine, while the other half get a saltwater placebo injection. Who gets the vaccine or placebo will be assigned at random.
Everyone will then be monitored for COVID-19 symptoms. The Food and Drug Administration has stated that any vaccine must prevent COVID-19 or reduce its severity in at least 50 percent of people to get emergency use authorization. Johnson & Johnson aims to show that its vaccine is 60 percent effective.
Results from this and other ongoing trials will be reviewed by an independent team of researchers not affiliated with the vaccine developer or the FDA. These boards can recommend that a study be stopped early if theres clear evidence that a vaccine is safe and effective or if theres cause for concern.
An example of the latter occurred in early September when AstraZenecas trial was halted after a U.K. participant who received the vaccine showed symptoms of spinal inflammation. No San Diegans were vaccinated in AstraZenecas trial before the pause.
That trial has since resumed in the U.K., though it is still paused in the U.S., in part because the FDA has asked for extensive documentation on exactly what happened, says Little.
This should give people confidence that no safety steps are being skipped, Little said. The safety of vaccine study participants remains paramount.
Public polling shows that many Americans believe the vaccine process has been polluted by politics, and with the November election looming, President Trump has said that he believes the nation is weeks away from having a vaccine.
In response to the controversy and confusion, several vaccine developers have openly shared their trial protocols. In Johnson & Johnsons case, the independent monitoring board wont even begin to look for signs the vaccine is safe and effective until half of all participants have been monitored for two months.
The trial launched Sept. 23, meaning even the earliest indications of vaccine efficacy wont come until well after election day.
The companys vaccine uses a harmless virus that has been tested in HIV, Zika and Ebola vaccine studies to carry instructions that teach the human body to target the surface of the novel coronavirus. Results released online from an early-stage study of the vaccine showed that it was safe overall, mostly causing a bit of soreness around the injection site, and triggered immune responses with the potential to block the coronavirus and target infected cells.
How can I sign up or learn more?
M3 Wake Research: Call or text COVID to 619-330-0756. Or visit www.covidstudies.org.
UCSD: Visit www.covidvaccinesd.com or call 619-742-0433.
Topline
Billions of dollars worth of coronavirus vaccine contracts have avoided usual mechanisms of transparency and regulatory oversight with Operation Warp Speed - the Trump administrations project to develop a Covid-19 vaccine - which is funneling money through a nongovernmental intermediary, a move that is likely to reignite worries over the projects opaque nature.
Operation Warp Speed has billions in secret Covid-19 vaccine contracts
Rather than entering into contracts with vaccine makers directly, NPR reports that more than $6 billion in Operation Warp Speed funding has been routed through an intermediary nongovernmental firm, thereby avoiding the usual requirements for regulatory oversight and transparency that accompany federal contracting as well as many public records request requirements.
NPR reports that funding is directed through the defense contract management firm Advance Technologies International, Inc., (ATI) who go on to award contracts to companies developing vaccines for Covid-19.
Some of the contracts for the most high-profile vaccine candidates have been awarded by ATI in this way, including $1 billion for Johnson & Johnson, $1.79 billion for Sanofi, $1.6 billion for Novavax, and $1.95 billion for Pfizer.
Since its inception, Operation Warp Speed has repeatedly come under fire over its opaque nature, including from Senate critics who accused officials of making major decisions behind closed doors; it is likely that the revelation in the way the project issues its contracts will reignite this debate.
Operation Warp Speed is the Trump administrations project to deliver a vaccine as fast as possible. The project has come under fire on numerous fronts, including from politicians slamming the organization's opaque nature and Dr Anthony Fauci raising concerns that the projects name could stoke public fears of a vaccine rushed through development for political purposes.
The organizational makeup of Operation Warp Speed has remained, along with many other aspects of the organization, relatively opaque. Stat News recently shed light on this with an organizational chart showing a highly structured organization dominated by military personnel.
How Operation Warp Speeds big vaccine contracts could stay secret (NPR)
Operation Warp Speeds opaque choices of COVID-19 vaccines draw Senate scrutiny (Science)
New document reveals scope and structure of Operation Warp Speed and underscores vast military involvement (Stat News)
Full coverage and live updates on the Coronavirus
A New Albany family experienced the good and bad of a COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial Courier Journal
NEW YORK CITY: As the death toll continues to climb in the latest violence between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, diplomatic efforts to find a solution to the decades-old rivalry have intensified.
Russia, France, and the US co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group created in 1992 to encourage a negotiated resolution to the conflict have called for an immediate cease-fire and a return to negotiations without delay.
Russia has offered to host talks between the foreign ministers of the warring countries, insisting there is no alternative to political and diplomatic methods for resolving the crisis.
The UN Security Council has issued a similar call to urgently resume talks without preconditions, backing an earlier appeal by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to de-escalate the conflict and return to meaningful negotiations.
Armenia never refused to sit for peaceful negotiations, said Mher Margaryan, Armenias permanent representative to the UN, in an interview with Arab News. But it doesnt seem to be the intention of Azerbaijan to follow the calls for peace.
At the onset of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, Guterres made an appeal for a global cease-fire to help stem the spread of the virus.
Azerbaijan not only refused to unconditionally support the secretary-generals appeal, but also resorted to a large-scale military intervention, added Margaryan.
The (Azerbaijani) offensive comes amid a global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, when the international community is focused on fighting the disease.
Azerbaijan has decided to take advantage of these global vulnerabilities caused by the pandemic. So, this is not just an attack against Armenians but (also) an attack against the basic norms of humanity, an attack against what the UN stands for.
French President Emmanuel Macrons office said he and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin also shared their concern regarding the sending of Syrian mercenaries by Turkey to Nagorno-Karabakh.
Margaryan said Armenia was very concerned by the alleged involvement of foreign fighters. These foreign mercenaries are actually being recruited and transported with the support and encouragement of Turkey. We have to name the names: (The Turks) have been a very destructive element in this conflict. They need to be encouraged to stop.
The envoy said Azerbaijans actions, while they took the world by surprise, had been preceded by years of dangerous rhetoric, hate speech and Armeniaphobia,embraced and promulgated at the highest political level.
The leadership of Azerbaijan has been promoting hate crimes and glorifying hate criminals. At the same time, they have been spending billions of dollars to acquire deadly offensive weaponry and openly threatening the people of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh with promises to use force.
This section contains relevant reference points, placed in (Opinion field)
This much was clear, Margaryan said, from the Azerbaijan presidents recent speech at the 75th session of the UN General Assembly. It was not only a textbook manifestation of a hate speech but also we have come to realize now (a) declaration of war against the people of the Nagorno-Karabakh with a clear genocidal intent.
Margaryan believes the people of Nagorno-Karabakh have all the rights to live in their ancestors historical land without fear of foreign collision.
He added: At the core of the (Karabakh) issue is the right to self-determination which is enshrined in the UN Charter, and they have exercised this right by way of a referendum back in December 1991 in accordance with the applicable Soviet laws at the time, and also international law.
Nagorno-Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan during the 1991-94 war, which left 30,000 people dead and displaced more than 1 million others. However, it has never been internationally recognized as an independent republic.
Armenia as a guarantor of the security of the people of Karabakh will take every measure to defend their inalienable rights. Armenians around the world are very strongly united on this matter, Margaryan said.
We as Armenians cannot allow another genocide to be perpetrated against the Armenian population in the course Azerbaijans military aggression (that is) encouraged and supported by Turkey.
Ankaras expansionist and imperialistic policies were an attempt to sow instability in the region, he said.
While it is hard to say who is benefiting from this war, those who instigated this conflict (are) very well known not only to the expert community, not only with us who mediate in this conflict, but to the larger international society as well, Margaryan said.
The international community should send a stronger message to those engaged from the outside and encourage Azerbaijan itself to come to its senses and stop military aggression.
The resumption of this frozen conflict which dates back to the collapse of the Soviet Union has raised concerns about stability in the South Caucasus, a corridor for pipelines carrying oil and gas to world markets, and has even raised fears that regional powers Russia and Turkey could be drawn in.
What we are observing now is already a large-scale escalation with the use of the heaviest weaponry in their arsenal, Margaryan said.
It should come as no surprise that if the aggression continues then it might have a dangerous spillover effect. If Azerbaijan and Turkey are not contained, the consequences can have a devastating impact on the entire region and beyond.
Azerbaijan and Turkey must come to their senses and heed the call of the international community to commit to peace and good faith, he added.
The US, which co-chairs the OSCE Minsk Group, has not considered Nagorno-Karabakh a foreign policy priority since 2001.
We hope (Karabakh) is on the (American) list of priorities and we hope that the groups co-chair countries will continue to have a unified position as to the principles of the resolution of the conflict, Margaryan said.
He directed the same message at the Azerbaijan President (Ilham Aliyev) that Nikol Pashinyan, Armenias prime minister, has been emphasizing since he came to power in 2018.
The message to the Azeri president is: Any solution to this long-standing conflict must be acceptable to the people of Armenia, NK and Azerbaijan. And it should be without prejudice to all people who are concerned, Margaryan added.
So, the international community should use all means (to have) external actors withdrawn from the conflict zone.
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Twitter: @EphremKossaify
The government has drafted scenarios and prepared logistical needs necessary to distribute COVID-19 vaccine across the archipelago, to make sure it can be evenly disbursed once available.
The scenarios were discussed in a coordination meeting led by Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan on Wednesday.
The vaccine is necessary for us now. Our main priority is preparing vaccination logistics, targets and mechanisms, the minister said.
Read also: Jokowi gives committee two weeks to draft COVID-19 vaccination plan
In order to distribute the vaccine evenly across the country, the government plans to procure cold chain equipment to store and distribute hundreds of millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccine from other countries.
State-Owned Enterprises Deputy Minister Budi Gunadi said two state-owned pharmaceutical firms, Bio Farma and Kimia Farma, currently only had the capacity to store 123 million out of 352 million vaccine doses.
Indonesia has forged cooperation with several countries regarding the supply of potential vaccines.
Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech partnered with Bio Farma to launch the late-stage human trials of a candidate vaccine in Bandung, West Java. The trial involved some 1,620 volunteers since August.
Kimia Farma struck a deal with Group 42 (G42) Healthcare, an artificial intelligence company in the United Arab Emirates, to develop a potential vaccine.
The Research and Technology Ministry is also leading a national consortium, comprising research bodies and universities, to develop the Merah Putih vaccine.
The Health Ministry also signed an agreement with UNICEF to procure COVID-19 vaccine through COVAX, a global vaccine allocation plan co-led by the World Health Organization aiming for even distribution of the vaccine.
Read also: Indonesia secures massive supply of potential COVID-19 vaccine until end of 2021
During Wednesdays meeting, Indonesian Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) head Penny Kusumawati Lukito said the agencys technical team would check laboratories designated to mass produce the vaccine as well as the ongoing clinical trials.
The agency would also discuss with Sinovac regarding the vaccines delivery. After the vaccine arrived in Indonesia, BPOM would submit a halal certification for the substance to the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI).
In the meantime, the Health Ministry is training medical workers for the vaccination program. Two community health centers (Puskesmas) in Badung, Denpasar, Bali as well as Bogor, West Java would become the locations for vaccination simulation.
Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto said medical personnel and other workers in health facilities would be vaccinated first. The second group [to be vaccinated] would be workers aged 18 to 59, which is a high-risk group."
