Ross Ramsey: Texas reopenings tied more to COVID-19 severity than to spread – The Texas Tribune

Ross Ramsey: Texas reopenings tied more to COVID-19 severity than to spread – The Texas Tribune

Statement from Governor Cuomo on CDC Reversing Its COVID-19 Guidance – ny.gov

Statement from Governor Cuomo on CDC Reversing Its COVID-19 Guidance – ny.gov

September 19, 2020

Statement from Governor Cuomo on CDC Reversing Its COVID-19 Guidance | Governor Andrew M. Cuomo Skip to main content September 18, 2020

Albany, NY

"Today the CDC has reversed itself - that is not enough. How do they compensate for the lives lost and the millions in expenses and who was responsible for distorting the truth and jeopardizing the health of millions of Americans?"

The State of New York does not imply approval of the listed destinations, warrant the accuracy of any information set out in those destinations, or endorse any opinions expressed therein. External web sites operate at the direction of their respective owners who should be contacted directly with questions regarding the content of these sites.


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COVID-19 Daily Update 9-18-2020 – West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

COVID-19 Daily Update 9-18-2020 – West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

September 19, 2020

TheWest Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reportsas of 10:00 a.m., September 18, 2020, there have been 502,803 total confirmatory laboratory results receivedfor COVID-19, with 13,683 total cases and 297 deaths.

DHHR has confirmed the deaths of an83-year old male from Mingo County, an 87-year old female from Mason County,and a 62-year old male from Logan County. As we extend our deepestsympathies to the loved ones, we also encourage all West Virginians torecognize the continued need to take every possible step to slow the spread ofthis disease, said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary.

CASESPER COUNTY: Barbour(42), Berkeley (929), Boone (191), Braxton (10), Brooke (106), Cabell (707),Calhoun (23), Clay (33), Doddridge (17), Fayette (524), Gilmer (20), Grant(150), Greenbrier (119), Hampshire (100), Hancock (140), Hardy (78), Harrison(332), Jackson (244), Jefferson (413), Kanawha (2,194), Lewis (38), Lincoln(153), Logan (559), Marion (252), Marshall (150), Mason (130), McDowell (86),Mercer (394), Mineral (161), Mingo (346), Monongalia (1,836), Monroe (146),Morgan (49), Nicholas (79), Ohio (349), Pendleton (51), Pleasants (16),Pocahontas (59), Preston (147), Putnam (471), Raleigh (470), Randolph (233),Ritchie (10), Roane (43), Summers (34), Taylor (117), Tucker (15), Tyler (15),Upshur (60), Wayne (336), Webster (7), Wetzel (49), Wirt (10), Wood (346),Wyoming (94).

Pleasenote that delays may be experienced with the reporting of information from thelocal health department to DHHR. As case surveillance continues at the localhealth department level, it may reveal that those tested in a certain countymay not be a resident of that county, or even the state as an individual inquestion may have crossed the state border to be tested.

Pleasevisit the dashboard located at www.coronavirus.wv.gov for more information.


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COVID-19 Daily Update 9-18-2020 - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources
U.S. Public Now Divided Over Whether To Get COVID-19 Vaccine – Pew Research Center

U.S. Public Now Divided Over Whether To Get COVID-19 Vaccine – Pew Research Center

September 19, 2020

Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld has his arm disinfected by Dr. Chao Wang during a clinical trial for a coronavirus vaccine. (Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/Getty Images)

Pew Research Center conducted this study to understand how Americans are continuing to respond to the coronavirus outbreak. For this analysis, we surveyed 10,093 U.S. adults from Sept. 8 to 13, 2020. This report also draws on data from a survey fielded April 29 to May 5, 2020, among 10,957 U.S. adults.

Everyone who took part in either survey is a member of Pew Research Centers American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the ATPs methodology.

See here to read more about the questions used for this report, along with responses, and its methodology.

As efforts to develop and test a COVID-19 vaccine spur debate around the timing and release of a federally approved vaccine, the share of Americans who say they would get vaccinated for the coronavirus has declined sharply since earlier this year.

About half of U.S. adults (51%) now say they would definitely or probably get a vaccine to prevent COVID-19 if it were available today; nearly as many (49%) say they definitely or probably would not get vaccinated at this time. Intent to get a COVID-19 vaccine has fallen from 72% in May, a 21 percentage point drop.

The share who would definitely get a coronavirus vaccine now stands at just 21% half the share that said this four months ago.

There are widespread public concerns about aspects of the vaccine development process. On the heels of a pledge from nine pharmaceutical companies to ensure that a potential vaccine would meet rigorous standards, the Center survey finds three-quarters of Americans (77%) think its very or somewhat likely a COVID-19 vaccine will be approved in the United States before its safety and effectiveness are fully understood. And when asked about the pace of the vaccine approval process, 78% say their greater concern is that it will move too fast, without fully establishing safety and effectiveness, compared with just 20% who are more concerned approval will move too slowly, creating unnecessary delays.

The new national survey by Pew Research Center, conducted Sept. 8-13 among 10,093 U.S. adults, finds intent to get a COVID-19 vaccine has declined across all major political and demographic groups.

However, sizable differences across groups remain. Democrats and those who lean to the Democratic Party are 14 percentage points more likely than Republicans and Republican leaners to say they would probably or definitely get a vaccine (58% vs. 44%). And Black adults are much less likely to say they would get a vaccine than other Americans: Just 32% of Black adults say they would definitely or probably get a COVID-19 vaccine, compared with 52% of White adults, 56% of Hispanics and nearly three-quarters (72%) of Asian Americans. (Asian adults were interviewed in English only.)

Concerns about side effects and uncertainty around the effectiveness of a vaccine are widely cited as reasons by those who would not get a COVID-19 vaccine if one were available today.

Among the roughly half of Americans who say they would not get a COVID-19 vaccine, 76% say concern about side effects is a major reason why they would definitely or probably not get it.

Several vaccines are currently under trial right now. One trial was temporarily put on hold earlier this month for potentially causing side effects in a trial participant, but has since resumed.

A large majority (72%) of those who would not get a COVID-19 vaccine also say a desire to know more about how well it would work is a major reason why they dont currently plan to get a coronavirus vaccine.

Fewer adults cite not thinking they need the vaccine (31%) or the vaccines cost (13%) as a major reason they would not likely get vaccinated.

Those who say they would definitely or probably get a vaccine for COVID-19 if it were available today see a range of factors that could impact that decision.

Overall, 57% of those planning to get a vaccine say they would be a little (36%) or a lot (21%) less likely to do so if they had to pay out of pocket to get it. About four-in-ten (42%) say out-of-pocket costs would not change their likelihood of getting a vaccine.

Similarly, majorities say that many people experiencing minor side effects (57%) and the vaccine being effective about 60% of the time (55%) would reduce the likelihood of them getting vaccinated at least a little. But fewer than two-in-ten say either of these things would make them a lot less likely to get the vaccine. The possible need to get a vaccine again every year or so is not seen as a major deterrent among those planning to get vaccinated: 70% say this wouldnt make a difference to them.

Researchers are still not sure how effective a COVID-19 vaccine will ultimately be. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said it would authorize a COVID-19 vaccine if it was safe and at least 50% effective in preventing the disease or decreasing the severity of infections, although Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has said scientists are hoping for a vaccine that is at least 75% effective.

As Americans look ahead to when a vaccine for COVID-19 is approved in the U.S., many express doubts about how safe and effective a vaccine will be initially.

About three-quarters of Americans (77%) say it is at least somewhat likely that a vaccine for COVID-19 will be approved and used in the U.S. before its fully known whether it is safe and effective, including 36% who say this is very likely to happen. Just 22% say this is not too or not at all likely.

Public assessments are more mixed when it comes to whether enough Americans will get vaccinated to curb the spread of the disease: 53% say this is at least somewhat likely, while 46% think it not too or not at all likely.

Americans also have a mixed outlook on vaccine access. About half of U.S. adults (48%) say its at least somewhat likely that everyone who wants the vaccine will have quick and easy access to it, while 51% say this is not too or not at all likely.

Consistent with the view that a vaccine may be approved before its safety and effectiveness are fully understood, Americans overwhelmingly say their greater concern is that the approval process will move too fast, rather than too slowly. Nearly eight-in-ten (78%) say their greater concern is that the vaccine approval process will move too fast, without fully establishing that it is safe and effective. Just 20% say they are more concerned the approval process will move too slowly, causing unnecessary delays in access to a vaccine.

While Republicans and Democrats have differed over many aspects of the coronavirus outbreak including the threat it presents to public health and how quickly to lift restrictions on public activity majorities of both groups say their greater concern about the vaccine approval process is that it will move too fast, rather than too slowly. About seven-in-ten Republicans (69%) are more concerned about the approval process moving too fast, and an even larger majority of Democrats (86%) share this view.

Those who plan to get a COVID-19 vaccine express much greater confidence in the vaccine development process than those who do not plan to get vaccinated.

Overall, 19% of the public has a great deal of confidence that the research and development process in the U.S. will produce a safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19, while another 45% say they have a fair amount of confidence. About a third (35%) say they have not too much or no confidence in this process.

Among those who say they would definitely or probably get a vaccine, more than eight-in-ten express either a great deal (30%) or a fair amount (54%) of confidence in the research and development process. By contrast, 55% of those not planning to get a coronavirus vaccine say they have not too much or no confidence at all in this process.


Visit link: U.S. Public Now Divided Over Whether To Get COVID-19 Vaccine - Pew Research Center
A new Canadian Covid-19 gargle test ‘one of the first of its kind’ in the world, doctor says – CNN

A new Canadian Covid-19 gargle test ‘one of the first of its kind’ in the world, doctor says – CNN

September 19, 2020

"It is one of the first of its kind around the world," said Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.'s provincial health officer, at a press conference Thursday.

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control says the new test is just as accurate as tests using a nasal swab and is much easier to administer for children.

"This is a new saline gargle where you put a little bit of normal saline, so sterile water, in your mouth and you swish it around a little bit and you spit it into a little tube and that's an easier way to collect it for young people," said Dr. Henry.

B.C. public health officials say they compared test results in both children and adults and found the rate of Covid-19 detection was very similar between the nasal swab and the new gargle test.

B.C. is prioritizing children for the new test but hopes to expand to adults in the coming weeks.

While the sample will still have to be taken to a lab for processing the test does not have to be administered by a healthcare professional.

Test comes as numbers edge upward

The country's seven-day average for new Covid-19 cases edged upward to 849 Friday, and public health officials said Canadians under the age of 40 are fueling the surge in cases. It's a 123% increase from a month ago, when the seven-day average stood at 380.

"The ongoing increase in the national daily case counts is an indicator of accelerated epidemic growth," Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, said during a news conference Friday. "This situation increases the likelihood that we lose the ability to keep Covid-19 at manageable levels."

Canada's positivity rate remains at 1.4% as testing ramps up, but public health officials are worried cases are rising too quickly to adequately test, contact trace and isolate positive cases.

"The other indicators to really watch out for are the hospitalizations and ICUs, those are low at the moment, but again if there's any signals that things are increasing it's another indicator that we might be going in the wrong direction,' said Dr. Tam.

Canadian provincial leaders say they are fed up with young people recklessly gathering at restaurants, bars, private homes and even parks and beaches.

"Every week we see images in bars, there's dance floors that are full, all sorts of things are happening in bars," said Genevieve Guilbault, Quebec's minister of public safety during a press conference Friday in Quebec City.

Quebec announced a sweeping police operation for this weekend saying law enforcement officials would visit more than 1,000 bars and restaurants to make sure owners and patrons are complying with health regulations.

"We have to use every tool and every gesture at our disposal to avoid a second wave of Covid in Quebec," added Guilbault.


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A new Canadian Covid-19 gargle test 'one of the first of its kind' in the world, doctor says - CNN
Chiefs fan who attended game tests positive for Covid-19 and now everyone who sat near them is in quarantine – CNN

Chiefs fan who attended game tests positive for Covid-19 and now everyone who sat near them is in quarantine – CNN

September 19, 2020

The Kansas City Health Department said the individual that tested positive watched the game from the group's box in the lower level of the stadium and tested positive the following day. The positive test has prompted the Kansas City Health Department to direct 10 people there to quarantine after potential exposure to the coronavirus.

The Kansas City Chiefs were one of the few teams in the NFL that allowed fans into its stadium in Week 1.

The team said that its contact tracing mechanisms allowed staff to identify the individual, the individual's party, any service staff that came into contact with the individual and any other ticket holders that may have been near this person while entering the stadium.

"I want to remind everyone that COVID-19 is anywhere and everywhere. While we're all tired of it, frustrated and even angry at how it has altered and stricken our lives and livelihoods, we must continue to think of those who have not and will not survive it," said Dr. Rex Archer, Kansas City health director.

"We still don't understand why it strikes some so viciously while others have only mild symptoms. If you have an existing or prior health condition such as cancer, diabetes, heart or lung disease, or if you're older than 65, you should not be taking unnecessary risks like being in large crowds. We hope those around you aren't taking those risks either and possibly bringing the virus home to you," Dr. Archer said.

The Chiefs made no mention of whether or not spectators would be barred from attending any games in the future.


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Covid-19 Adds Complications to Portland-Area Firefighting Efforts – The New York Times

Covid-19 Adds Complications to Portland-Area Firefighting Efforts – The New York Times

September 19, 2020

AMBOY, Wash. A team directing the firefighting efforts in the Pacific Northwest went into temporary isolation this week after a member of a resupply crew tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said on Friday.

The diagnosis, which halted work at an incident command post in Washington State for about an hour on Thursday, comes amid longstanding worries about the hazards of sending thousands of firefighters into close-quarter operations in the middle of the pandemic.

Members of the fire management team that was deployed in Carson, Wash., about 50 miles northeast of Portland, Ore., were placed into temporary isolation as fire commanders attempted to determine who might have been exposed, officials said. They examined six people in particular, and one of them found to have spent the most time with the infected person remained in isolation on Friday.

Washingtons commissioner of public lands, Hilary Franz, said she had been worried that the infection might have required an entire incident command team to go into quarantine at a time when those teams are needed around the country. Instead, the crew has continued working, although with more restrictions on who can enter the post.

Fire season is already an unbelievable stress on resources and the firefighters, Ms. Franz said as she visited a firefighting camp near the Big Hollow Fire on Friday. You add in a deadly pandemic, it makes it all the more challenging.

The arrival of the coronavirus to the West Coasts frontline firefighting forces has added yet another complication to the record-breaking fires that have left crews exhausted and potentially vulnerable. Thousands of firefighters, many of whom have traveled in from other regions, remain clustered in camps across open fields and throughout the remote backcountry where some of the vast blazes remain largely uncontained.

U.S. officials had hoped to avoid such mass collections of fire crews. In April, the U.S. Forest Service chief, Vicki Christiansen, ordered a new strategy for combating wildfires during the 2020 season that would be mindful of the coronavirus, including a focus on using local firefighting crews and a strategy of rapid containment to prevent fires from growing to sizes that would require the mobilization of bigger crews.

But the rapid-containment strategy has not prevented a wildfire outbreak of historic proportions, with more than 3.4 million acres burned in California, hundreds if not thousands of homes destroyed in Oregon, and fires that continue to burn in Washington. More than 20,000 firefighters have been deployed across the West Coast.

The coronavirus had already challenged wildfire teams, with the economic downturn leading to limitations on firefighting budgets, less access to prison inmates normally used for firefighting and quarantines interfering with the deployment of some firefighters.

In the hope of preventing outbreaks, firefighting camps have increased sanitation, limited interactions among firefighters and conducted regular temperature tests, said Tim Edwards, the president of the union that represents Cal Fire employees in California. Crews this year have often been spread out over broader areas, have been brought back to camp in shifts and have eaten boxed meals instead of from a food line.

Before, it used to be kind of a free-for-all, Mr. Edwards said.

Mr. Edwards worried that firefighters, many of whom consider wearing N-95 masks too restrictive when huffing up hillsides with heavy packs, might suffer damage to their respiratory systems that could make them more susceptible to the virus.

On Friday, at a camp in Amboy, Wash., where firefighters are based to fight the Big Hollow Fire, workers monitored entering vehicles, allowing only those visitors who had a need to be there. Those approved to enter advanced down a gravel road for a temperature check. Firefighters tents were clustered in groups around a sprawling community park.

Sept. 18, 2020, 11:10 p.m. ET

Many of the firefighters and command crews have had a grueling summer schedule. The incident command team affected by the coronavirus scare began working in mid-August at the Crane Fire in Oregon; after a brief break they went straight to the Evans Canyon Fire in Washington, and then to the Big Hollow Fire. Crews are supposed to work only 14 consecutive days, but that has been extended to 21 days. Many work 16-hour days or more.

Jeff Dimke, the Big Hollow incident commander, said fire crews have been making coronavirus adjustments along the way. The incident command team is based at a school in Carson, with various groups isolated from one another in the building. Some meetings take place in a theater in the building with enough space to keep people separated.

They have been making improvements along the way, Mr. Dimke said. Earlier in the season, when the command staff visited the firefighting camp, they realized that firefighters had gathered in a group for a briefing; now they do briefings over the radio, he said, although that is not ideal.

We dont get to stand up in front of everybody and see everybody in one spot and judge fatigue and where theyre at, Mr. Dimke said.

Mr. Dimke said the team learned on Thursday that a person who had brought supplies to the post had tested positive. The group immediately paused to do contact tracing, he said.

Kelly Woods, a firefighter with the National Park Service who collects best-practice advice from around the country as director of the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center, said firefighters have been sharing tips on how to reduce exposure to the virus.

Some have turned to doing radio briefings instead of in-person discussions. Others have begun preparing their own meals.

It has changed the way we have historically done so many things, Ms. Woods said.


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Covid-19 Adds Complications to Portland-Area Firefighting Efforts - The New York Times
COVID-19 doesn’t care if you’re young and healthy. We all need to do better. – Anchorage Daily News

COVID-19 doesn’t care if you’re young and healthy. We all need to do better. – Anchorage Daily News

September 19, 2020

Back in March, I booked a public use cabin outside of Homer for the end of August. I figured the pandemic would be over by then, wed be free from lockdown, and I could gather a bunch of my friends together for a weekend cabin getaway.

But here we are in September, and COVID-19 is still a part of our lives. When I went to the cabin last month with two friends in my bubble my small group of friends that limit social interactions with others and take COVID-19 safety precautions I figured Id be OK. I work from home, wear a mask when I go out, dont eat in restaurants, dont go to bars and limit my interactions with others. My bubble friends did the same.

But we didnt know one person had been exposed to the virus before we left. By the end of the weekend, they were coughing. By the next week I would be, too.

In some ways, coughing was the least of it. My lungs literally ached. My throat was raw. My energy was so low that getting up to go to the bathroom left me lightheaded and winded. I lost my sense of taste and smell. I lost my appetite and gained nausea instead. I developed a pounding headache that lasted for days.

Im 32 years old. Im healthy and an avid runner, biker and skier. I run marathons. I spent most of my summer biking through mountain passes on the Kenai Peninsula and hiking peaks in the Chugach front range. This virus still knocked me out.

I was alone for two weeks while I was sick, with no one but my dog to keep me company. I am lucky that I had friends and family checking in on me daily. I had so many people bring me groceries or offer to deliver food. I was overwhelmed by kindness.

But I also sat on my couch and cried when a headache that lingered for days sucked the last bit of energy from me. I cried in the doctors office when they told me theyd be monitoring me closely for blood clots and to prepare myself for a visit to the emergency room if things didnt get better. I was scared. I was angered to come home to see people post on social media how they were annoyed that public health officials are just overreacting or proclaim that their freedom had been violated by mask mandates. While some gathered en masse to protest the idea of taking precautions, I struggled to fall asleep, wondering if a rogue blood clot would kill me in the middle of the night.

My symptoms are gone now and my energy is coming back, but I still have more recovery ahead of me after two weeks of being bedridden. After 20 minutes of walking my dog on the Chester Creek trail, I find myself exhausted and ready to collapse on the couch.

Although I can trace my infection back to the cabin, what I cant trace back is how it managed to infiltrate my small social bubble. So please be careful, wear a mask and keep your circles small. If you have any symptoms, stay home and isolate.

Remember that testing alone is not enough, nor should it be considered a pass for all of the other protective measures we must take in order to keep others safe. My first test, even after I had some symptoms, came back negative. A second test, unsurprisingly, came back positive. The first person in my bubble to get COVID-19 experienced the same; a false negative later followed by a positive. If you are experiencing symptoms or have been exposed to someone who is positive, isolate yourself from others and monitor for symptoms for 14 days, even if your test comes back negative.

I hope by sharing my story that people who have been fighting the reality of this take a quick pause and check themselves. This pandemic has been devastating for everyone, and it will not be getting better anytime soon. We are all making sacrifices, but we can all do better. This virus has no mercy. It doesnt care if you are young and healthy. Please take it seriously.

Suzanna Caldwell is an outdoor enthusiast; she works as the recycling coordinator for Municipality of Anchorage Solid Waste Services. She was formerly a reporter with the ADN.


Excerpt from: COVID-19 doesn't care if you're young and healthy. We all need to do better. - Anchorage Daily News
On the Greek Island of Chios, Covid-19 is Everyone’s Business – The New York Times

On the Greek Island of Chios, Covid-19 is Everyone’s Business – The New York Times

September 19, 2020

CHIOS, Greece The man taking the last drag of his cigarette in the sweltering heat outside his convenience store in Volissos, a village on the Greek island of Chios, was clear: No mask, no shopping.

He stubbed the cigarette out, slipped the mask from his chin over his mouth and nose, and went back in behind the till.

Down at the beach, waiters who until the day before had only reluctantly donned face shields, while ferrying mezze and cold beers to those tanning by the gently lapping Aegean waters, needed no prompting to cover their faces.

And on the early-morning swim shift, populated by the elderly and those like me who were catering to the very young, masks were worn universally.

Something had happened on that one day last month to make masks suddenly de rigueur: Someone was sick on the island, and everyone was aware they lived in this village.

I knew that escaping Brussels, my current home, to visit my parents in Greece would be different. That was the point.

After a brutal lockdown in the spring and heightened safety measures in Brussels, my family craved a change of scene, a break from isolation and some help.

By the end of July, I had spent three months investigating Belgiums deadly pandemic response in nursing homes. After that grim mission, the desire to get out was so potent that we decided to travel 12 hours across Europe on two flights, and face a week of isolation plus some expensive coronavirus tests on arrival all with a 2-year-old in tow.

And it was so worth it. We spent lazy hours on the pebbled beaches, picked honey-sweet figs straight from trees, ate fresh fish with delicious deep-red tomatoes, and enjoyed grandparent-provided child care.

Still, there was the mental whiplash of adjusting to pandemic life in a small, isolated place.

Chios, with 50,000 residents and famous for its leading role in Greeces huge shipping industry, inhabits a distinctly different Covid-19 universe from Brussels, the headquarters of the European Union and Belgiums capital, with a population of 1.2 million.

Belgium has had one of the worst coronavirus records globally, with nearly 100,000 infections and 9,930 deaths to date among its approximately 11.5 million people.

Greece has only a slightly smaller population, about 10.4 million, but is less densely inhabited because so many people live on islands like Chios naturally isolated, or trapped, depending on ones perspective. And Greece is miles down the list of bad virus news, with just over 14,000 cases and 316 deaths.

Chios itself has had about 30 confirmed cases since the outbreak began, and no deaths.

But that didnt necessarily translate into a feeling of breathing more easily.

The fear of infection on Chios, I came to realize, was focused on outsiders, something Id never really considered in Brussels, where infection was virtually as anonymous as its residents.

In a community that is more insulated and largely spared from infections, contagion can arrive only externally.

While Chios had been a critical stop in the migration route from Turkey to Greece, fewer refugees were arriving, in part because of tougher government border policies. So attention turned to the few tourists; to migrants like myself who were visiting family; and to locals who were returning from taking a break in other parts of the country where more people were getting sick.

There was a stark contrast between an urban environment where no one knows you, and the small community where seemingly everyone does.

So when, one August day, the Greek governments daily official tally of positive cases included three on the island of Chios, the countrys fifth-largest and not a major tourist destination, the chatter among the local community seemed to overpower the mesmerizing tune of the cicada song that floods the air in the long Greek summer.

The question on everyones lips was one youd never hear in a big city: Whos sick?

This 20-year old guy who went on holiday to Zakynthos, a Greek island on the other side of the country popular with British tourists, the man at the convenience store informed me, confidently.

Now hes in the hospital, three of his relatives are in quarantine and many who came in contact with him are awaiting test results, he volunteered. So we have to be extra careful.

What was more remarkable than the shopkeepers purported intimate knowledge of the mans affairs was that he turned out to be right. Off the record, to maintain a semblance of respect for privacy, the authorities confirmed the shopkeeper's account.

Another rumor spread that the second case was a young woman in the islands main town, whose mother worked at a popular cosmetics store. That was problematic, the chatter went, because all her family members had contact with dozens each day: Her brother was a barman at a trendy watering hole, and her father worked for a government agency.

With gossip swirling fast, 24 hours later everyone even I! knew her name. The shop where her mother worked ended up announcing that it had carried out a thorough decontamination, and implored people to stop gossiping.

It is everyones responsibility to look after their own health, said the stores manager on a public Facebook post, but, the post continued, people should not inflate information that could harm peoples livelihoods.

Malicious rumors spread very fast, but the truth is ignored, said a post added the next day. Our employee has tested negative for Covid-19.

Even though the gossip and loss of privacy upset people on the island, its small size, and close social and familial ties, have made one vital part of curbing infections easier contact tracing.

While some countries have set up anonymous, remote call centers operated by hundreds of students and part-time workers to do the arduous task of contact tracing, on Chios, the job is done quickly by five police officers.

Each case takes about three hours to fully trace, said Pantelis Kalandropoulos, whose day job is chief of traffic police for the island, but who these days doubles up as head of virus contact tracing.

Our work is fairly easy, people cooperate and arent secretive, he said.

At first when a case emerges, theres a bit of a panic, people in the area of the case retreat indoors for one or two days, but things quickly return to normal, he added.

Even as shared spaces can act as hubs for the spread of both disease and gossip, one such place, the Louiza & Kelly hair salon, put in place a form of a no-coronavirus-gossip policy alongside stepped-up hygiene and mandatory mask-wearing.

One afternoon at the salon, while masked ladies were having haircuts and blowouts, talk of the pandemic was largely absent. Since the business reopened in late May, Kelly Patra, the owner, asked her workers to avoid talking about the pandemic, deflect if theyre asked about possible cases, and encourage customers to seek formal information sources.

Try to be positive about things, she wrote them in a group message just before reopening.

Its dangerous to gossip about something like this because people become stigmatized and it breeds panic, people then start to ask where this persons children go to school, where her husband works, etc., Ms. Patra said in an interview.

And personally, I dont want my business to be a node in that spread.


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On the Greek Island of Chios, Covid-19 is Everyone's Business - The New York Times
COVID-19 Daily Update 9-17-2020 – West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

COVID-19 Daily Update 9-17-2020 – West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

September 19, 2020

TheWest Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reportsas of 10:00 a.m., September 17, 2020, there have been 497,962 total confirmatory laboratory results receivedfor COVID-19, with 13,430 total cases and 294 deaths.

DHHR has confirmed the deaths of a69-year old male from Berkeley County, a 75-year old male from Berkeley County,a 91-year old female from Jackson County, and an 80-year old male from RoaneCounty. Wesend our sympathy to these families and urge all West Virginians to continue toprotect each other by wearing a mask, washing hands, and staying sociallydistant, said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary.

CASESPER COUNTY: Barbour(42), Berkeley (922), Boone (190), Braxton (10), Brooke (106), Cabell (690),Calhoun (23), Clay (33), Doddridge (17), Fayette (501), Gilmer (19), Grant(150), Greenbrier (118), Hampshire (99), Hancock (139), Hardy (76), Harrison(326), Jackson (239), Jefferson (413), Kanawha (2,154), Lewis (38), Lincoln (148),Logan (558), Marion (250), Marshall (148), Mason (130), McDowell (80), Mercer(392), Mineral (157), Mingo (332), Monongalia (1,791), Monroe (143), Morgan(48), Nicholas (77), Ohio (343), Pendleton (51), Pleasants (15), Pocahontas(59), Preston (145), Putnam (460), Raleigh (449), Randolph (233), Ritchie (10),Roane (43), Summers (32), Taylor (115), Tucker (15), Tyler (15), Upshur (60),Wayne (328), Webster (7), Wetzel (49), Wirt (9), Wood (345), Wyoming (88).

Pleasenote that delays may be experienced with the reporting of information from thelocal health department to DHHR. As case surveillance continues at the localhealth department level, it may reveal that those tested in a certain countymay not be a resident of that county, or even the state as an individual inquestion may have crossed the state border to be tested.Such is the case of Monroe and Tucker counties in this report.

Pleasevisit the dashboard located at www.coronavirus.wv.gov for more information.


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COVID-19 Daily Update 9-17-2020 - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources
COVID-19 Daily Update 9-12-2020 – West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

COVID-19 Daily Update 9-12-2020 – West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

September 19, 2020

TheWest Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of 10:00 a.m., on September 12,2020, there have been 478,580 total confirmatorylaboratory results received for COVID-19, with 12,521 totalcases and 265 deaths.

DHHR hasconfirmed the deaths of a 90-year old female fromJackson County and a 74-year old male from Marion County. Please join with mein sending our deepest condolences to these families as they grieve the passingof their loved ones, said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary. Everylife lost to this pandemic is a tragedy and can be minimized if we all practicesafe measures including wearing masks and maintaining social distancing.

CASESPER COUNTY: Barbour(35), Berkeley (866), Boone (176), Braxton (9), Brooke (104), Cabell (647),Calhoun (22), Clay (30), Doddridge (17), Fayette (450), Gilmer (19), Grant(147), Greenbrier (114), Hampshire (95), Hancock (137), Hardy (75), Harrison(318), Jackson (226), Jefferson (401), Kanawha (1,934), Lewis (37), Lincoln (137),Logan (537), Marion (240), Marshall (138), Mason (124), McDowell (79), Mercer(373), Mineral (149), Mingo (297), Monongalia (1,661), Monroe (143), Morgan(44), Nicholas (64), Ohio (325), Pendleton (46), Pleasants (15), Pocahontas(56), Preston (142), Putnam (393), Raleigh (412), Randolph (230), Ritchie (9),Roane (39), Summers (28), Taylor (113), Tucker (15), Tyler (15), Upshur (58),Wayne (313), Webster (7), Wetzel (46), Wirt (8), Wood (330), Wyoming (76).

Pleasenote that delays may be experienced with the reporting of information from thelocal health department to DHHR. As case surveillance continues at the localhealth department level, it may reveal that those tested in a certain countymay not be a resident of that county, or even the state as an individual inquestion may have crossed the state border to be tested.Such is the case of Marshall,Mason, and Preston counties in this report.

Pleasevisit the dashboard located at www.coronavirus.wv.gov for more information.


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COVID-19 Daily Update 9-12-2020 - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources