An Oregon police officer is in isolation after a suspect who knew he was infected with coronavirus spit and coughed on the officer during an arrest early Sunday.
The Tigard Police Department, which is about 15 minutes outside Portland, thinks the suspect intentionally tried to infect the officer during the arrest, according to a news release from police. Officers encountered Miguel Hernandez-Cuesta, 24, after responding to a report that a man, who appeared drunk, was asleep at a McDonalds drive-thru.
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Hernandez-Cuesta was found passed out in the drivers seat, partially hanging out of the drivers side door which was slightly ajar, the release said. When officers asked him to turn off the car, Hernandez-Cuesta allegedly rolled the car forward and nearly hit a patrol car.
The officers then attempted to arrest the man on suspicion driving under the influence of intoxicants and driving while suspended.
In the course of the arrest, while Tigard Police officers were searching the man for weapons or dangerous items, he began coughing profusely and stated he had COVID-19, the department release stated. An officer asked him to stop coughing on them, but he turned his face toward the officers and proceeded to cough and spit on one of their faces while standing less than a foot away.
Jail staff confirmed that Hernandez-Cuesta was positive for the coronavirus, and he was additionally booked with felony aggravated harassment.
Officers who are victims during the course and scope of their duties have the same rights as any other community members, and we intend to assist the Washington County District Attorneys office with any future prosecution for this intentional and unwarranted exposure beyond our routine day-to-day duties, the department release stated.
Inmate records show Hernandez-Cuesta was released from Washington County Jail on Sunday.
NBC News was unable to find contact information for Hernandez-Cuesta using public records. An email to an attorney who defended Hernandez-Cuesta in a 2019 DUI conviction said she no longer represents him.
Doha Madani is a breaking news reporter for NBC News.
More Americans have died of COVID-19 than Union soldiers were killed on the battlefield during the Civil War. Its a sobering statistic that comes at a time when Confederate statues are being toppled across the country.
The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus was 147,828 and rising as of Monday morning, according to the latest NBC News tally.
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By contrast, 140,414 Union soldiers fell while fighting rebel forces led by Confederate generals like Stonewall Jackson and racist politicians like Jefferson Davis. Their effigies are now being evicted from the public square as part of the nationwide wave of protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, a Black man who perished in May beneath the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer.
The Confederate side lost 74,524 men on the battlefield, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
In other developments:
Texas now has 395,242 confirmed cases, which puts the state on track to eclipse New York's total numberof new infections, the NBC News figures show.
New York has 417,894 confirmed cases since the beginning of the pandemic as of Monday morning. California now has the most cases in the nation, with 459,576, and Florida is a close second with 423,855.
The U.S. surpassed 4 million confirmed COVID-19 cases on Thursday, with the biggest surge in the number of new infections reported in the South and the Sun Belt.
Joe Murphy is a data editor at NBC News Digital.
Corky Siemaszko is a senior writer for NBC News Digital.
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) The South Dakota Department of Health said Monday a cluster of COVID-19 cases has been traced to Camp Judson in Keystone but there are fewer than 10 cases.
Its possible the number of cases could increase as well as the number individual who may need to isolate because of close contact, said state epidemiologist Dr. Josh Clayton.
Clayton said the impact of the COVID-19 camp cases depends in part on the close contact between those at the camp. Close contact is contact of more than 15 minutes and distance of less than six feet, he said.
Camp Judson is a religious camp that offers overnight camps for youth, young adults and families, according to its website. Most of the camps and programs start after July 4.
The camp announced in a July 23 Facebook post that it was cancelling junior high camp this summer. With great sorrow, many prayers, countless hours of discussion, and many tears, we have decided to cancel Jr High Camp this summer, the Facebook post said.
Junior Camp ran from July 19-25 for grades four through six. The trail camp ran from July 19-25 for youth in grades seven through 12 but was limited to 20 registrants, according to the camps website. Both were overnight camps but the trail camp participants camped at Lake Sheridan for five of the seven days, according to the website. High school camp ran from July 12-18.
A family camp from Aug. 2-8 is listed a future camp on the camps website.
The state does not release specifics about cluster areas of COVID-19 but Clayton said some of the individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 were campers.
In a letter posted on the Camp Judson Facebook page on June 2 and addressed to friends, camp director Tracy Koskan said the camp would be taking additional precautions this summer because of the cornavirus pandemic.
Campers were asked to forgo camp if the camper or the friend of the camper were sick or had COVID-19 symptoms, or exposed to someone with COVID-19 within the last two to 14 days or has major health issues, according to the letter.
Clayton said the Centers for Disease Control has guidelines for camps that include dividing campers into modules to limit contact and maintain social distancing.
The June 2 Camp Judson letter said would take necessary precautions such as temperature screenings at check in, increased cleanings, additional soap dispensers and hand sanitizers and others.
BALTIMORE (WJZ) New research suggests parents of school-aged kids are drinking more during the pandemic, Maryland researchers found.
Their research suggests the stress of parents teaching or assisting their kids with distance learning may be driving some into unhealthy habits.
Baltimore parent Dan Brown recalled the stress the pandemic has placed on his family.
Were both working from home and the kids are not going anywhere anytime soon, he told WJZ while on a walk with his twin girls in Patterson Park on Monday.
Parents of only children, I definitely see the strains, he said. Its just pent-up energy for the parents, I guess, as well.
Another parent-child pairing quarantining together happens to be the research team of Elyse Grossman and Susan Sonnenschein. The duo surveyed hundreds of parents during the pandemic and found people are drinking more now than before COVID-19.
Drinking alcohol suppresses the immune system, making people more vulnerable to fighting off a virus.
They also showed significant increases as far as how much people are consuming, Grossman, a policy fellow at Johns Hopkins Universitys School of Public Health, said.
CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES:
More concerning, they said, were their findings that parents are engaging in more risky behavior like binge drinking. Parents are twice as likely, research showed, to be stressed because of distance learning.
The parents of elementary school-aged children are doing a lot of actual teaching, Sonnenschein said.
Sonnenschein, a child development professor with the University of Maryland Baltimore County, said theyre still sorting out whether thats a stressor that leads to increased drinking.
Grossman studies public policy and said she hopes more time to prepare for distance learning takes some of the learning pressure off parents this fall.
We need the school systems to provide guidance to the teachers to then provide guidance to the parents, she said.
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Departments website or call 211. You can find all of WJZs coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.
Andytown Coffee Roasters, the San Francisco mini-chain of coffee shops in the Outer Sunset and SoMa known for house-roasted coffee, Irish scones, and a bubbly espresso drink called the Snowy Plover, has temporarily closed all its locations after a former employee tested positive for COVID-19. Its just the latest SF restaurant to go dark over possible coronavirus exposure, following Mission District pizza destination Square Pie Guys, delivery-only chicken sandwich spot Hechys Hots, and SoMa sandwich shop Deli Board.
In a post to Instagram published Sunday evening, Andytown said they learned that evening that a former employee, whose last day on the job was July 18, tested positive for COVID-19 on July 22, after [the worker] had already moved to another city. As a result, the company immediately ordered the closure of all three of their currently open coffee shops, and suspended production activities until all its staff members can be tested for the virus.
The worker passed a temperature check and had no symptoms on the days they were working, the company says, and no other employees have shown symptoms since the possible exposure. Nonetheless, as in the past eight days since exposure, our staff have crossed paths with each other, and we think the safest thing to do is to shut down everything until we can either get tested or are past the CDC-recommended 14 days from last exposure.
Speaking with Eater SF, Andytown co-owner Lauren Crabbe says the decision to temporarily close their Lawton and Taraval Street coffee shops as well as the Taraval Street roastery is based on CDC guidelines, and for the safety of our staff and community. That means if none of the employees who had direct contact with the positive employee develop symptoms within 14 days of July 18, all the spots could reopen as soon as August 2. (The 181 Fremont Street location, inside the new Salesforce Transit Center, which went dark at the beginning of the pandemic, will remain shuttered until offices in downtown San Francisco start opening, Crabbe says.)
That timeline could move up, however, if every Andytown worker can get tested before then, something that Crabbe is hopeful but realistic about. Tests are scarce, she acknowledged, and results are taking longer than they used to.
In this crisis, business owners have to prioritize safety over income, Crabbe tells Eater SF. No matter how big or small your business is, no amount of money is worth risking lives. If a few days of closure means that we can be assured that our team and customers are safe, then thats a very small price to pay.
Crabbes sentiments are echoed by Square Pie Guys Danny Stoller and Marc Schechter, who told the SF Chronicle Friday their Detroit-style pizza spot had temporarily closed after a coronavirus exposure. In the Square Pie case, its unclear if a worker was infected in an Instagram post, the spot just said our restaurant has been exposed to COVID, and it and Hechys Hots, the chicken pop-up that operates out of Square Pies kitchen, would close until further notice. They, too, are having their workers tested, saying Our top priority remains to provide a safe and empathetic workplace, and in this new normal, we must act swiftly.
Meanwhile, SoMa sandwich shop Deli Board, which closed last Monday after a worker appeared visibly ill when he came in for a short shift last Thursday night, was tested on Friday, and received his positive test result on Sunday, is on track to reopen this week. Im happy to report Im COVID free, owner Adam Mesnick said via Instagram, and we look forward to a healthy restart on July 30th.
Cork & Kerry (Google Streetview)
City officials fined five businesses and shut down a Beverly bar for violating rules designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus, officials said Monday.
Officials first cited Cork & Kerry, 10614 S. Western Ave., on Saturday after inspectors found that it was over capacity, failed to keep people at least 6 feet apart and was not seating patrons, many of whom were not wearing face coverings, in violation of city rules.
When inspectors from the citys Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection returned early Sunday morning they found the same violations, officials said, prompting the city to issue another citation to the Beverly pub and an order that it be shuttered until operators submit an approved plan to reopen safely and responsibly.
Irresponsible actions like this put our entire city at risk and will not be tolerated, according to a statement from Issac Richman, a spokesperson for the citys Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection.
No one answered the phone Monday morning at Cork & Kerry, and the bars voicemail was full and not accepting new messages.
City officials declined to name the four other businesses cited for violating rules designed to stop the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Each citation comes with a $10,000 fine, according to city ordinance.
A task force formed by the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection conducted 55 investigations of bars and restaurants this weekend, officials said. Inspectors were called to bars in Wrigleyville during the first home game for the Chicago Cubs, officials added.
This weekend was the first sinceMayor Lori Lightfoot reimposed restrictionsin an attempt to stop an increase in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Chicago.
Bars, taverns, breweries and other establishments that do not have a retail food license permitting them to serve food are no longer allowed to serve customers indoors, according to the new restrictions.
The maximum party size and table occupancy at restaurants, bars, taverns and breweries is now six people, according to the new rules.
Those restrictions were prompted by an increase in the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus, particularly among young adults ages 18-29, who now account for approximately 30% of all Chicagoans diagnosed with the coronavirus, according to data provided by the Chicago Department of Public Health.
Since Chicago began to reopen after the end of the stay-at-home order at the beginning of June, city officials have fielded 1,877 complaints, cited 48 businesses and closed three businesses.
Contact Heather Cherone:@HeatherCherone| (773) 569-1863 |[emailprotected]
TheWest Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of 5:00 p.m., on July 27,2020, there have been 265,892 total confirmatory laboratory resultsreceived for COVID-19, with 6,054 total cases and 106 deaths.
In alignment with updated definitions fromthe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the dashboard includes probablecases which are individuals that have symptoms and either serologic (antibody)or epidemiologic (e.g., a link to a confirmed case) evidence of disease, but noconfirmatory test.
CASESPER COUNTY (Case confirmed by lab test/Probable case):Barbour (28/0), Berkeley (598/22), Boone (68/0), Braxton (8/0), Brooke(49/1), Cabell (277/9), Calhoun (6/0), Clay (17/0), Doddridge (2/0), Fayette(118/0), Gilmer (14/0), Grant (42/1), Greenbrier (82/0), Hampshire (64/0),Hancock (84/5), Hardy (50/1), Harrison (163/1), Jackson (153/0), Jefferson(279/5), Kanawha (694/13), Lewis (24/1), Lincoln (50/2), Logan (92/0), Marion(155/4), Marshall (107/2), Mason (41/0), McDowell (16/1), Mercer (91/0),Mineral (96/2), Mingo (102/2), Monongalia (822/16), Monroe (18/1), Morgan(24/1), Nicholas (26/1), Ohio (229/0), Pendleton (27/1), Pleasants (6/1),Pocahontas (39/1), Preston (98/22), Putnam (149/1), Raleigh (132/4), Randolph(202/4), Ritchie (3/0), Roane (14/0), Summers (5/0), Taylor (38/1), Tucker(8/0), Tyler (11/0), Upshur (34/2), Wayne (174/2), Webster (3/0), Wetzel (40/0),Wirt (6/0), Wood (218/11), Wyoming (17/0).
As case surveillance continues at thelocal health department level, it may reveal that those tested in a certaincounty may not be a resident of that county, or even the state as an individualin question may have crossed the state border to be tested.Such is the case of Boone,Cabell, Marion, Mineral, Ohio, Summers, Taylor, Wayne, and Wetzel counties inthis report.
Pleasenote that delays may be experienced with the reporting of information from thelocal health department to DHHR.
Please visit thedashboard at www.coronavirus.wv.gov for more detailed information.
TRENTON Rutgers University's RUCDR Infinite Biologics is providing 30,000 of its rapid-response saliva-based coronavirus tests daily to bolster the state's COVID-19 testing, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday during his 100th pandemic response media briefing.
"Having these tests means we now have 30,000 tests a day, and they come with a 48-hour turnaround," Murphy said. "As test turnaround has lagged nationally given the flare ups all around the country, this is welcome news."
Murphy said the tests will be deployed first to priority populations including front-line workers and vulnerable resident populations.
New Jersey reported 446 new positive COVID-19 cases as of Monday, bringing the statewide total to 179,812. The daily positivity rate is 1.72%, but the rate of transmission has increased to 1.09. However, positivity rates in South Jersey are triple that of North Jersey.
Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said that as of July 23, North Jersey reported a daily positivity rate of 1.09%, Central Jersey 1.60% and South 3.30%
Murphy said that the increase in new positive cases and rate of transmission is likely due to a "lab catch up" over the last few days due to a backlog in reporting results.
"We know there are flair-ups," he added, citing a recent house party in Middletown that resulted in 20 new cases.
The state had previously reported that there were problems in contact tracing related to that party, but Murphy said Monday that parents have been cooperating.
He told CNN Monday morning that he thought parents feared repercussions for possible underage drinking in that incident, but assured them otherwise.
"We don't condone underage drinking or any illegal behavior, but this is not a witch hunt," Murphy said. "This is about controlling the virus."
He said that in Middletown alone, there were 65 new positive cases, with 52 between the ages of 15 and 19.
He also addressed the recent report of an outbreak among Long Beach Island lifeguards due to a house party, an outbreak among Rutgers University football players, and another house party in Jackson Township with a reported 700 attendees, quipping "must have been quite a house."
"This is among us folks," Murphy said, urging residents to take precautions especially when gathering indoors or in close proximity.
Persichilli said the in relation to the lifeguard outbreak there were 35 cases related to one common social gathering, so far.
"Although they don't experience what we would call severe illness as often, young people can still transmit COVID-19 to those that they love," she said.
Murphy reported 17 new COVID-19 related deaths Monday and a positive trend in some metrics, with hospitalizations at 695, down from a high of more than 7,000 hospitalized in mid-April.
He also spoke about the upcoming school year and urged some "in-person" component, as well as compassion.
"This will not be a normal school year, there's no way it can be," he said. "It will be a challenge for everyone, so lets acknowledge that and commend everyone who is working so hard to provide a path forward."
Murphy said the state's reopening guidance was designed with flexibility to let each district make decisions based on its needs, and noted that health and safety, education and equity were its guiding principles.
"If done safely, I believe we must try to include at least some aspect of in person education this fall," he said, adding that remote learning is easier for affluent communities and their families who have more resources. "All of this must be a part of our thinking as we move to September."
On the federal stimulus package currently being debated in Congress, Murphy told CNN that it was "completely irresponsible" and "unfathomable" that the Senate Republicans' bill does not include more cash assistances for states.
"I don't know what country they're looking at," he said, adding that the stimulus bill shouldn't be a political debate.
"There's no politics, these are people's lives," Murphy said during Monday's news briefing.
He said he has had conversations with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California.
Murphy also said Monday that he has made the case to both President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence that more funds for the states are good for everyone.
Atlantic County's Division of Public Heath reported no new deaths, but 17 new positive cases of COVID-19 on Monday.
This is the third consecutive day without a fatality in the county.
The new positive cases in Atlantic County include seven men, ages 22-71, and 10 women, ages 29-71 in the following locations: five in Galloway Township, three in Pleasantville, and one each in Absecon, Atlantic City, Brigantine, Egg Harbor City, Egg Harbor Township, Hammonton, Linwood, Northfield and Ventnor.
Monday's new reported COVID-19 cases bring the countywide total to 3,418, of whom 1,911 have been cleared as recovered and 229 have died.
Testing will continue on Tuesday at the county's drive-thru facility in Northfield at Route 9 and Dolphin Avenue. The test site is now available for both symptomatic and asymptomatic county residents with or without a doctors prescription.
If available, appointments can be made online at aclink.org.
Cumberland County reported an additional 18 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing its countywide total to 2,648, and one new death, as of 4 p.m. Sunday. The total number of residents who died from COVID-19 in Cumberland County is 143.
Eight new positive cases of COVID-19 infection were announced Monday by the Cape May County Department of Health.
The municipalities were the new cases were found break down as follows: three cases each in Upper Township and Sea Isle City and two cases in Lower Township, the county said.
Total positive cases of COVID-19 infection in Cape May County is now 959 including 81 deaths, the county said.
Additionally, there are two new out of county positive cases, the county said.
New Jersey has 179,812 total COVID-19 positive cases and 13,884 deaths, the county said.
Also, the Cape May County Department of Health and CompleteCare Health Network, CCHN, are partnering to open drive-thru COVID-19 testing clinics, said Freeholder Jeff Pierson.
The first drive-thru will be held starting at 8 a.m. Thursday by appointment only at the Cape May County Fire Academy, 171 Crest Haven Rd, Cape May Court House, the county said.
Other testing dates will be scheduled based on community need.
Persons requesting COVID-19 testing will need an appointment with a CCHN provider
Persons requesting a COVID-19 test will be screened by the CCHN provider
Persons requesting COVID-19 tests can be tested whether they have COVID-19 symptoms or COVID-19 exposure and No-symptoms. Many people have had some type of exposure and although they have no symptoms, wish to be tested and that is acceptable.
Appointments for screenings can be requested by visiting CompleteCareNJ.org and clicking the Request an Appointment tab or calling 609-465-0258. To help save time, using the website is recommended.
Once your appointment request is received, you will receive a call back from a CompleteCare representative to help you schedule your visit. If testing is required, your prescription will be sent to the Health Department who will then call you to schedule your drive-thru testing time.
The full process for scheduling an appointment for COVID-19 drive-thru testing and more information about the virus can be found at CompleteCareNJ.org/COVID19.
Two signature downtown Vineland events have fallen victim to the current COVID-19 situation, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Main Street Vineland has announced the cancellation of this years Cruise Down Memory Lane and the Food Truck Festival on the Ave.
This would have been the 29th year for Cruise Down Memory Lane, South Jerseys largest car show. Scheduled for October 10, it had already been postponed from June. The event committee felt, however, that the event could not be pulled off, and, at the same time, comply with the current restrictions placed on outside events by Governor Murphy.
The third annual Food Truck Festival on The Ave was scheduled for August 23. The event, which brought thousands of people to The Ave, almost two dozen food trucks, and day-long entertainment would not be able to be held in todays situation, even with efforts to scale it down this year.
Along comes a light at the end of the tunnel by means of Newfield National Bank. The bank, which was to be the major sponsor for both events has committed itself to switching that sponsorship to two Main Street Vineland events that are still scheduledthe second annual Run The Ave 5K and the annual Pumpkin Patch Party on The Ave.
The Run The Ave 5K, Cumberland Countys premier road race and held in conjunction with Second Capitol Running, is scheduled for September 13. It brought over 100 runners to downtown Vineland last year and put downtown Vineland on the map for runners throughout the area.
The Pumpkin Patch Party, scheduled for October 31, brings almost 100 children and parents to the mini-park at Landis Avenue and the Boulevard for an afternoon of fun, games, and fellowship.
It was with deep regret that we had to cancel the Cruise Down Memory Lane and the Food Truck Festivaltwo of our most successful downtown events," said Main Street Vineland Executive Director Russell Swanson.
We do not take such actions lightly, but we face unusual times this year, and we always believe safety and health come first, Swanson said.
We want to thank Newfield National Bank, a longtime supporter of Main Street Vineland and its initiatives for maintaining that loyalty through these difficult times," Swanson said.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cumberland and Salem Counties (BBBS) recently received a $2,000 grant from the United Way of Delaware as part of the Salem County COVID-19 Emergency Response Initiative, a nonprofit collaborative response to the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic. The grant will help BBBS fund their programs.
We want to thank the United Way of Delaware for the $2,000 grant that will help us continue our mentoring programs, said Donna Bennett President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cumberland and Salem Counties. We are glad the Salem County COVID-19 Emergency Response Initiative is not only helping our mission but also the missions of other Salem County nonprofits during this time.
Source: State of New Jersey Department of Health
A health officer in Istanbul, Turkey, wears protective clothing before collecting swab samples from ... [+] confined people who may be infected with the Covid-19 coronavirus and thus may be infected. (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)
You may be able to lose a guy in 10 days, based on the 2003 rom-com movie How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. That also may be time that it takes for you to lose enough of the Covid-19 coronavirus so that you are no longer contagious, based on updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC is now saying that if you have mild-to-moderate Covid-19, keep yourself isolated from other people for at least 10 days after you first noticed symptoms. You can discontinue this isolation after the 10-day mark if you havent had a fever for at least 24 hours and your other symptoms have improved. Note that not having a fever because you took a fever-reducing medication like Tylenol doesnt count. That would be cheating. The fever has to have naturally disappeared. Still having a fever after 10 days means that you may need not only more cowbell but also more isolation.
This is a bit different from what the CDC was saying back in April, which was about three missed haircuts ago. As I wrote for Forbes at the time, the threshold back then was seven days rather than 10 days for discontinuing isolation. Also, the previous threshold for being fever-free was 72 hours instead of 24 hours. So in the words of Guns N Roses, youll need to have a little more patience. Wait three days longer for a total of 10 days before exposing yourself to others. Actually, that came out wrong. Wait three days longer for a total of 10 days after symptom onset before being in the same room with others.
Isolation much more than social distancing. Social distancing should be maintained even after ending ... [+] isolation. (Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
Keep in mind that isolation is not the same as social distancing. You should still social distance after ending isolation. As Ive indicated previously, social distancing means staying at least one Ryan Gosling away from everyone else. As actor Gosling is approximately six feet tall, this would be keeping at least one lying Gosling apart. A Gosling lying on the floor, that is.
Isolation, instead, entails staying in a room or rooms by yourself away from others. That means no Ryan Goslings, no Ryan Reynolds, no Ryan Chappelles, no Dave Chappelles, no David Crosses, no Marcia Crosses, no Marcia Bradys. Nobody else should be there. No one should enter that room unless they are wearing a full set of personal protective equipment, known affectionately as PPE. It also involves not sharing with others any items that you may have contaminated, including that mountain of toilet paper that you have amassed around your bed.
Isolation is different from quarantine as well. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) website includes the following easy-to-remember phrases:
As you can see, its all about the might. Isolate yourself when you already know that you are infected. By contrast, quarantine yourself when you think that you may have been exposed to the virus. Another way to remember when to quarantine is the q. Quarantine when theres a question whether you are infected. Isolate when you say I am infected. Quarantine does not become isolation until you have either had a positive test for the RNA of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or developed symptoms that suggest Covid-19.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has announced that individuals who have traveled ... [+] to New York from higher-risk states should quarantine for 14 days. (Photo by Jeenah Moon/Getty Images)
The recommended quarantine duration is still at least 14 days because thats how long the incubation period may potentially last. The incubation period is the time from when you are infected by the virus to when you first develop symptoms and may last anywhere from two to 14 days, based on studies so far. So if you think you got exposed to the Covid-19 coronavirus during that ill-advised Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in-person watch party, youll have to view the show for the next two weeks by yourself, far away from anyone else, except for perhaps that massive pile of toilet paper next to your bed.
If you have more severe Covid-19 or a weak immune system then you could remain contagious for longer than 10 days. More severe cases may shed more virus for longer periods of time. The CDC is now recommending that those with severe-to-critical illness or a very weak immune system stay isolated for at least 20 days after the onset of symptoms. Of course, if you have severe-to-critical Covid-19, you really should be in the hospital. So this guidance is more for health care workers taking care of patients with Covid-19.
What if you tested positive for the SARS-CoV2 but never developed any symptoms? Well, the threshold is still 10 days. But for asymptomatic infections, staying isolated for 10 days after symptom onset would mean that you would stay isolated forever, which would be a really long time.
Instead, the guidance is to stay isolated for 10 days from the date of your first positive test for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. In this case, RNA stands for ribonucleicacid rather than rations not available or really not avocado. RNA is the viruss genetic material. A SARS-CoV-2 RNA test is when someone sticks that cotton swab way up your nose or to the back of your throat or both to get samples to test for the presence of the virus genetic material. This is probably an experience that you would remember. It is very different from the blood test that checks for antibodies to the SARS-CoV2.
Covid-19 coornavirus RNA testing typically involves sticking a cotton swab up your nose, although ... [+] alternatives such as spit testing are emerging. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Speaking of testing, heres another change in the CDC guidance. The CDC used to recommend that health care workers with Covid-19 stay isolated until they have a negative test for SARS-CoV2 RNA. However, studies have been showing that you can still have a positive test but no evidence of replication-competent virus in your upper respiratory tract. Replicate means reproduce, just in case you havent seen the word replicate used on someones dating profile. Therefore, a replication-competent virus means a virus that is able to reproduce and thus infect someone.
Finding virus RNA is not necessarily the same as finding whole live versions of the virus. In fact, virus RNA can still be found in specimens from your upper respiratory tract for as long as three months after you first noticed symptoms. This can be a bit like finding someones bling without finding that person himself or herself. Its still not clear what finding such RNA means without detecting replication competent virus, whether it represents fragments of the virus, weakened versions of the virus, inactivated virus, hide-and-go-seek virus, or something else.
These updated guidelines are based on studies showing that the chances of finding replication-competent virus in respiratory tract specimens steadily goes down with passing time after symptom onset. In other words, your infectiousness may go down each day that you have symptoms. In these studies, researchers were not able to find replication-competent virus in patients with mild-to-moderate Covid-19 after 10 days had elapsed since their symptoms first manifested.
In a study thats posted on MedRxiv and hasnt yet undergone peer-review, researchers were able to find replication-competent viruses between 10 and 20 days after symptom onset in patients with severe Covid-19. However, 10 and 15 days after symptom onset, already about 88% and 95% of the specimens, respectively, in this study no longer had replication-competent virus. Of course, take any study thats just on MedRxiv with a grain or even a toilet paper roll package of salt until its been published in a reputable peer-reviewed scientific journal.
So 10 and 20 are now the numbers to remember when it comes to contagiousness and isolation. These thresholds are based on studies to date, so they could change as more evidence emerges. The Covid-19 coronavirus is like that person that you just met on Tinder. It still is rather mysterious, may not be completely what it seems, and could make you very sick.
Also, consider these numbers to be rough estimates rather than exact deadlines. Dont set your timer so that you can start panting on other people right after the 10- or 20-day mark has passed. It cant hurt to stay cautious for a little extra time. After all, viruses, like some guys, could end up hanging around a little longer than expected.
The feline's infection was confirmed following tests at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) laboratory in Weybridge, England, on July 22, according to a press release from the UK government.
The government said the cat was "the first confirmed case of an animal infection with the coronavirus strain in the UK." It said there was no evidence the cat had transmitted the virus to its owners.
"All available evidence suggests that the cat contracted the coronavirus from its owners who had previously tested positive for Covid-19," the press release added.
The cat was initially diagnosed by a private vet with feline herpes virus -- a common respiratory infection among cats -- but was also tested for SARS-CoV-2 as part of a research program. Follow-up testing at the APHA laboratory confirmed the cat had SARS-CoV-2, which manifests as Covid-19 in humans.
'Rare event'
Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss called it a "very rare event" with "infected animals detected to date only showing mild clinical signs and recovering within in a few days."
Yvonne Doyle, the medical director for Public Health England, said it was "not a cause for alarm," adding that there was "no evidence that pets can transmit the disease to humans."
That's a view shared by other animal health experts.
"It has been clear for a while that cats are susceptible to infection, but there is no evidence that they can go on to infect humans," said James Wood, head of the department of veterinary medicine at the University of Cambridge, adding that only a handful of pets "have been found to be infected around the world."
"The data overall continue to suggest that cats may become infected by their owners if their owners have Covid-19, but there is no suggestion that they may transmit it to owners. This reflects the advice that if possible, when infected, owners should keep their cats inside," he said.
There have been reports of pet cats and dogs testing positive for coronavirus in New York, Hong Kong and the Netherlands.
