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COVID-19 Outbreaks Worsen In NY, NJ & CT As Cuomo Outlines New Plan For Containing ‘Hot Spots’: Live Updates

COVID-19 Outbreaks Worsen In NY, NJ & CT As Cuomo Outlines New Plan For Containing ‘Hot Spots’: Live Updates

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COVID-19 Outbreaks Worsen In NY, NJ & CT As Cuomo Outlines New Plan For Containing 'Hot Spots': Live Updates Tyler Durden Tue, 10/06/2020 - 15:46

Summary:

  • US added 36,342 new cases Monday

  • Arizona sees biggest daily case tally since Sept. 18

  • Tristate area sees COVID-19 comeback

  • Cuomo outlines new plan for attacking NY 'Hot spots'

  • Dr. Fauci warns Trump's condition could still deteriorate

  • NY releases daily update showing hospitalizations top 700, highest since July

  • Belgium adopts new social distancing restrictions

  • NYC closes schools in 'hot spots'

  • Horace Mann school also closes amid outbreak

  • US in the grip of "dangerous" COVID-19 comeback

  • Cases continue to rise across US as Midwest drives new wave

  • GSK + VIR say new antibody treatment enters Phase 3

  • Ireland's cabinet suggests raising alert level

  • China in talks to have WHO 'assess' vaccines

  • India reports fewest new cases since Aug. 25

* * *

Update (1430ET): During Tuesday afternoon's press briefing, Gov Cuomo outlined a three-part plan to contain the new "hot spots". First: Identify the cluster, and direct the most resources as identifying and quarantining cases within the cluster. Then work out a 'containment zone' in the area surrounding the cluster, where efforts like shutdowns, testing and social distancing rules are moderate but not severe.  Third, the state keeps up testing and monitoring in outer-lying areas.

Cuomo is increasing the fines to organizers of illegal "mass gatherings" to as high as $15,000.

The new rules must be implemented by Friday, though areas can implement them before then. During the presentation, the governor included a map of the Brooklyn hotspots.

New York isn't the only northeastern state seeing a COVID-19 comeback. Bloomberg reports that while the strain on the health care system remains limited, new cases have "significantly exceeded the increase in testing.

Virus-linkws hospitalizations recently hit a seven-week high in New Jersey, a 10-week high in New York and a 3.5-month high in Connecticut, per JHU data. According to the earliest update on Tuesday, the US posted 36,342 new cases over the last 24 hours, bringing the national total to about 7.5 million cases cumulatively, according to Johns Hopkins, while more than 210,000 have died.

Source: Bloomberg

Arizona, formerly one of the Sun Belt summer 'hot spots' reported a spike of 864 new virus cases on Tuesday, the largest single-day tally since Sept. 18.

In other news, Dr. Fauci sat for an interview with Cuomo's CNN-host brother, Chris Cuomo, where Dr. Fauci became the latest doctor to speculate wildly about the president's condition, saying that while President Trump may "look fine", he's still in the early stages of recovery, and his health could still take a turn for the worst.

Interestingly, Dr. Fauci also claims that he believes the "monoclonal antibody" - one of the experimental medications given to Trump after he arrived at Walter Reed late last week - may have "made a difference" in Trump's recovery.

That therapeutic is still in clinical trials.

* * *

Update (1445ET): Gov. Andrew Cuomo revealed that hospitalizations in the state of New York have surged to more than 700 on Tuesday, the largest number since July, then announced plans to hold another press briefing beginning at 1500ET.

Watch live below:

* * *

Update (1330ET): As we await Tuesday's update on NY's virus data, Bloomberg reminds us that the rate of new cases in NYC is on the cusp of the level where Mayor de Blasio said he would shutter non-essential businesses.

New York City’s seven-day average of daily cases is approaching Mayor Bill de Blasio’s warning threshold of 550.

The average was 501 on Sunday, up from 338 a week earlier, according to the numbers released yesterday, which reflect cases and data collected over the 24 hours prior. The city is seeing rising positive tests in nine ZIP codes of Brooklyn and Queens. Schools there shut Tuesday, and nonessential businesses may be ordered to close Wednesday if Governor Andrew Cuomo approves de Blasio’s proposal.

* * *

Update (1200ET): Much to the chagrin of every armchar "expert" who claimed there would be a link between COVID-19 mortality and political "populism", Belgium has emerged as the country with the second-most deaths per million people, behind only Peru

To try and check a worsening outbreak that has swept across Europe, Belgian PM announced new restrictions on the size of social gatherings, as well as restrictions on bars, restaurants and the catering industry, according to La Libre.

Belgium's worst hot spot is Brussels, where the proportion of people who test positive for coronavirus is nearly twice as high as the national average, based on data from the Sciensano public health institute. Over the last seven days for which data are available, 13.8% of people tested in the capital turned out to be infected with Covid-19, which makes a 3.6% increase compared to the week before, while the national average is of 7.3%. Belgium’s three most infected municipalities are all in Brussels, with Molenbeek-Saint-Jean registering an incidence of 770 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the last two weeks, followed by Koekelberg (660) and Saint-Josse-ten-Noode (629). The commune of Ganshoren is also in the country’s top ten, with an incidence of 614.

With an infection rate that's roughly 2x that of Paris, Brussels is at serious risk of "derailing" the national recovery, according to virologist Marc Van Ranst, who compared the city to Paris. "Tomorrow, Paris will close all bars for two weeks," h said. “The incidence there is of 260 [cases] per 100,000 inhabitants. In Brussels: 472, Liège: 330, Walloon Brabant: 327," per the Brussels Times.

With that, the country announced new social distancing restrictions, including limiting 4 people per table at bars.

Note: Belgium ranks second in the world behind only Peru in terms of deaths/per million people.

Source: Real Clear Politics

* * *

Schools in 'hot spots' across NYC are closing Tuesday - a day earlier than NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio had hoped - as Gov Cuomo, de Blasio's political arch-rival, makes changes to the mayor's proposal, which was subject to state approval. De Blasio had wanted to shutter all "non-essential" business, in the first rollback of the city's summertime reopening efforts, but Gov. Cuomo wisely staid his hand.

Of course, NY isn't alone, as outbreaks are worsening across the Midwest and other parts of the country, while states like NY and NJ see incipient new outbreaks of their own.

In addition to the public schools in NYC's hot spots, Horace Mann, a private school in the Bronx, has suspended in-person classes for its middle and upper grades for two weeks after the school was alerted to a mini outbreak among its teaching staff.

But, as Bloomberg points out, South Dakota and North Dakota are seeing some of the worst outbreaks relative to their populations.

While big states like California, Florida and Texas are seeing cases continue to decline, outside of the Sun Belt, the US outbreak is growing.

Scientists in the US have long warned of a looming "Twindemic" as the coronavirus mixes with the common cold and the seasonal flu. And in the Midwest, where falling temperatures are starting to send people indoors, many states are seeing the virus arrive in towns and small communities where it has been almost totally absent. In Nebraska, the seven-day average of cases hit a record Saturday, joining Midwestern and Western states including Wisconsin, Montana and the Dakotas in confronting a virus that had eluded them until recently.

"We’re in very bad shape, never having achieved any sense of containment, never gotten below 20,000 new confirmed cases per day,” said Eric Topol, director of Scripps Research Translational Institute. “Things can only get worse on this course."

Meanwhile, as Trump's return to the White House captivated the country on Monday, the NYT reported - as we mentioned last night - that the administration is once again pressuring the FDA to make changes to its proposed new vaccine guidelines to strip out a section that would essentially rule out the approval of a vaccine before election day.

Despite rising case numbers, Texas Gov Greg Abbott is reportedly preparing to announce another round of rollbacks for the state's COVID-19-related restrictions.

Finally, on the pharmaceutical side, GlaxoSmithKline and VIR have announced that their antibody therapy, which is similar to convalescent plasma and other techniques seeking a 'cure' for COVID-19.

Here's more COVID-19 news from last night and this morning:

Global cases reach 35,485,738. The worldwide death toll has hit 1,044,085 (Source: JHU)

US COVID cases +39,562 (prev. +35,504) and deaths +460 (prev. +690). New York COVID cases +933 (prev. +1,222) and deaths +8 (prev. +14). (Source: Newswires).

Biontech and Pfizer have initiated a rolling submission to the European Medicines Agency for COVID-19 vaccine candidate as the EU scrambles to approve the leading vaccine projects, which also includes AstraZeneca and Oxford (which has also struck a deal for rolling submission of trial data) (Source: AFP).

France COVID cases +5,084 (prev. +12,565) and deaths +69 (prev. +32). (Source: AFP).

Ireland’s Cabinet recommended to raise the country's alert level to 3, from, at midnight Tuesday (Source: RTE).

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani reportedly may have contracted COVID-19 (Source: FARS).

China is in talks to have its locally produced COVID-19 vaccines assessed by the World Health Organization, as a step toward making them available for international use, a WHO official says. Hundreds of thousands of essential workers and other groups considered at high risk in China have been given locally developed vaccines even though clinical trials had not been completed, raising safety concerns (Source: Nikkei).

India's latest daily new case count was just 61,267, fewer than the 74,442 a day earlier and the lowest single-day tally since Aug. 25. India has seen a total of 6.69 million. Deaths rose by 884 to 103,569 (Source: Nikkei).

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Low Iron Levels In Blood Could Trigger Long COVID: Study

Low Iron Levels In Blood Could Trigger Long COVID: Study

Authored by Amie Dahnke via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

People with inadequate…

Published

10 hours ago

on

March 9, 2024

By

Low Iron Levels In Blood Could Trigger Long COVID: Study

Authored by Amie Dahnke via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

People with inadequate iron levels in their blood due to a COVID-19 infection could be at greater risk of long COVID.

(Shutterstock)

A new study indicates that problems with iron levels in the bloodstream likely trigger chronic inflammation and other conditions associated with the post-COVID phenomenon. The findings, published on March 1 in Nature Immunology, could offer new ways to treat or prevent the condition.

Long COVID Patients Have Low Iron Levels

Researchers at the University of Cambridge pinpointed low iron as a potential link to long-COVID symptoms thanks to a study they initiated shortly after the start of the pandemic. They recruited people who tested positive for the virus to provide blood samples for analysis over a year, which allowed the researchers to look for post-infection changes in the blood. The researchers looked at 214 samples and found that 45 percent of patients reported symptoms of long COVID that lasted between three and 10 months.

In analyzing the blood samples, the research team noticed that people experiencing long COVID had low iron levels, contributing to anemia and low red blood cell production, just two weeks after they were diagnosed with COVID-19. This was true for patients regardless of age, sex, or the initial severity of their infection.

According to one of the study co-authors, the removal of iron from the bloodstream is a natural process and defense mechanism of the body.

But it can jeopardize a person’s recovery.

“When the body has an infection, it responds by removing iron from the bloodstream. This protects us from potentially lethal bacteria that capture the iron in the bloodstream and grow rapidly. It’s an evolutionary response that redistributes iron in the body, and the blood plasma becomes an iron desert,” University of Oxford professor Hal Drakesmith said in a press release. “However, if this goes on for a long time, there is less iron for red blood cells, so oxygen is transported less efficiently affecting metabolism and energy production, and for white blood cells, which need iron to work properly. The protective mechanism ends up becoming a problem.”

The research team believes that consistently low iron levels could explain why individuals with long COVID continue to experience fatigue and difficulty exercising. As such, the researchers suggested iron supplementation to help regulate and prevent the often debilitating symptoms associated with long COVID.

“It isn’t necessarily the case that individuals don’t have enough iron in their body, it’s just that it’s trapped in the wrong place,” Aimee Hanson, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge who worked on the study, said in the press release. “What we need is a way to remobilize the iron and pull it back into the bloodstream, where it becomes more useful to the red blood cells.”

The research team pointed out that iron supplementation isn’t always straightforward. Achieving the right level of iron varies from person to person. Too much iron can cause stomach issues, ranging from constipation, nausea, and abdominal pain to gastritis and gastric lesions.

1 in 5 Still Affected by Long COVID

COVID-19 has affected nearly 40 percent of Americans, with one in five of those still suffering from symptoms of long COVID, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Long COVID is marked by health issues that continue at least four weeks after an individual was initially diagnosed with COVID-19. Symptoms can last for days, weeks, months, or years and may include fatigue, cough or chest pain, headache, brain fog, depression or anxiety, digestive issues, and joint or muscle pain.

Tyler Durden Sat, 03/09/2024 - 12:50

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Walmart joins Costco in sharing key pricing news

The massive retailers have both shared information that some retailers keep very close to the vest.

Published

12 hours ago

on

March 9, 2024

By

As we head toward a presidential election, the presumed candidates for both parties will look for issues that rally undecided voters. 

The economy will be a key issue, with Democrats pointing to job creation and lowering prices while Republicans will cite the layoffs at Big Tech companies, high housing prices, and of course, sticky inflation.

The covid pandemic created a perfect storm for inflation and higher prices. It became harder to get many items because people getting sick slowed down, or even stopped, production at some factories.

Related: Popular mall retailer shuts down abruptly after bankruptcy filing

It was also a period where demand increased while shipping, trucking and delivery systems were all strained or thrown out of whack. The combination led to product shortages and higher prices.

You might have gone to the grocery store and not been able to buy your favorite paper towel brand or find toilet paper at all. That happened partly because of the supply chain and partly due to increased demand, but at the end of the day, it led to higher prices, which some consumers blamed on President Joe Biden's administration.

Biden, of course, was blamed for the price increases, but as inflation has dropped and grocery prices have fallen, few companies have been up front about it. That's probably not a political choice in most cases. Instead, some companies have chosen to lower prices more slowly than they raised them.

However, two major retailers, Walmart (WMT) and Costco, have been very honest about inflation. Walmart Chief Executive Doug McMillon's most recent comments validate what Biden's administration has been saying about the state of the economy. And they contrast with the economic picture being painted by Republicans who support their presumptive nominee, Donald Trump.

Walmart has seen inflation drop in many key areas.

Image source: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Walmart sees lower prices

McMillon does not talk about lower prices to make a political statement. He's communicating with customers and potential customers through the analysts who cover the company's quarterly-earnings calls.

During Walmart's fiscal-fourth-quarter-earnings call, McMillon was clear that prices are going down.

"I'm excited about the omnichannel net promoter score trends the team is driving. Across countries, we continue to see a customer that's resilient but looking for value. As always, we're working hard to deliver that for them, including through our rollbacks on food pricing in Walmart U.S. Those were up significantly in Q4 versus last year, following a big increase in Q3," he said.

He was specific about where the chain has seen prices go down.

"Our general merchandise prices are lower than a year ago and even two years ago in some categories, which means our customers are finding value in areas like apparel and hard lines," he said. "In food, prices are lower than a year ago in places like eggs, apples, and deli snacks, but higher in other places like asparagus and blackberries."

McMillon said that in other areas prices were still up but have been falling.

"Dry grocery and consumables categories like paper goods and cleaning supplies are up mid-single digits versus last year and high teens versus two years ago. Private-brand penetration is up in many of the countries where we operate, including the United States," he said.

Costco sees almost no inflation impact

McMillon avoided the word inflation in his comments. Costco  (COST)  Chief Financial Officer Richard Galanti, who steps down on March 15, has been very transparent on the topic.

The CFO commented on inflation during his company's fiscal-first-quarter-earnings call.

"Most recently, in the last fourth-quarter discussion, we had estimated that year-over-year inflation was in the 1% to 2% range. Our estimate for the quarter just ended, that inflation was in the 0% to 1% range," he said.

Galanti made clear that inflation (and even deflation) varied by category.

"A bigger deflation in some big and bulky items like furniture sets due to lower freight costs year over year, as well as on things like domestics, bulky lower-priced items, again, where the freight cost is significant. Some deflationary items were as much as 20% to 30% and, again, mostly freight-related," he added.

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Walmart has really good news for shoppers (and Joe Biden)

The giant retailer joins Costco in making a statement that has political overtones, even if that’s not the intent.

Published

13 hours ago

on

March 9, 2024

By

As we head toward a presidential election, the presumed candidates for both parties will look for issues that rally undecided voters. 

The economy will be a key issue, with Democrats pointing to job creation and lowering prices while Republicans will cite the layoffs at Big Tech companies, high housing prices, and of course, sticky inflation.

The covid pandemic created a perfect storm for inflation and higher prices. It became harder to get many items because people getting sick slowed down, or even stopped, production at some factories.

Related: Popular mall retailer shuts down abruptly after bankruptcy filing

It was also a period where demand increased while shipping, trucking and delivery systems were all strained or thrown out of whack. The combination led to product shortages and higher prices.

You might have gone to the grocery store and not been able to buy your favorite paper towel brand or find toilet paper at all. That happened partly because of the supply chain and partly due to increased demand, but at the end of the day, it led to higher prices, which some consumers blamed on President Joe Biden's administration.

Biden, of course, was blamed for the price increases, but as inflation has dropped and grocery prices have fallen, few companies have been up front about it. That's probably not a political choice in most cases. Instead, some companies have chosen to lower prices more slowly than they raised them.

However, two major retailers, Walmart (WMT) and Costco, have been very honest about inflation. Walmart Chief Executive Doug McMillon's most recent comments validate what Biden's administration has been saying about the state of the economy. And they contrast with the economic picture being painted by Republicans who support their presumptive nominee, Donald Trump.

Walmart has seen inflation drop in many key areas.

Image source: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Walmart sees lower prices

McMillon does not talk about lower prices to make a political statement. He's communicating with customers and potential customers through the analysts who cover the company's quarterly-earnings calls.

During Walmart's fiscal-fourth-quarter-earnings call, McMillon was clear that prices are going down.

"I'm excited about the omnichannel net promoter score trends the team is driving. Across countries, we continue to see a customer that's resilient but looking for value. As always, we're working hard to deliver that for them, including through our rollbacks on food pricing in Walmart U.S. Those were up significantly in Q4 versus last year, following a big increase in Q3," he said.

He was specific about where the chain has seen prices go down.

"Our general merchandise prices are lower than a year ago and even two years ago in some categories, which means our customers are finding value in areas like apparel and hard lines," he said. "In food, prices are lower than a year ago in places like eggs, apples, and deli snacks, but higher in other places like asparagus and blackberries."

McMillon said that in other areas prices were still up but have been falling.

"Dry grocery and consumables categories like paper goods and cleaning supplies are up mid-single digits versus last year and high teens versus two years ago. Private-brand penetration is up in many of the countries where we operate, including the United States," he said.

Costco sees almost no inflation impact

McMillon avoided the word inflation in his comments. Costco  (COST)  Chief Financial Officer Richard Galanti, who steps down on March 15, has been very transparent on the topic.

The CFO commented on inflation during his company's fiscal-first-quarter-earnings call.

"Most recently, in the last fourth-quarter discussion, we had estimated that year-over-year inflation was in the 1% to 2% range. Our estimate for the quarter just ended, that inflation was in the 0% to 1% range," he said.

Galanti made clear that inflation (and even deflation) varied by category.

"A bigger deflation in some big and bulky items like furniture sets due to lower freight costs year over year, as well as on things like domestics, bulky lower-priced items, again, where the freight cost is significant. Some deflationary items were as much as 20% to 30% and, again, mostly freight-related," he added.

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