U.S. death toll from coronavirus hits 19, New York declares emergency

[rooster59]

U.S. death toll from coronavirus hits 19, New York declares emergency

By Jonathan Allen and Kevin Donnellan

 

Medics transport a patient to an ambulance at the Life Care Center of Kirkland, the long-term care facility linked to several confirmed coronavirus cases in the state, in Kirkland, Washington, U.S. March 7, 2020. REUTERS/David Ryder

 

(Reuters) - Two more people succumbed to the novel coronavirus in Washington state, officials said on Saturday, bringing the nationwide toll to 19, while the number of confirmed cases in New York rose to 89 and a cruise ship with infected passengers remained stranded outside San Francisco.

 

More than half of all U.S. states have reported cases of the coronavirus, which originated in China last year and causes the sometimes deadly respiratory illness COVID-19. As the outbreak takes root, daily life has become increasingly disrupted, with concerts and conferences cancelled and universities telling students to stay home and take classes online.

 

Organizers of the Conservative Political Action Conference, a high-profile annual gathering that took place in Maryland last month, said on Saturday one of their attendees had tested positive for the virus after exposure prior to the event.

The person had no interactions with President Donald Trump or Vice President Mike Pence, who were in attendance, the American Conservative Union said in a statement.

 

The two latest deaths were in Washington's King County, the hardest hit area in the United States after the virus spread among residents at a nursing facility in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland. The first deaths on the East Coast were announced late Friday, with two people succumbing in Florida.

 

In New York, the number of confirmed cases rose by 13 on Saturday to a statewide total of 89 people, Governor Andrew Cuomo said. He issued a declaration of emergency.

 

"It allows expedited purchasing and expedited hiring, which is what we need right now," Cuomo told a news conference.

Kansas and Washington DC both announced their first cases.

 

In international waters off California, passengers on a cruise ship that was barred from docking in San Francisco after some aboard tested positive for the novel coronavirus did not know on Saturday when they might be able to step ashore.

 

Trump said on Friday he would prefer the Grand Princess's 2,400 passengers and 1,100 crew remain out at sea, but that he would let others decide where she should dock.

 

After 19 crew and two passengers out of 46 tested on the Grand Princess were found to have the virus, Pence said the ocean liner will be taken to an unspecified non-commercial port where everyone on board will be tested again, and that those "who need to be quarantined will be quarantined" and those who need medical care will receive it.

 

U.S. officials also began tracking another cruise ship that may have shared crew with the Grand Princess or the Diamond Princess, another ship where the coronavirus spread onboard, Pence said.

 

One Grand Princess passenger described a dull and sometimes queasy wait for news of when their limbo would end.

 

"It bugs me that my relatives in the Bay Area know what's going to happen with us before I do," Elizabeth Aleteanu of Colorado Springs said in an interview conducted via Facebook.

 

She turned 35 on Wednesday in a small, windowless cabin shared with her husband and two young children, where the rocking of the vessel sometimes left her nauseated.

 

"The cruise director and staff called my phone and sang happy birthday," she wrote. "They delivered a princess notebook, birthday card, set of dominoes and a flower arrangement to my cabin. I'm not sure that we're getting off today. It's a big flower arrangement ... makes me think we'll be on board for a hot minute."

 

The ship's captain had addressed passengers earlier to say he did not know when they could dock, and that one guest who was critically ill on Friday was taken off the ship, Aleteanu said. The ship has increased its offering of television programs to help passengers pass the time, she said.

 

The predicament of the Grand Princess was reminiscent of the Diamond Princess cruise liner, also owned by Carnival Corp, the world's leading cruise operator. It was quarantined off Japan in February and was for a time the largest concentration of coronavirus cases outside China.

 

Stephen Hahn, the commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, told a news conference at the White House on Saturday that a total of 2.1. million coronavirus tests will have been shipped to non-public labs by Monday, as the Trump administration aims to counter criticism that its response to the disease has been sluggish.

 

Hahn said the focus is on getting tests to the highest risk areas in Washington state and California.

 

Multiple manufacturers will soon send millions more tests, he said. "What they told us is they believe they could scale up by the end of next week ... for the capacity for 4 million additional tests that could be shipped," Hahn said.

 

The respiratory illness has spread to more than 90 countries, killing more than 3,400 people and infecting more than 100,000 worldwide.

 

The economic damage has also intensified and stock markets have continued to tumble. To mitigate against the virus, some banks in New York are dividing their teams of traders between central locations and secondary sites in New Jersey and Connecticut, according to sources familiar with the matter.

 

Goldman Sachs Group Inc had a scare this past week when an employee at its Lower Manhattan offices told the bank he had been at a temple service in a city suburb with a lawyer who later tested positive for the coronavirus. The bank said the employee was sent home and has been under self-quarantine since then "out of an abundance of caution."

 

The employee, however, did not have contact with the lawyer at the service and has not shown any signs of illness, the bank said. He is expected to return to work next week when it would have been two weeks since he attended the service.

 

Goldman also cleaned the floor on which he worked at its headquarters. All floors remained operational, though Goldman let employees who felt uncomfortable work remotely, it said.

 

"We have no confirmed cases of employees who have contracted COVID-19 and all our buildings are fully operational," the bank said.

 

(Reporting by Jonathan Allen, Kevin Donnellan, Peter Szekely, Chuck Mikolajczak, Elizabeth Dilts-Marshall, Svea Herbst and Nathan Layne; Writing by Jonathan Allen; Editing by Daniel Wallis)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-03-08

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[Crazy Alex]

Wow, that's almost as much as murders in New York City alone in January 2020.

 

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=how+many+murders+in+nyc+2020

 

So as of now, you're more likely to be murdered in New York City than die from coronavirus.

 

Perspective.

Edited March 8, 2020 by Crazy Alex

[cmarshall]

The US is clearly suppressing the count of infections whether through under-reporting or under-testing or both.  If the the case fatality rate is 1% and there have been 19 deaths, that means that two or three weeks ago when the 19 dead people became infected, there would have been 1900 infected persons, not the 200 or so infections that were reported at the time.  Since then each of those infected persons has passed it on to two or three others, who in turn infected some others and so on.  In the two months since the virus emerged in Wuhan the US government has done nothing to prepare for its own coming epidemic.  Unlike China or South Korea the US hasn't even been able to produce and distribute test kits, whether by design or incompetence it's hard to say.

 

Among the more stupid analyses is to compare the case fatality rate of an infectious disease against a murder rate.  Is understanding that each murder victim does not cause two or three other murder victims hopelessly above your pay grade?

[RichardColeman]

I dare say that it wont be until a man living 200 km away up a mountain on his own in a shack that has not had contact with anyone for  3 years comes down with it that they will admit there is more to this than what they are saying

[Proboscis]

3 hours ago, cmarshall said:

The US is clearly suppressing the count of infections whether through under-reporting or under-testing or both.  If the the case fatality rate is 1% and there have been 19 deaths, that means that two or three weeks ago when the 19 dead people became infected, there would have been 1900 infected persons, not the 200 or so infections that were reported at the time.  Since then each of those infected persons has passed it on to two or three others, who in turn infected some others and so on.  In the two months since the virus emerged in Wuhan the US government has done nothing to prepare for its own coming epidemic.  Unlike China or South Korea the US hasn't even been able to produce and distribute test kits, whether by design or incompetence it's hard to say.

 

Among the more stupid analyses is to compare the case fatality rate of an infectious disease against a murder rate.  Is understanding that each murder victim does not cause two or three other murder victims hopelessly above your pay grade?

In such small samples, it does not help to extrapolate from case fatality to estimates of number infected. There may be many other factors playing a role.

 

However, I do agree with your contention that the USA has done little to prepare for epidemics. The fact that the USA does not have a public health system is also a major issue as it is through public health systems that a top-down order can be made to implement a policy. In the USA where many poorer people are uninsured, they are unlikely to admit they might have the condition and will often continue to work while infectious.

 

I would say that until the high summer arrives, we might be looking at huge numbers. The fact that the authorities do not have enough test kits and until 10 days ago all samples had to be sent to CDC in Atlanta, Ga. is symptomatic of the lack of a public health system in the country.

[AhFarangJa]

I would like to see the figures of how many people have died from the normal influenza, I would hazard a guess it is more than 19 in the whole of America.

[Tchooptip]

You should all come to Thailand we expats we feel safe here, because Thailand is the only country where this virus is not contagious! ????

[Ian Nagle]

5 hours ago, Crazy Alex said:

Wow, that's almost as much as murders in New York City alone in January 2020.

 

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=how+many+murders+in+nyc+2020

 

So as of now, you're more likely to be murdered in New York City than die from coronavirus.

 

Perspective.

Hope you don't get murdered.

[Ian Nagle]

1 hour ago, AhFarangJa said:

I would like to see the figures of how many people have died from the normal influenza, I would hazard a guess it is more than 19 in the whole of America.

Two schools of thought then ...

1) The sceptics who say many more are infected than the official figures and the roof will fall in.

2) The neysters who claim Covid-19 can't hold a candle to the annual flu  numbers.

 

My tuppence worth (for what it's worth) is to listen to health  experts, stay calm and avoid crowds.

Edited March 8, 2020 by Ian Nagle

[metisdead]

A troll post has been removed. 

[spiekerjozef]

US 444 infected - 19 deaths.

S. Korea 7,134 infected - 50 deaths.

 

So how many are really infected in the US?

Or is it the junk food, overweight and unhealthy lifestyle?

[Drax]

7 hours ago, Crazy Alex said:

Wow, that's almost as much as murders in New York City alone in January 2020.

 

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=how+many+murders+in+nyc+2020

 

So as of now, you're more likely to be murdered in New York City than die from coronavirus.

 

Perspective.

But not next month ????. Think from an investor perspective, not like a frog in a well. 

Edited March 8, 2020 by Drax

[Yinn]

Fake news. Trump say contain already.

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/07/politics/fact-check-white-house-coronavirus-contained/index.html

[IAMHERE]

3 hours ago, AhFarangJa said:

I would like to see the figures of how many people have died from the normal influenza, I would hazard a guess it is more than 19 in the whole of America.

My guess would be that more than that have died from reactions to this years flu shot. As to whether America is prepared 'so what'; they never claimed to be the worlds leader in preparations for Covid-19. Nor should they be, for once let the rest of the world flounder around a bit on their own.

[Nyezhov]

3 hours ago, spiekerjozef said:

US 444 infected - 19 deaths.

S. Korea 7,134 infected - 50 deaths.

 

So how many are really infected in the US?

Or is it the junk food, overweight and unhealthy lifestyle?

No its a sick bunch of old folks in a nursing home. Duh.

[Nyezhov]

1 hour ago, Yinn said:

Fake news. Trump say contain already.

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/07/politics/fact-check-white-house-coronavirus-contained/index.html

Yinn just to help out, there are far better sources of any information other than CNN.

[URMySunshine]

3 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

Yinn just to help out, there are far better sources of any information other than CNN.

Like Donald's Trump's twitterfeed. He is a genius after all. That said DT would be banned pronto from these hallowed portals for his twittering flights of fancy. ????

[Sujo]

5 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

Yinn just to help out, there are far better sources of any information other than CNN.

Yes, quoting the whitehouse from cnn bad. Only quoting whitehouse from fox is allowed.

[Nyezhov]

Just now, Sujo said:

Yes, quoting the whitehouse from cnn bad. Only quoting whitehouse from fox is allowed.

quoting anyhting from CNN is bad. 

[Sujo]

Trump the genius, knows more than the doctors, even though he was surprised the standard flu kills people. 

 

Even though he says thete us enough tests for anyone that needs one, there isnt. Even though he wont allow passengers on a ship to be quaratined on land because the numbers will increase and make HIM look bad.

 

He just doesnt care. The puece below does a great job hilighting his lies and incompetence.

 

https://www.wired.com/story/trumps-coronavirus-press-event-was-even-worse-than-it-looked/

[Sujo]

2 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

quoting anyhting from CNN is bad. 

Well i agree that when they announced trump as president it was really bad.

 

But this is actual reporting of what the whitehouse says. Not cnn opinion.

[Ricohoc]

Millions are infected by influenza in the US every year.  Tens of thousands die from it.

 

This corona stuff has been blown way out of proportion by a media seeking to hang it on Trump -- some way.   More foolishness.

Edited March 8, 2020 by Ricohoc

[Nyezhov]

5 minutes ago, Ricohoc said:

This corona stuff has been blown way out of proportion by a media seeking to hang it on Trump -- some way. 

The general impression one gets is that the anti Trumpers would love to see a mass epidemic and a collapse of the economy. 

 

Team USA suffers when folks put their ego needs over the needs of the country.

[Eric Loh]

15 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

The general impression one gets is that the anti Trumpers would love to see a mass epidemic and a collapse of the economy. 

 

Team USA suffers when folks put their ego needs over the needs of the country.

This corona virus is nonpartisan. You just trying to made one up. HHS has declared this a public health emergency. Florida and Washington have declared state of emergency. 400+ has been infected and 19 deaths and likely to rise. Congress has approved an emergency fund of $8.3 B and both sides of the aisle voted for it. S&P declined 11% last week; worst since 2008 and DOW dropped 12%. Its all happening and not an illusion created by the left. It’s real and there is no ego won by playing the partisan card. 

[Nyezhov]

3 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

This corona virus is nonpartisan.

But the actions of the press and the Democratic party isnt.

[candide]

Trump cannot stop talking BS! ????

"Donald Trump used a freewheeling press conference on Friday, intended to provide updates on the coronavirus, as an opportunity to attack Democrats, praise his own intelligence, lash out at CNN and spread false and misleading information about the status of the outbreak, as a slew of new cases were confirmed aboard a cruise ship off the California coast"

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/06/us-coronavirus-death-toll-washington-state

 

[Sujo]

55 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

The general impression one gets is that the anti Trumpers would love to see a mass epidemic and a collapse of the economy. 

 

Team USA suffers when folks put their ego needs over the needs of the country.

As trump is doing.

[Sujo]

26 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

But the actions of the press and the Democratic party isnt.

But trump said its contained. So no problem.

 

Perhaps listen to the health experts that deal with these isdues instead of a moron that only does what what will not hurt his election.

[Sujo]

26 minutes ago, candide said:

Trump cannot stop talking BS! ????

"Donald Trump used a freewheeling press conference on Friday, intended to provide updates on the coronavirus, as an opportunity to attack Democrats, praise his own intelligence, lash out at CNN and spread false and misleading information about the status of the outbreak, as a slew of new cases were confirmed aboard a cruise ship off the California coast"

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/06/us-coronavirus-death-toll-washington-state

 

Trump supporters hate reality.

[Nyezhov]

9 minutes ago, Sujo said:

Trump supporters hate reality.

Naw we love it...a reality where he is President...hows your reality then?