BeyondGeography
BeyondGeography's JournalFauci to Warn of 'Needless Suffering and Death' if States Open Too Soon
Dr. Fauci, who has emerged as perhaps the nations most respected voice during the worst public health crisis in a century, is one of four top government doctors scheduled to testify remotely at a high-profile and highly unusual hearing on Tuesday before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. He made his comments in an email to the New York Times reporter Sheryl Gay Stolberg late Monday night.
The major message that I wish to convey to the Senate HLP committee tomorrow is the danger of trying to open the country prematurely, he wrote. If we skip over the checkpoints in the guidelines to Open America Again, then we risk the danger of multiple outbreaks throughout the country. This will not only result in needless suffering and death, but would actually set us back on our quest to return to normal.
It is a message starkly at odds with the things are looking up argument that President Trump has been trying to put out: that states are ready to reopen and the pandemic is under control...
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/12/us/coronavirus-updates.html
'Promiscuous treatment of nature' will lead to more pandemics - scientists
Habitat destruction forces wildlife into human environments, where new diseases flourishDeforestation and other forms of land conversion are driving exotic species out of their evolutionary niches and into manmade environments, where they interact and breed new strains of disease, the experts say.
...A growing body of research confirms that bats the origin of Covid 19 naturally host many viruses which they are more likely transfer to humans or animals if they live in or near human-disturbed ecosystems...In the wild, bats are less likely to transfer the viruses they host to other animals or come into contact with new pathogens because species tend to specialise within distinct and well-established habitats. But once land is converted to human use, the probability increases of contact and viruses jumping zoonotically from one species to another.
...South America is a key area of concern due to the rapid clearance of the Amazon and other forests. Scientists in Brazil have found viral prevalence was 9.3% among bats near deforested sites, compared to 3.7% in pristine woodland. With deforestation and land-use change, you open a door, said Alessandra Nava, of the Manaus-based Biobank research centre.
...Conservation groups have also urged greater protection of existing habitats. A recent Greenpeace report warned the Amazon could see the next spillover of zoonotic viruses because the Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, is putting a higher priority on opening up the forest than protecting peoples health...
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/07/promiscuous-treatment-of-nature-will-lead-to-more-pandemics-scientists?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Iraq Vet Operating Nursing Home and Staff Sleep On-Site to Prevent COVID-19 Spread
Tyson Belanger, a phenomenal human being:
Another 1,700 virus deaths reported in NY nursing homes
Source: AP
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) New York state is reporting more than 1,700 previously undisclosed deaths at nursing homes and adult care facilities as the state faces scrutiny over how its protected vulnerable residents during the coronavirus pandemic.
At least 4,813 people have died from COVID-19 in the states nursing homes since March 1, according to a tally released by Gov. Andrew Cuomos administration late Monday that, for the first time, includes people believed to have been killed by the coronavirus before their diagnoses could be confirmed by a lab test.
Exactly how many nursing home residents have died remains uncertain despite the states latest disclosure, as the list doesnt nursing home residents who were transferred to hospitals before dying.
The revised list shows that 22 nursing homes, largely in New York City and Long Island, have reported at least 40 deaths.
Read more: https://apnews.com/9250bebc02d185f9a8052aeca5b00080
Amy Acton: The Leader We Wish We All Had
https://twitter.com/brantsilvers/status/1257614740353843200
An I.C.U. doctor felt despair for COVID patients. Soon, she organized concerts over the phone.
https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1257057354241191938Matty Simmons, a Force Behind 'Animal House,' Is Dead at 93
In his 2012 book, Fat, Drunk and Stupid: The Inside Story Behind the Making of Animal House, Mr. Simmons gave a succinct version of his unusual career path.
The Diners Club begat Weight Watchers Magazine, he wrote, which begat the National Lampoon and that begat Animal House.
... Weight Watchers asked him to help turn their corporate publication into a general-interest magazine, which he did in 1968, to considerable success. His company, he said, had a half-share stake in the new magazine, and with the profits he began looking to invest in other magazine projects. The president of a magazine distribution company introduced him to three young men from the student publication The Harvard Lampoon: Henry Beard, Robert Hoffman and Douglas Kenney.
More at https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/01/business/media/matty-simmons-dead.html
'And then, boom': Outbreak shows shaky ground as Texas opens
Only a handful of the 50,000 residents here, right on the border with Oklahoma, had tested positive for the coronavirus. None had died. The mayor of Paris, Texas a pit stop for drivers passing through to snap a selfie with the citys miniaturized Eiffel Tower had drive-thru virus testing in the works, just to give locals peace of mind. Some wore masks but many saw little reason to bother.
Then an outbreak at a nursing home turned up over the weekend.
Now at least 65 people are infected, and everything has changed. A courier drove 11 hours through the night to pick up testing kits and stores are second-guessing reopening as Lamar County becomes a cautionary tale of the fragility of Republican Gov. Greg Abbotts plan to get Texas back in business faster than many states. And on the eve of every retailer, restaurant and movie theater being allowed to let customers back in the door, Texas set a single-day record high for COVID-19 fatalities Thursday with 50.
We dont know what its going to do here, said Taylor Wright, owner of Aden Anns, a womens boutique in Paris. Word of the sudden outbreak at Paris Healthcare Center, she said, shelved her plans to reopen over fears of exposing her staff and family. We dont know where its all spreading, she said...
https://apnews.com/490aee062b36ab64c76c624f9674a89c
Holst: The Planets - Neptune, The Mystic
William Steinberg, Boston Symphony Orchestra (1971)
Profile Information
Gender: MaleHometown: NY
Member since: Tue Dec 30, 2003, 12:41 AM
Number of posts: 39,369