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Post by Admin on Apr 5, 2020 8:30:05 GMT -7
Covid 19 News for Sunday April 5th, 2020
HIDDEN HOTSPOTS Map reveals small rural towns have been hit with some of the most deadly coronavirus outbreaks The US Sun reports:
"SMALL town and rural American have been some of the areas hardest hit by the coronavirus, a new map reveals.
While New York and other big cities have been cited as the epicentres of the pandemic, researchers have drilled down into the data to reveal hidden hotspots".
Read the full story here. |
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Post by Admin on Apr 5, 2020 8:42:29 GMT -7
U.S. Postal Service could shut down by June, lawmakers warn
Postal Service has lost billions over the last decade. Now they want a bailout.
Time to allow private companies to deliver mail? Yahoo Finance reports:
"Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, postal workers have been on the front lines, considered "essential workers" who must continue to do their jobs as usual while others stay home. But some lawmakers are warning that without more support, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) could completely shut down in the next few months, threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Americans.
Last week, Representatives Carolyn B. Maloney, the chair of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Gerry Connolly, chair of the Subcommittee on Government Operations, said in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that the COVID-19 crisis is threatening the future of mail service in the U.S.
"The Postal Service is in need of urgent help as a direct result of the coronavirus crisis," they said. "Based on a number of briefings and warnings this week about a critical fall-off in mail across the country, it has become clear that the Postal Service will not survive the summer without immediate help from Congress and the White House. Every community in America relies on the Postal Service to deliver vital goods and services, including life-saving medications."
Read the full story here. |
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Post by Admin on Apr 5, 2020 8:49:49 GMT -7
Montana National Guard screens the few travelers arriving at airports.
Airport traffic is down 95%.
Meanwhile travelers pour across Montana's borders unchecked via roads and cars. The Bozeman Chronicle reports:
"Inside the mostly empty airport, the voice on the loudspeaker broke the silence. Sparse flights and sparse people meant closed shops. And when travelers left the concourse after arriving Friday, they met members of the National Guard.
The guardsmen took passengers’ temperatures, checked for potential exposure to the novel coronavirus and informed them of Gov. Steve Bullock’s directive for those entering the state for non-work-related reasons to quarantine for 14 days.
“I feel like this is the right thing to do,” Anna Zon Hamburg said after having her temperature taken.
Beginning Friday, 73 National Guard members were positioned at 17 locations across the state to monitor travelers entering Montana via plane and train. At least eight went to the Bozeman-Yellowstone International Airport and screened the few passengers who were still traveling".
Read the full story here. |
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Post by Admin on Apr 5, 2020 8:55:29 GMT -7
Montana Joint Information Center ready to answer COVID-19 questions KZBK reports:
"Representatives from several state agencies are working together at Montana’s Joint Information Center at Fort Harrison to deliver accurate information and a consistent message about COVID-19 to members of the media or public.
You can send a message to COVID19INFO@MT.GOV, or call the hotline at 1-888-333-0461, and someone involved in this operation will answer your question. You can also click here to visit the website for information.
Director Ryan Finnegan tells MTN News the room is staffed from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. Some staff members are also working remotely at home to handle the number of calls and messages they're receiving".
Read the full story here. |
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Post by Admin on Apr 5, 2020 8:57:51 GMT -7
DIY: How to make a cloth mask with just a t-shirt and scissors KBZK reports:
"Making a cloth mask to help slow the spread of COVID-19 is surprisingly easy and one variation by the Centers for Disease Control only uses a pair of scissors and an old t-shirt, no sewing required.
The CDC issued guidance Friday recommending Americans wear cloth face masks while in public settings or places where six feet of social distance can't be maintained.
The recommendation was made after research found people can be contagious without showing any COVID-19 symptoms.
"The virus can spread between people interacting in close proximity—for example, speaking, coughing, or sneezing—even if those people are not exhibiting symptoms," the CDC website states".
Read the full story here and view photos. |
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Post by Admin on Apr 5, 2020 8:59:48 GMT -7
COVID-19 cases continue to rise in MT, 286 reported (Sunday morning, April 5, 2020) KBZK reports:
"According to the Montana Response COVID-19 tracking map, Montana confirms 286 cases of COVID-19 as of Sunday morning. The previously reported state total Saturday afternoon was 281.
Gallatin County continues to report the most cases, rising to 110 cases. Madison County also added 3 cases, for a total of 9 reported cases. One patient remains hospitalized, according to the Gallatin City-County Health Department. These numbers may rise as counties report cases to the state.
The first death in Missoula County was reported Saturday, bringing the state total to 6".
Read the full story here. |
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Post by Admin on Apr 5, 2020 9:02:32 GMT -7
US coronavirus deaths surpass 7,000 KBZK reports:
"The US has surpassed 7,000 deaths and some state leaders say there's still a lot they're missing in the battle against the coronavirus .
Even as case tallies continue to rise, state leaders say they still don't have enough tests to get a clear picture of infections.
"Everything about the tests are very difficult to come by, and there's no federal plan for this, so every state is on their own," Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker said. "As I've said, it's the Wild West out here."
At least 278,458 people in the United States have become infected and 7,159 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University's running case count".
Read the full story here. |
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Post by Admin on Apr 5, 2020 9:07:40 GMT -7
Surgeon general: 'This is going to be the hardest and the saddest week of most Americans' lives' The Hill reports:
"U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams warned Sunday amid the coronavirus pandemic that the week ahead would be the “hardest and the saddest” of “most Americans’ lives.”
“This is going to be the hardest and the saddest week of most Americans’ lives,” Adams said on “Fox News Sunday."
“This is going to be our Pearl Harbor moment, our 9/11 moment, only it’s not going to be localized; it’s going to be happening all over the country,” Adams said.
He added, however, that there "is a light at the end of the tunnel if everyone does their part for the next 30 days."
“There is hope, but we’ve also got to all do our part,” he said.
Host Chris Wallace also pressed Adams on President Trump’s repeated promotion of the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a coronavirus treatment. The drug has not been approved for that use, and experts have warned a run on supplies could lead to a shortage for those who need it for its FDA-approved uses".
Read the full story here. |
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Post by Admin on Apr 5, 2020 9:10:12 GMT -7
Denmark mulling plan to reopen country following coronavirus shutdown, acknowledges difficulties Fox News reports:
"Denmark will soon take steps to end its coronavirus shutdown, reports suggest.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is expected to make the announcement at a press conference on Monday. The plan is to begin reopening the country after Easter, and it will only proceed if the number of cases and deaths remains stable, according to reports.
Earlier last week, Frederiksen met with party leaders. The majority believe that a deep recession could be more damaging to the country than a second outbreak".
Read the full story here. |
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Post by Admin on Apr 5, 2020 9:13:25 GMT -7
Dr. Deborah Birx: This Is Not the Time to Go to the Grocery Store Breitbart News reports:
"Dr. Deborah Birx said Saturday that Americans should especially focus on social distancing guidelines in the next two weeks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
“This is the moment to not be going to the grocery store, not going to the pharmacy, but doing everything you can to keep your family and your friends safe,” she said.
Birx noted that Pennsylvania, Colorado, and the Washington, DC, metro area were starting to have an increasing number of cases.
“We’re hoping and believing that if people mitigate strongly, the work that they did over the last two weeks will blunt that curve,” she said.
She pointed to really bad hotspots in New Jersey and New York, where cases of the virus and deaths were still going up.
“The next two weeks are extraordinarily important,” she said.
Dr. Anthony Fauci also said three or four hotspots were continuing to rise, but that certain areas could flatten the curve by social distancing.
“Just make sure everybody does the at least minimal amount of that physical separation, because the virus has no place to go if you’re physically separating,” Fauci said.
He noted with approval that when he went for a run with his wife in Washington, DC, he saw people properly practicing social distance guidelines while waiting for takeout at a restaurant". |
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Post by Admin on Apr 5, 2020 10:20:38 GMT -7
Coronavirus 'Achilles' heel' may have been found, experts say Fox News reports:
"The coronavirus pandemic has ravaged the majority of the world, upending nearly every facet of life, as researchers race to find a cure. However, a newly published study suggests researchers may have found what's been described as its "Achilles' heel."
The research shows that a specific portion of the virus could be targeted with vaccines after they mapped a human antibody's interaction with SARS-CoV-2 at "near-atomic-scale resolution," according to a statement from Scripps Research. The antibody was taken from a SARS patient from several years ago, but it reacts to SARS-CoV-2 as well.
“The knowledge of conserved sites like this can aid in structure-based design of vaccines and therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2, and these would also protect against other coronaviruses—including those that may emerge in the future,” said the study's lead author, Dr. Ian Wilson, in a statement".
Read the full story here. |
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Post by Admin on Apr 5, 2020 10:26:51 GMT -7
Wild animals have taken over the streets in major cities because of the coronavirus pandemic Fox News reports:
"The coronavirus pandemic has left most of the world's major cities, including London, New York and others, empty. As humans hunker down, with shelter-in-place measures around the world enacted, wild animals have started to take over.
Several pictures taken by photographers around the world show all types of mammals, including deer, goats and others roaming through the streets and communities, unabated".
Read the full story here. |
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Post by Admin on Apr 5, 2020 15:14:40 GMT -7
Coronavirus stay-at-home order in Pennsylvania questioned after woman gets $200 ticket for taking drive Fox News reports:
"A woman in Pennsylvania became the first person to be cited last week for violating the state's stay-at-home order meant to slow the spread of coronavirus, spurring questions from at least one state lawmaker if the ticket went too far.
The 19-year-old woman, identified as Anita Shaffer, was pulled over by Pennsylvania State Police around 8 p.m. on March 29 in the town of Red Lion, located in York County, about 35 miles south of the state capital of Harrisburg.
In the citation first obtained by PennLive, Shaffer stated that she was "going for a drive" that Sunday night, two days after Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, issued a stay-at-home order that included York County".
Read the full story here. |
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