The COVID-19 virus is spreading everywhere and for the today 23th Mart 2020 the world wide confirmed cases exceeded the 350600 with over 15300 deaths (mortality rate 4.28%). Nevertheless, there are no signs of a unified international resolve to confront the danger. On the contrary, most of the measures are at the national level without caring for the neighborhood countries.
Recently, we have noticed intense international meetings to come up with a collective action formula to overcome the spread of the virus. It seems that the international community is serious about this matter, but up to the moment, the economic aspect overcame the safety of society.
Dear Anmar Shukur Mahmood,
The confirmed cases have doubled in five days, with the failure of health systems in most developed countries. I think we are going for an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe in the 21st century.
There is no available vaccine so prevention of Covid-19 is not possible. Lock downs and social distancing are the only way to control the spread of the virus. However this pandemic has now gone viral and so the only solution is healthcare.
However, the solution to providing healthcare to these patients is much more complicated than just simply considering the number of ventilators available.
It is possible to treat several patients with a single ICU ventilator. The Society of Critical Care Medicine guidance on this is below.
https://www.gnyha.org/news/working-protocol-for-supporting-two-patients-with-a-single-ventilator/
Anaesthesia Machines can also be used as ICU Ventilators. The Society of Critical Care Medicine guidance on this is below.
https://www.asahq.org/in-the-spotlight/coronavirus-covid-19-information/purposing-anesthesia-machines-for-ventilators
As most elective surgery has been cancelled many anaesthesia machines are lying idle and available for use.
Another option would be to use portable ventilators that are normally used to transfer patients around the hospital. These are generally more similar to ICU ventilators than the ventilators used in the anaesthesia machines.
The availability of portable ventilators is also limited. Portable ventilators are usually reserved for intra- and inter-facility transfer of patients.
Once all of these options have been exhausted the last resort would be to train patient's relatives to manually ventilate (‘bag’) patients. This is not uncommon in the developing world where ventilators are a scarce commodity at the best of times.
Whilst the use of medical students to ventilate patients during the Polio epidemic in Copenhagen in 1952 resulted in the birth of modern intensive care units I sincerely hope that we do have to face that scenario again.
The next question is then which of these options should be used first.
If patients require invasive mechanical ventilation and only the portable ventilators are available I would have no choice but to use them. Before using portable ventilators or using ICU ventilators to ventilate several patients I would use the anaesthetic machine ventilators in operating theatres. This would also allow the use of anaesthetic vapours for sedation of these patients. This may be critical when supplies of propofol and opiates are limited. Anaesthetic machines are generally kept within operating theatres so the use of these theatres also facilitates infection control.
After the anaesthetic machine ventilators were all used I would then start cohort ventilating up to 4 patients with similar degrees of lung injury per ventilator.
In conclusion: in principle I would prefer to use the operating theatre ventilators before cohort ventilating patients with ICU ventilators or using the portable ventilators. This is so that I can still perform inter- and intra-hospital transfers of ventilated patients.
However this decision making is complex and will vary with the resources available at individual centres. Modern intensive care ventilators are much more sophisticated than those used in operating theatres. ICU ventilators have many more modes of ventilation than operating theatre ventilators.
Some portable transfer ventilators are much more sophisticated than those used in operating theatres (e.g. Hamilton T1) and have the full functionality of intensive care ventilators. Some portable ventilators are less sophisticated (e.g. Oxylog 2000) than even the operating theatre ventilators.
Anaesthetic ventilators can function continuously and even allow the use of anaesthetic vapours for sedation. This may be relevant if supplies of propofol and fentanyl etc are depleted.
So whether it is safer to use the portable ventilator or the operating theatre ventilator depends on which of each type of ventilators you have. Regardless, in my experience, the humidification of gases using a HME (as is standard in the operating theatre and with portable ventilators) is not as effective as the wet circuit commonly used with ICU ventilators. So the risk of mucus plugging is higher.
Article Checklist Proformas to Guide and Document the Assessment of ...
The anaesthetic and portable ventilators are not as effective as intensive therapy unit (ITU) ventilators. Rather than using the same settings as we would with ITU ventilators, I therefore recommend that we adjust the settings on these ventilators according to frequent measurements of oxygen saturation, end tidal carbon dioxide, arterial blood gases, lactate and haemodynamic parameters. This is labour intensive and will require the assistance of staff who regularly care for ventilated patients but do not routinely work in ITU (i.e. anaesthetists).
So, as the COVID 19 pandemic progresses we will need to upskill colleagues to facilitate the assessment and treatment of critically ill patients with and without COVID 19. This may be achieved by face-to-face education sessions. However this is very labour intensive and may result in spread of COVID 19 amongst healthcare professionals.
An alternative approach would be to use standardised checklist proformas for the assessment of critically ill patients (see link below).
Article Checklist Proformas to Guide and Document the Assessment of ...
The use of checklist proformas can facilitate the management of critically ill patients by staff who do not routinely work in intensive therapy units. This could improve outcomes in this high risk cohort of patients and improve the confidence of staff redeployed to ITU from other care areas.
The USA has known for two years, what the implications of the virus is going to be, because in 2018, the John Hopkins Center for Health Security ran a simulation called "Parainfluenza Clade X" to determine what the potential would be of a virus pandemic, and they concluded: "...twenty months 150 million people worldwide--two percent of the global population--have died."
"...The global economy has collapsed under the strain, with the Dow Jones average down 90 percent. U.S. GDP down 50 percent, and unemployment at 20 percent. Washington is barely functioning--the president and vice president are both ill, one one-third of Congress is dead or incapacitated."
People involved in that simulation were Tom Daschle (former leader of US Senate), Dr. Julie Gerberding (former head CDC), Jim Talen (former Missouri senator)--Why are all of these people keeping quiet right now, and not telling us what they saw in the global virus pandemic simulation only two years ago, and helping lead us out of this mess, with some new simulations???!!!
This simulation information and attendee list is from pages 201-203 of the Bryan Walsh book, "END, A Brief Guide to the End of the World: Asteroids, Supervolcanoes, Rogue Robots, and more", published in 2019.
Details about the John Hopkins "CLADE X" exercise can be read at
http://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/our-work/events/2018_clade_x_exercise/index.html
Just in the last ten days, the confirmed cases tripled to exceed the million accompanied by a noticeable increase in the mortality rate of 5.2%. However, the rate of the recovered cases still good at 21.0%.
The total world cases today went over one million, and the doubling rate world-wide since March 13, has been every 7 days.
Unless every country starts Lockdown immediately, and right now, for at least the next 4-5 weeks--otherwise, the cases could keep doubling every 7 days, and that could result in 16 million cases by April 30th. The simple effort of staying home for the next 30 days, could slow down and stop this virus.
Dear Craig Carlton Dremann,
I agree with you because these measures have proven successful in slowing down the spread of the virus. What we need now is the continuity in the lockdown and not underestimating the impact of COVID-19.
This exponential growth worldwide DOES NOT need to continue, if we all stay home for four weeks. California was tracking to go from doubling every 5 days, to every 8 days, but got sloppy and restless, and nobody wearing even a cloth mask or bandanna when going out in public. So now we are back to doubling every 5 days. Plus, all county borders must be sealed, and then within each country, all of the Province or State borders MUST BE SEALED! Like was done in China, successfully flattening the curve that way!
The virus can not be stopped it can only be delayed to allow healthcare systems to cope with the increased demand on services. So please preserve respirator face masks for healthcare professionals who must care for patients infected with SARS-CoV-2.
To control the Covid-19 pandemic effectively, healthcare professionals and the public must hear and accept difficult truths. Unfortunately, rather than being honest; authorities have repeatedly changed advice about the need to wear facemasks. As a result, healthcare professionals and the public can no longer trust what is being said. The mistrust has been fuelled by conflicting messages for healthcare professionals and the general public.
In the current situation the only safe thing for anyone to do is to try to wear facemasks that provide the best protection. The real difficulty is that the best medical grade respirator face masks are in extremely short supply. Healthcare professionals, putting their lives on the line, need these masks to protect themselves from their infected patients.
Up to 25% of healthcare professionals in the UK are either off work due to sickness or because of suspected exposure. Excess deaths occur when healthcare systems can not care for patients who need treatment. The more healthcare workers who go off sick, the less care sick patients can receive.
The public can be protected by social distancing. As an intensivist I do not have this option, I must get very near to patients to look after them. I will be honest; respirator face masks do protect people from transmission of Covid-19. Cloth face masks are unlikely to protect uninfected people but are likely to reduce spread of virus from those infected with SARS-CoV-2. Not going near patients with Covid-19 is more effective. I therefore ask the public to fully engage with social distancing and preserve the medical grade face masks for healthcare professionals who do not have this option.
https://www.icrc.org/en/document/covid-19-coronavirus-pandemic-icrc#gs.2ay0fc
April 5 - In California, after only 2-1/2 weeks of "Lockdown Lite" which means you can still travel from State to State or from County to County, the biggest issues are lack of income and restlessness.
Because others like to buy our US Treasury bonds, and $24 Trillion in debt, we are about to vacuum out a couple of more trillion from the rest of the world to save ourselves, to pay our workers while they are on lockdown for a month or two. How is each country going to keep paying their workers while on lockdown?
Then, there is restlessness?We are billions of primates, who over the last 5,000 years, have become used to living in hive-like colonies--going to and fro on a daily basis, and interacting with dozens of non-family members each day. That is the glue that keeps our hive structures intact on an hour-to-hour and day-by-day basis.
Agreements that you have with everyone around you,that keeps the hive functioning week-to-week and month-by-month, that the stores will have food on the shelves, and the farm workers will be out picking the produce you need to live, and the electricity will keep flowing through the wires?
Plus, even the ex-situ "interactions"where the individuals participate as observers, must also cease, like the sports events, concerts, wars, and battles—while we are locked in our own little family-unit-worlds for a couple of months?
Will that hive-structure start breaking down, when the interactions must cease for months, or will individuals get restless, and resume contact too soon, like Trump wants us to, and keep spreading the virus that way?
What to do if you get Covid-19.
These recommendations apply to young adults with no medical conditions. If you have medical conditions or any concerns it is best to speak to your doctor for specific advice. This is particularly important if you have a pre-existing lung condition or are taking immunosuppressant medications.
Prepare for a nasty chest infection.
Things you have to hand
• face tissues,
• Acetaminophen; for a fever over 38°c, take acetaminophen rather than Ibuprofen.
• Generic, cough medicine to thin mucus (check the label make sure that it does not contain paracetamol; otherwise you could double dose and get side effects)
• vaporub for your chest is also a great suggestion.
• humidifier would be useful; however, turning on a hot shower and breathing in the steam in the bathroom may also help.
• Food: soups are ideal
• Drink: stay well hydrated, water is fine
Prevent transmission
• Rest and do not leave your house. You could be infectious for fourteen days.
Avoid elderly people and those with pre-existing health conditions.
• Wear gloves and a mask to avoid transmitting the infection
• If you do not live alone. Isolate yourself in your bedroom. Ask those you live with to leave things outside to avoid contact.
• Wash your bed linen and clothes frequently. sanitise your bathroom.
The vast majority of Covid-19 cases in healthy adults can manage at home with rest, hydration, acetaminophen, cough medicine.
Go to hospital if you are having trouble breathing or your fever is very high (over 39°C) and not settling with acetaminophen and cooling with ice packs or if you are worried, in distress or feel your symptoms are getting worse.
If you have any medical conditions please seek specialist advice from your doctor.
Article Ultrasound in critical care
The understanding of the role of point of care ultrasound in healthcare is exploding. As healthcare systems are overwhelmed it is difficult to perform X-ray, CT, MRI and nuclear medicine. Small handheld portable Ultrasound devices have transformed the bedside assessment of patients. There is a great interest in research in this topic during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Anyone interested in an overview of POCUS may find the brief review above helpful.
The international community is NOT going to find solutions fast enough, it will be scientists on the front line, who will find methods to stop the wildfires of this pandemic. Curing patients after they get sick is NOT the solution, what will be successful is stopping the pandemic's spread right now, immediately, by each individual doing what they MUST do.
For example, in California, by NOT ordering EVERYONE from infants to 110 years old, to wear a mask or bandanna when going our in public, will automatically double or triple the time that the virus will be able to spread. We are just this week, getting that "suggestion" from our county health departments, going against, Trump "The Denier", who is refusing to ever wear a mask himself!
PARTICLES and the virus--We are discovering here in California, that the virus can "hitch hike" on particles. When someone breathes, or coughs or sneezes, the rule is keep two meters apart. But that seems to only work in clean air, with no smog or smoke particles, or tobacco smoke, or salt spray particles if you are at the beach.
A smoker could be like a long distance virus spreader, the virus riding for hundreds of meters carried on that smoker, since tobacco smoke as it comes from a cigarette is an extremely concentrated aerosol with a relatively stable distribution of sizes ranging from 0.1 to 1.0 micron, peaked between 0.2 and 0.25 micron. So not only can you breath in the virus, but it could get deep into your lungs that way.
Maybe this is a good time for the human race to stop smoking tobacco?
For the California County of Santa Clara, about 2 million people, the location of most of "Silicon Valley" the results of the pandemic:
--First case Jan. 21.
--By March 6, 24 cases, and this date starts the days to doubling tracking--
--March 9, only 3 days to double total cases.
--March 14, five days to double.
--By March 16 when lockdown begins, 135 cases.
--March 20, 6 days to double.
--March 25, 5 days to double.
--March 29, 4 days to double.
--April 8 total cases 1,380
--Predicted next doubling, April 22, with 25 days to double.
In Saudi Arabia the lock down has resulted in depletion of medications. There is no warfarin available. Antimicrobials are in very short supply. Shipping charges have increased significantly. The situation is likely to be similar in other countries.
If medications are depleted mortality from non-Covid disease may be increased.
We must urgently determine which medications are effective for this condition to avoid wastage.
The decreases in availability of medications in California, does not seem to be a factor in the morality rate--However, staying home, and wearing a mask when out in public, seem to be the keys to survival. And washing hands and wiping the commonly-touched surfaces with alcohol, like door knobs, light switches, car steering wheels, computer keyboards, tv remotes, seems to help a lot, also.
What that means, is everyone in the country, from children to the 100-year olds, need at least a couple of masks, that they can clean by heating in the oven after they use them when they go out?
I have been tracking KSA total cases on https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries and you have one of the slowest doubling rates on the planet, originally every 6 days until April 3, now stretched to every 8 days. If KSA is able to maintain strict quarantine rules, and EVERYONE wear a mask when they go out, your country may suffer the least and get it under control much faster than most?
1969 song "Somethings in the Air" by Thunderclap Neuman says it all:
"Intro : Call out the instigators. Because there's something in the air We've got to get together sooner or later...
[Bridge : Thunderclap Newman] Lock up the streets and houses. Because there's something in the air..."
Concerning the earlier discussion about the level of international cooperation in the face of a global health crisis such as COVID-19, the shock absorption phase may have ended in some countries, and the initiatives have moved towards helping other countries. However, I believe that the exchange of data and procedures at the international level is still below the required ambition.
One way to lower the number of new cases, is for everyone to know the coronavirus lifespan on different surfaces--cloth two days, paper money four days, and outside of masks the longest, at 7 days. Paper money might be a major "vector" for transmitting the virus, so perhaps banks should start "laundering" their currency and coins? ? SEE https://www.businessinsider.com/how-long-can-coronavirus-live-on-surfaces-how-to-disinfect-2020-3
Coronavirus is very quickly stripping away... the facade that each country has erected, to pretend how much they really care about each individual's welfare, in terms of safe housing, a livable wage, clean water, free electricity via solar panels, free heath care, free higher education, equal rights for women, actions to reverse Global Warming, zero investment in militaries and warfare, no refugees, no "illegals" when everyone is a citizen ("Wherever you live, you are automatically a citizen") and the like?
Or, is the government really only interested in... maintaining the status quo for the wealthiest 2% and to maintain a plutocracy? The coronavirus is showing us where our government's hearts and minds really live, and where the adjustment must be made?-- So that in the near future, each country takes care of the welfare of ALL of its people living within its borders? .As spoken by the character Ruk in Star Trek episode "What are Little Girls Made of?:" that was first aired on Oct.20, 1966, "Survival! Existence! Must cancel out programming!"
Let's say that the COVID-19 suddenly stopped the wheels of crushing citizens in different parts of the world. In other words, it revealed the falsehood of many countries and governments that were interested in improving their military capabilities and increasing their income at the expense of providing and promoting health for society as individuals and groups.
Maybe more caution using the toilet? See article
"Toilets May Pose Risk for Spreading COVID-19"
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/928234?
Unfortunately, until recently, the issue of the toilet and its role in transmitting diseases and viruses was neglected by many societies. I think it is a great opportunity for human societies to know about the different cultures and how they are dealing with the pandemic, in particular the personal health. It is also an opportunity to choose the optimal behavior in hygiene methods, cooking methods and even the type of food in a manner commensurate with the common human instinct. All these and other measures can be written under the title "Human Development" in the event of a pandemic as a basis for international cooperation.
Will add to: On the contrary, most of the measures are at the national level without caring for the neighborhood countries.
in my country we have the measures on lower levels. We are small country so in 3 different cities which are in radius of 15 or 20 km, we have 3 different sets of measures, a chaos in every meaning :/
EXTREMELY CRITICAL ITEM to finally stop new cases of the coronavirus--EVERYONE must wear masks when going out of their homes--to take a walk, or shop, or go to work as an "Essential Worker" -- In the San Jose area with 2 million people, after a month of Lockdown, still 40-50 new cases daily, which could keep the pandemic smoldering here forever, requiring a year or two of lockdown to finally put it out. More important than tests, are 7 masks for each person, and rotate those masks, and WEAR them when outside! Otherwise, all of the weeks or months or years lockdown goes to waste.
Dear Craig Carlton Dremann , I totally agree with you that wearing masks helps a lot in limiting the spread of the virus, especially when leaving the house for any reason. Another crucial point is to increase awareness among people and take responsibility for themselves and society.
THIS is the new health order issued today, April 17, 2020, in my County in California---
======================================
Bay Area health officials are recommending residents cover their nose and mouth with cloth when leaving home for essential travel such as doctor appointments, grocery shopping or pharmacy visits.
The regional recommendation aligns with new guidance from the California Department of Public Health.
The face coverings do not have to be hospital grade but need to cover the nose and mouth. For example, bandanas, fabric masks and neck gaiters are acceptable. Fabric covers and bandanas can be washed and used again.
Health officials do not recommend that the public use medical masks (N-95 or surgical masks), which are in limited supply and must be preserved for our health care workers and first responders.
Up until now, local officials have not recommended the large-scale use of face coverings, but circumstances have changed.
“In addition to shelter-in-place and social distancing requirements, wearing a mask in public is an important tool to stop the community spread of this disease,” says Scott Morrow, MD, San Mateo County health officer. “People with no or mild symptoms may have coronavirus and not know it. Wearing face coverings helps protect others from exposure.”
Covering the nose and mouth with cloth also may be beneficial as a reminder to keep physical distancing. Health officials continue to stress that staying home, frequent hand washing and physical distancing are the best ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Acceptable face coverings can be made of a variety of cloth materials, be factory-made or hand-sewn, or can be improvised using bandanas, scarves, t-shirts, sweatshirts or towels.
Face coverings should be washed frequently with detergent and hot water and dried on a hot cycle. Ideally, wash your face covering after each use, and have a dedicated laundry bag or bin.
Make sure the covering is comfortable – you don’t want to have to keep adjusting the mask, which means touching your face. Always wash your hands, or use hand sanitizer, before AND after touching your face or face coverings.
=========================
From https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/worldwide-graphs/#total-cases --- some very good news today! The "Bell-shape curve" is starting to form!
Dear colleagues, since we started this discussion 45 days ago, to this day (6 May 2020), the number of COVID-19 cases has increased 11 times, and the number of deaths has increased 16 times. I think this is a sign of the failure of most measures in the world, with a weak or absence of international cooperation.
A "solution" to the outbreak directly, or a vaccine or "cure" are imaginary mirages...because we do not have the money, time or resources to even do the Lockdown properly, to slow and stop the pandemic--Because many of our countries have invested for decades in standing armies and militaries and wars instead of health, education and fixing global warming for example.
We have become so used to instead gratification in modern times...and have become so impatient, like little bunnies wanting to jump out of our safe burrows too soon, and not waiting for the predators who are still killing us outside, to pass over?
So we need to see if we can stop fighting each other for a while... like the Great Ashoka did in India 2,300 years ago (304-232 BCE), and start fighting the true enemies of our species--the Global Warming, lack of clean drinking water, lack of adequate housing, lack of free health care, lack of equal rights for women, lack of sewer systems or composting toilets for all, and the lack of a free solar panel on every roof, as examples?
The virus is just taking advantage of the numerous weaknesses in our societies, that we never seem to resolve--and those weaknesses are what cause the pandemic in the first place!
Eliminating the virus...will not cure the weakness that exist, that will help another agent in the future to take advantage of our chronic weaknesses, and destroy our civilizations and maybe even finish us off as a species? The illness of this pandemic..is just highlighting the chronic weaknesses of our societies.
AND we need to stop adding bats to the lunch menu...and stop killing the 2.7 million pangolins each year for their scales and meat?
A plan to ERADICATE the Coronavirus and end the Pandemic— has been initiated by the actor SEAN PENN.
His interview aired on the May 22…on PBS “Firing Line” program with Margaret Hoover at https://www.pbs.org/wnet/firing-line/video/sean-penn-feetzm/
The principal method of attack…is “Virus testing twice a week” and Sean has set up five free testing sites in California with his CORE (Community Organized Response Plan) organization at https://www.coreresponse.org/covid19-- plus free testing sites in USA hot spots Chicago, Georgia, the Navajo Nation, New Orleans, and with the Lumbee Indian tribe in North Carolina.
Sean Penn’s CORE project… is an offshoot of his original 501 (c) 3 non-profit J/P HRO project and you can make tax-deductible donations of any amount to https://donate.coreresponse.org/give/232768/#!/donation/checkout
Outside of what China was able to accomplish in February in Hunan…this maybe the only plan currently active, that could possibly eradicate the Coronavirus worldwide, maybe by the end of 2020? This is similar to the methods used to eradicate smallpox in the 1950s-1980, and has been in progress to eradicate polio worldwide, that began in 1988 at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polio_eradication?
Perhaps the Coronavirus worldwide eradication efforts…could add the Polio virus eradication effort, and be put together at the same time-- so we can get a “Two-for-One” eradication effort?
Maybe the pandemic will end...when National Health of each country, is superior in importance to a national standing military, and therefore, much more important to National Security and economic health--so that the military funds need to be handed over immediately, to take care of the National Health?
We hope politicians will learn the harsh lesson of the COVID-19 pandemic and adopt a sustainable economic policy aimed at raising the standard of living and health rather than stockpiling weapons.
Maybe we need to be very careful when…the virus turns people into brainless zombies, and makes them think that the pandemic is under control?...When it is actually, completely out of control and within only 90 days, two million people get sick and 100,000 die in one country?
Or the virus makes you believe it is "only the flu", and in another country in only 60 days, you go from 400 cases a day to 20,000 to 25,000 cases a day, and still not slowing down after two months, and you are dumping the dead bodies in mass graves?
Be very afraid for your own life, whenever you hear anyone say, DURING the pandemic, that everything is "Under control. It's going to be just fine." And a person keeps repeating, "It's all going to be great!." And "We're doing great in our country" and also "I think it's going to all work out fine." Plus, "We're prepared, and we're doing a great job with it." And, THEN, you find out over time, that the word "great" means is that a "great" number of people will get sick and die?
Statements like this made during ANY pandemic, especially when nobody has any immunity, and there is no vaccine for it yet, almost guarantees your are going to be directly responsible for million getting sick plus tens of thousands of deaths?
Scene is from the graveyard sequence of "Night of the Living Dead", the top-grossing film in Europe in 1969 and considered one of the best films ever made by the New York Times and was added to the Library of Congress collections of films they consider culturally significant.
Lying constantly makes believing the truth difficult. The government and the politician who uses force to suppress demonstrators means that he has reached the last leg of moral politics.
What might happen, before the virus can be stopped..is that our countries might unravel--especially when 1% of the population owns 50% of the resources like here in the USA, or you have different races or religions living in the same country and one race or religion is unfairly "Lording" over the others, maintaining a special economic and social status for a few, and ignoring the rights and lives of the others?
We have a new and strange paradox today--we didn't have things in the stores for the last couple of months during the pandemic, like paper towels, toilet paper, and still no sanitary wipes.
Now, the looting locally...has started with the protests of the George Floyd murder by the four police officers, in a State two thousand miles away, and hundreds of people around us are looting the stores over the last two days--so once again, there will not be anything in the stores again.
Or what is much worse, in a lot of cases--we may have NO stores, because they are barricading them with plywood panels right now, in anticipation of looting?
Updated Coronavirus trends in selected countries and worldwide.
The best stories so far are China--with their A+++ grade that in only 3 weeks, plus New Zealand being able to eradicate the virus, and we should all learn from what they did extremely well!
Then, Spain and Italy...which both had a very slow start, but are now inching towards the finish line, probably at the finish line, Spain will end at 310,000 total cases, and Italy at about 260,000 total cases.
Then, there is India...and unless they defund their military immediately, and cancel all of their pending weapons purchases and contracts, and use those budget to save their people, the trends are predicting one million cases by mid-July?
Then, there is the Dark-Side of this pandemic... "the Virus-deniers" -- those countries that SHOULD have everything under control RIGHT NOW, but are total basket cases, with no end of their portion of this pandemic in sight today:
A very good example...Where their president will not even put on a mask? -- USA = Only 100 cases end of February...then, 188 thousand cases at the end of March. THEN, ONE MILLION cases end of April, and now June 7= TWO MILLION cases?? -- Outrageous example of total incompetence and negligence!
Unfortunately, our USA trend line trajectory, unless it starts seriously flattening out in the next week or so, is indicating 2.5 MILLION by the end of June?