Wuhan Virus Watch: Minnesota begins the process of reopening its economy

Wuhan Virus Watch: Minnesota begins the process of reopening its economy

Let’s begin this update with some positive news.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is dialing back the state’s stay-at-home order and is allowing 80,000 to 100,000 em­ploy­ees to re­turn to work Mon­day.

The move is tailored to manufacturers and offices that don’t have face-to-face interaction with clients and weren’t deemed critical industries that were exempt from the stay-at-home order.

Roughly 20,000 companies in this category now have the option to reopen if they complete and publicize plans to maintain social distancing, worker hygiene and workspace cleanliness, said Steve Grove, commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

“This is a lim­it­ed first step in the proc­ess of safe­ly re­open­ing some busi­nes­ses and re­turn­ing Min­ne­so­tans to work,” he said.

The move puts Minnesota in a fairly aggressive posture compared with other states, which have been adhering to the White House’s Open Up America Again Guidelines to pursue only a “phased comeback” once they have seen 14 consecutive days of declines in COVID-19 cases.

San Diego County beaches reopen…with conditions

On Friday, I joined one of my good friends on a social distance walk in La Jolla, California. Given that the Wuhan Corona is sensitive to UV light and heat, it seems a shame that this resource was being squandered.

Now, San Diego County health officials will reopen the beaches on Monday . . . with conditions.

San Diego County public health officials announced Friday afternoon that facial coverings will be required for every person in public within six feet of any individual not a member of their household. The public health order will go into effect May 1.

Furthermore, they have announced the reopening of the ocean at County beaches beginning Monday morning at Sunrise.

Nearly all Covid-19 patients put on ventilators in New York’s largest health system died

There is much about the Wuhan Coronavirus that was unknown at the beginning of this pandemic, and clear answers on how it affects the body remain elusive.

Legal Insurrection will recall the focus on ventilator production that was a featured part of the early phase of the American response to nationwide outbreaks. Now, a study indicates that treatment with ventilators may not have been the optimum approach.

Nearly all coronavirus patients who needed ventilators in New York’s largest health system to help them breathe died, a study found.

Overall, about 20% of Covid-19 patients treated at Northwell Health died, and 88% of those placed on ventilators died, according to the study. A ventilator is a device that forces air into the lungs of patients who cannot breathe on their own because of severe pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Other, smaller reports have indicated that patients who need ventilation are unlikely to survive.

CNN host Chris Cuomo’s wife Cristina says she added bleach to her bathwater to treat coronavirus

Bleach is severely irritating to eyes other mucous-membrane-covered areas of the body, and can cause drying and redness to the skin upon repeated contact. However, shortly before the now infamous bleach briefing query by Trump, the wife of CNN host Chris Cuomo (who reportedly tested positive for coronavirus) touted a bath in Chlorox as a treatment.

The wife of CNN host Chris Cuomo is being criticized after revealing on her lifestyle blog that she poured half a cup of Clorox in her bath twice a week to help cure her coronavirus.

Magazine editor Cristina Cuomo shared that the bleach is ‘technically salt’ and she used it to ‘combat the radiation and metals in my system’, in direct contrast to warnings given by Clorox that contact with skin should be avoided.

Cristina, 50, claims the advice was provided by Dr. Linda Lancaster, who describes herself as an energy medicine and homeopathic physician and lists high-profile names such as Robert Redford among her clients.

Cristina, Chris, 49, and their son Mario Cuomo, 14, all tested positive for coronavirus although she and her husband have since recovered.

How to avoid poisonings from cleaners amid coronavirus pandemic

As a hazardous material/biosafety consultant, I would like to use the example of Cuomo’s bleach bath to share some what-NOT-to do tips.

Reports of accidental poisonings from cleaners and disinfectants, however, are on the rise. Such poisonings were up about 20 percent in the first three months of this year, compared with the same period in 2018 and 2019, according to a report Monday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While the CDC can’t prove coronavirus drove the increase, it seems likely the two are linked, given the number of stay-at-home orders and guidance to clean hands and dirty surfaces.

…Experts said mixing household cleaners can cause big problems. Mixing bleach with ammonia or bleach with vinegar can create harmful fumes. This is especially dangerous in unventilated spaces, and exposure can lead to blurry vision, skin and lung irritation.

Use chemicals as directed. Sometimes, more is not better. Also, pay attention to where your cleaners are stored, so their accessibility to children and pets is limited to when you are present. Finally, the number to the American Association of Poison Control Centers is (800) 222-1222: Make sure to have this number in your cell phone, especially if you have kids.

Mortality rates drop sharply in parts of India, bucking coronavirus trend

India may be benefiting from the fact that the Wuhan Coronavirus is sensitive to heat, humidity and UV light.

Parts of India have recorded dramatic falls in the number of deaths at a time when funeral parlours were bracing for a surge amid the coronavirus crisis.

Some experts said the trend suggested that deaths from COVID-19, which are recorded separately and generally announced before overall mortality data, were not being under-reported as has happened in other countries.

But emergency room doctors, officials, and crematoriums noted that strict lockdowns had cut the number of road traffic accidents and deaths on India’s packed railways, and may also be deterring relatives from reporting a family death.

This report is a hopeful sign that the U.S. will truly have a “Summer of Recovery.”

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