COVID-19)Novel Coronavirus Update 070700APR20
Online John Hopkins CSSE Coronavirus Dashboard
WHO Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) website
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Novel coronavirus in China page
The number of cases worldwide continues to climb. According to health officials, there have been 1,350,841 confirmed cases of COVID-19. More than 285,437 people have recovered, and 74,870 people have died. In a measure of how the pandemic has disrupted life, the French Education Ministry canceled the country’s high-school graduation exam created under Napoleon Bonaparte in 1808—which was held even during World War II.
LOUISIANA
Please go to http://ldh.la.gov/Coronavirus/ for official information on Positive Test Results and locations. It is updated 12 noon daily. LDH officials’ latest report: As of last report there are 62 of 64 parishes reporting with 14,867 cases of COVID-19 and 512 deaths across the state.
Reported COVID-19 Patients in Hospitals 1,809; 563 of those on ventilators
4,510 Tests Completed by State Lab; 64,656 Commercial Tests Completed
SEE ATTACHED SPREADSHEET FOR LATEST PARISH INFO UPDATE WILL BE AT NOON TODAY
Louisiana state officials said Monday that the state is no longer likely to run out of hospital beds before the end of the week, with officials believing the rate of new coronavirus cases is decreasing. The state received 200 ventilators from the national stockpile, while state officials had predicted a shortage of beds and ventilators by the end of the week.
NATIONAL
Economically, U.S. and global stock markets soared on Monday as investors took in overseas progress against the coronavirus. The U.S. has 368,449 cases with close to 11,000 deaths.
On Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers is also expected to announce additional field hospitals in Memphis, Tennessee; Novi, Michigan; and Melrose Park, Illinois.
The CDC urges residents of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to refrain from non-essential domestic travel for 14 days effective immediately. This Domestic Travel Advisory does not apply to employees of critical infrastructure industries, including but not limited to trucking, public health professionals, financial services, and food supply. These employees of critical infrastructure, as defined by the Department of Homeland Security (https://www.cisa.gov/publication/guidance-essential-critical-infrastructure-workforceexternal icon) have a special responsibility to maintain normal work schedule. The Governors of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut will have full discretion to implement this Domestic Travel Advisory.
The US State Department has issued a “Do Not Travel” health advisory. The Department of State advises U.S. citizens to avoid all international travel due to the global impact of COVID-19. In countries where commercial departure options remain available, U.S. citizens who live in the United States should arrange for immediate return to the United States, unless they are prepared to remain abroad for an indefinite period. U.S. citizens who live abroad should avoid all international travel.
TEXAS – In the Houston area, the number of coronavirus cases climbs to 2,968 with 44 deaths, and 402 recoveries. Six new counties reported their first cases Monday; more than half of the state’s 254 counties have reported at least one case. Texas has now set up road checkpoints along the Louisiana border as it increases enforcement of Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order requiring visitors from the neighboring state to self-quarantine for 14 days. Abbott and Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen tweeted about the checkpoints Sunday, with the latter describing them as “roadway screening stations to gather [required] forms” for self-quarantining. Abbott’s order, issued March 29, requires drivers coming into Texas from Louisiana to fill out a form designating a quarantine location in Texas.
NEW YORK – The fatalities in New York state held steady on Monday for the second consecutive day at about 600 deaths — a once-unthinkable statistic that now gives officials some cautious reason to hope that the pandemic may be cresting there. A crew member aboard the U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort has tested positive for novel coronavirus and is currently in isolation aboard the ship, which is currently docked in New York City, according to a U.S. Navy statement on Monday. The news comes on the same day that the hospital ship was designated to begin treating COVID-19 patients in New York City, a reversal from an earlier policy that it could only treat patients not infected with the coronavirus. “There is no impact to Comfort’s mission, and this will not affect the ability for Comfort to receive patients,” according to the Navy statement. Out of an abundance of caution, contacts will remain in isolation for several days regardless of their test results.
FLORIDA – The Pentagon has awarded a contract for a field hospital at the Miami Beach Convention Center (MBCC), media reported Monday. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is looking at using the convention center as a medical treatment facility to assist in its coronavirus response. The estimated date of completion is April 27. Many health officials believe Florida’s peak of cases will be the first week of May. The Army Corps of Engineers already toured the convention center, which could house anywhere between 250 to 2,000 beds. The MBCC field hospital would be modeled after the Javits Center in New York. Florida has 13,629 cases and 254 deaths as of Monday, according to Reuters.
ARIZONA – Arizona has revised its request for ventilators from the national stockpile down to fewer than 500 to treat coronavirus patients, state health officials said. Arizona had originally asked federal officials for 5,000 ventilators, based on projections of Arizona’s needs, but downward projections and limited supply in the national stockpile reduced the request. A revised estimate shows the state will need about 1,500 ICU beds with ventilators to treat infected patients. Arizona has 2,732 confirmed cases and 65 deaths as of Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University
CALIFORNIA – California announced Monday the state would lend 500 ventilators to the national stockpile for use by New York and other states experiencing a surge of coronavirus-related hospitalizations. The loan comes after California’s hospitals added more than 3,000 ventilators to their supplies through refurbishing old or broken ones and buying some new In total, California hospitals have more than 11,000 ventilators. California has 16,019 confirmed cases and 380 deaths as of Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University.
MICHIGAN – Michigan officials said that hospitals are overwhelmed and warned that the state does not have enough personal protective equipment (PPE) to slow the spread of coronavirus. Officials announced Monday a new shipment of PPE from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, including 400 ventilators and 1.2 million surgical masks. Michigan has 17,221 confirmed cases and 727 deaths as of Monday.
MINNESOTA – Minnesota-based manufacturer 3M and the White House have announced a plan to import more than 166 million respirators for health care workers in the United States over the next three months, media reported Monday. The announcement comes less than a week after the White House used its authority under the Defense Production Act to require 3M to distribute its masks only in the United States during the coronavirus pandemic. Most of the imported respirators will come from 3M’s manufacturing facility in China, with the White House agreeing to remove certain export and regulatory restrictions. Under the deal, 3M will continue to send some U.S.-made respirators to Canada and Latin America, where 3M is the primary supplier of such masks. 3M previously announced it had already doubled global output on N95 respirators, and expected to double capacity again within a year. According to a press release, 3M expects to be producing N95 respirators at a rate of 50 million per month in June, an increase of 40 percent.
SOUTH CAROLINA – South Carolina announced a mandatory stay-at-home order in a press conference Monday. The order goes into effect Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. South Carolina residents are being told to stay home unless they are working, visiting family, recreating outdoors, or obtaining necessary goods or services. The state reportedly has 2,232 cases and 48 confirmed deaths as of Monday at 5:45 p.m. EDT.
GEORGIA – The Georgia Department of Public Health reported 7,558 total confirmed cases, 1,393 hospitalizations, and 294 deaths as of Monday, April 6. According to the department, 31,274 tests have been conducted.
KENTUCKY – In Kentucky, the number of positive cases surpassed 1,000 on Monday. The Kentucky governor’s office reported 1,008 total cases and 14 new deaths. Fifty-nine Kentuckians have now died from the coronavirus. The individuals reportedly ranged in age from 56 to 96 years of age. The governor’s office said that 19,955 Kentuckians have been tested for the coronavirus and over 163 people have been hospitalized. Of those 163, approximately 70 are still in the hospital.
COLORADO – The Colorado governor’s office extended a statewide stay-at-home order until April 26, media reported Monday. Colorado has 5,172 cases and 150 deaths as of Monday, according to Reuters. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported that 994 Coloradans have been hospitalized. Colorado officials are planning to set up field hospitals at five facilities in the event hospitals see a surge of coronavirus patients. The five sites are the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, The Ranch in Larimer County, the old St. Anthony’s North campus in Adams County, a hospital in Pueblo, and a medical facility in Grand Junction. The Colorado Convention Center will be converted into a 2,000-bed field hospital this month to relieve pressure on the state’s medical system, media reported Monday.
INTERNATIONAL
China reported no coronavirus deaths on Tuesday, the first time since it started publishing daily figures in January. The National Health Commission said it had 32 confirmed cases, down from 39 on Monday. It comes as the government is under scrutiny as to whether it is underreporting its figures. The government says more than 3,331 people have died and 82,697 have been confirmed as infected. All of the confirmed cases on Tuesday had arrived from overseas.
In Italy, nearly a month after the country went into lockdown, Italy is sending another warning. The economy is in trouble, bound for a major contraction. And the precariously situated workers — self-employed, seasonal, informal — are suffering the most. While the coronavirus has been concentrated in the country’s north, especially the regions of Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna, the economic effects are most severe in the poorer, less industrialized south. In Campania, the region of which Naples is the capital, 41 percent of people are at risk of poverty. Work is a problem: Last year, unemployment was around 20 percent and about that proportion of the region’s work force was underemployed. And for those who do have work, it is often informal, insecure — and particularly vulnerable to the crisis. Due to these conditions, the government has already granted a one-time payment of 600 euros, around $650, to the self-employed and to seasonal workers in the tourist sector. But the vulnerable workers of Naples, and the south more generally, need more help. The 400 million euros, close to $432 million, the government has set aside for food stamps is not enough. Now there is talk that the government’s next budget might include an “emergency income,” covering those so far overlooked. Italy has 132,547 cases with 16,523 deaths.
In the U.K., Prime Minister Boris Johnson has spent the night in intensive care at a central London hospital after his coronavirus symptoms worsened. Mr. Johnson, 55, is “in very good hands”, said Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who has been asked to deputise for the PM. Mr. Raab arrived at No 10 on Tuesday and chaired the government’s daily Covid-19 meeting. World leaders have sent messages to Mr. Johnson wishing him well. While people who volunteered to support the NHS in England during the coronavirus crisis are being given details of what tasks they can do to help. More than 750,000 people signed up to join the “volunteer army” – three times the government’s original target – to help relieve pressure on the NHS. They will support 2.5 million people who are considered at risk. The volunteers may have to deliver food and medicines, drive patients to appointments and phone the isolated. The process is being managed through a mobile app called GoodSam, where health professionals, pharmacists, and local authorities can upload requests for help from Tuesday. Thousands of approved volunteers can then pick which tasks they want to complete in their local area. Volunteers switch their app to “on duty” to show when they are available. Due to the huge response, the group of vulnerable people they will support in England was expanded from 1.5 million to 2.5 million. The U.K. has 52,290 cases with 5373 deaths.
In KSA, authorities in Saudi Arabia extended curfew hours on Monday, April 6, to prevent further spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the Kingdom. A 24-hour curfew is in effect for the cities of Riyadh, Tabuk, Dammam, Dharan, and Hofuf, as well as the province of Jeddah, Taif, Qatif, and Khobar. During the curfew, only vital workers will be allowed to enter or exit the affected areas. Residents may only leave their homes for medical needs or food between the hours of 06:00 and 15:00 (local time). A similar 24-hour curfew remains in effect for Mecca and Medina. An indefinite suspension of international passenger flights is in place as of Monday, as well as a temporary suspension of domestic flights, public buses, and some taxi and train service. Only businesses providing vital food, health, or utility services will remain operational. Malls, restaurants, coffee shops, and public parks are also closed. As of April 7, 2752 case of COVID-19 and 38 associated fatalities have been confirmed in the country.
In India, a country of 1.3 billion people that spends only a fraction of what other major economies do on doctors and healthcare — the rationing of medical care has already begun. Patients suffering from chronic diseases, including those with HIV and cancer, and older Indians, are particularly vulnerable as the country deals with a cascading outbreak of the coronavirus, which by Monday had infected more than 4,700 Indians — a fourfold increase in a little more than a week.
Across India, many hospitals have closed their outpatient departments because of an expected influx of coronavirus patients or because medical staff began to show symptoms of the disease, which had killed at least 118 Indians as of Monday, according to official figures. (Experts say the true scale of India’s coronavirus outbreak is unknown, because the country has one of the world’s lowest rates of testing.) In announcing the lockdown, which is due to be lifted April 14, Modi gave Indians just four hours’ notice, bringing an abrupt halt to regular, time-sensitive medical services such as drug deliveries, immunizations, outpatient care and follow-up visits for tuberculosis and cancer patients.
In Indonesia, authorities announced that effective Sunday, wearing face masks in public would be mandatory amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. These measures follow a recommendation from the World Health Organization (WHO) encouraging the use of face masks in public. The government has asked people to reserve the use of surgical and N95 masks for medical personnel, and to use washable fabric masks instead. Additionally, on Sunday, Indonesia experienced its highest single-day rise in COVID-19 cases to-date, with 181 cases confirmed over a 24-hour period. As of Monday, April 6, previously announced measures remain in place, including the prohibition of all entry and transit by foreign nationals into or through Indonesia. However, foreigners with a limited stay permit card (Kitas), permanent stay permit card (Kitap), or other similar permits, will still be allowed to enter the country. Earlier on Friday, March 20, the Indonesian government suspended all visa-free and visa-on-arrival arrangements for one month. Authorities have taken other measures including shutting down schools and entertainment venues, releasing 30,000 prison inmates to alleviate the spread of the disease within the penal system, and encouraging social distancing. A state of emergency in Jakarta remains in place. Effective Monday, March 23, non-essential businesses such as bars, spas, and cinemas have been closed, and public transportation have been limited. Authorities have also urged companies to allow staff to work from home. As of April 7, there have been 2491 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Indonesia, including 198 associated fatalities.
CDC recommends that travelers avoid all nonessential travel to the following destinations. Most foreign nationals who have been in one of these countries during the previous 14 days will not be allowed to enter the United States.
- China
- Iran
- Most European Countries
- United Kingdom and Ireland
- CDC recommends that travelers avoid all nonessential travel to all global destinations: Global Pandemic Notice
CDC recommends that older adults or those who have chronic medical conditions consider postponing travel to the following destinations: Global Outbreak Notice (Level 2 Travel Health Notice)
BUREN R. (Ric) MOORE, SGM (R)
GOHSEP Intelligence Officer
Louisiana State Analytical & Fusion Exchange (LA-SAFE) Liaison
Office: 225.925.3674
Cell: 225.936.0404
In the case of terrorism, to wait for an indication of crime before investigating it is to wait too long. There is no guarantee of success, but there has to be a guarantee of effort. Let’s make it hard to hurt us. If you see something suspicious, report it.
