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Study: 17.9% Of People With COVID-19 Coronavirus Had No Symptoms
Knowing the asymptomatic ratio or proportion, that is the percentage of people carrying and potentially spreading SARS-CoV2 without demonstrating any symptoms, would be pretty darn helpful. It would give everyone a better sense of how far the virus has really spread, how to better control the spread of the disease, and what the actual death rate may be.
Well, two new scientific studies offer more insight into what this ratio or proportion may be. They aren’t perfect, so take the numbers with a fanny pack of salt. But they do provide the best numbers to date.
Refs:
Eurosurveillance, CDC, IJID (Pre Proof)
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B.C. declares provincial state of emergency to respond to COVID-19
B.C. has declared a provincial state of emergency to allow for the preservation of supply chains delivering groceries and other essential items to the province during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth made the declaration Wednesday, saying the proclamation ensures federal, provincial and local resources are delivered in a quick, joint, "co-ordinated way" to protect British Columbians during the outbreak.
"This is an all-hands-on-deck approach," said Farnworth.
Declaring a state of emergency allows the province to enact any provincial emergency measures needed to respond or lessen the impact of an emergency situation. On Wednesday, Farnworth said that includes securing the critical supply chains to ensure British Columbians continue to have access to essential goods and services and that any infrastructure needed for the government response to COVID-19 is readily available.
The state of emergency is initially in effect for 14 days, but can be extended if need be.
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China’s Virus Center Has No New Cases After Two-Month Ordeal
The Chinese province at the center of the coronavirus outbreak reported no new infections for the first time since the pathogen emerged more than two months ago, marking a turning point in an epidemic that’s infected almost 81,000 Chinese and threatens to push the world’s second-largest economy into its first quarterly contraction in decades.
The milestone for Hubei province comes as China struggles to get back on its feet after being flattened by a disease that exploded out of the city of Wuhan in late January. It’s grappling with the aftermath of containment measures that have wrought enormous social and economic damage, most of all in the 60-million province of Hubei, which is still under mass quarantine.
Business Insider also reported this
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Railway station in the German city Darmstadt
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Italy coronavirus deaths rise by record 475 in a day
The whole of Italy has been on lockdown for almost two weeks.
The number of people dying from coronavirus in Italy has risen by 475 in one day to nearly 3,000 - the biggest increase since the outbreak.
There are a total of 35,713 confirmed cases in the country, with more than 4,000 having successfully recovered.
Lombardy, the worst-hit region, recorded 319 deaths in one day.
Italy is the world's worst affected country after China, where the virus originated last year. At least 8,758 people have died, most in China.
The vast majority of the more than 200,000 confirmed cases - 80% - have occurred in Europe and the Western Pacific region, which includes much of Asia, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.
o US-Canada border to close amid virus crisis
Eurovision Song Contest cancelled over coronavirus
Many countries have taken drastic measures, including social distancing and cancelling major events to help slow transmission and reduce pressure on the health systems.
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Peterborough Transit is free to ride during COVID-19 pandemic
The City of Peterborough announced on Wednesday (March 18) that, effective immediately, there is no charge to ride Peterborough Transit.
In an effort to support social distancing and slow the spread of COVID-19, customers will not be required to pay or show fare media to board the bus.
This eliminates the personal contact that is required for the physical exchange of fares.
However, all customers will now have to board a bus using the rear door, with the exception of individuals who have accessibility needs. The seats directly behind the driver are also not in service.
Also effective immediately, the customer waiting and restrooms at the Simcoe Street Bus Terminal are closed to the public.
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Scenes from a closed city
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Avoid ibuprofen for coronavirus symptoms, WHO says
The World Health Organization recommended Tuesday that people suffering COVID-19 symptoms avoid taking ibuprofen, after French officials warned that anti-inflammatory drugs could worsen effects of the virus.
The warning by France Health Minister Olivier Veran followed a recent study in The Lancet medical journal that hypothesised that an enzyme boosted by anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen could facilitate and worsen COVID-19 infections.
Asked about the study, WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told reporters in Geneva the UN health agency's experts were "looking into this to give further guidance."
"In the meantime, we recommend using rather paracetamol, and do not use ibuprofen as a self-medication. That's important," he said.
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World Health Organization backs call to avoid ibuprofen for coronavirus
The announcement supported a recent statement by the French health minister that ibuprofen may worsen the effects of COVID-19 and should be avoided.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that people with COVID-19 symptoms avoid taking ibuprofen, after concerns were raised by French officials that it may make the virus more harmful.
A recent study in The Lancet medical journal, theorizing that an enzyme boosted by ibuprofen could enable and exacerbate COVID-19 infections, led France's Health Minister Olivier Veran to suggest via social media that the medicine be avoided.
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ADVIL MAY WORSEN THE SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19 — DEPENDING ON WHO YOU ASK.
On Tuesday, the World Health Organization followed suit and is officially recommending against taking ibuprofen to treat symptoms of COVID-19 — at least until further notice. WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told reporters that experts were “looking into this to give further guidance,” as quoted by Science Alert.
“In the meantime, we recommend using rather paracetamol, and do not use ibuprofen as a self-medication,” Lindmeier said. “That’s important.”
Before the WHO’s recommendation, Reckitt Benckiser (RB), producer of the popular ibuprofen drug Nurofen, said that there still was no evidence to support forgoing the over-the-counter drug (and it’s also worth noting that RB has an interest in promoting its own product)
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Avoid taking ibuprofen for COVID-19 symptoms, says World Health Organization
After study suggests popular anti-inflammatory drug could worsen symptoms, experts recommend using paracetamol instead until more research is done.
GENEVA, Switzerland — The World Health Organization recommended Tuesday that people suffering COVID-19 symptoms avoid taking ibuprofen, after French officials warned that anti-inflammatory drugs could worsen effects of the virus.
The warning by French Health Minister Olivier Veran followed a recent study in The Lancet medical journal that hypothesized that an enzyme boosted by anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen could facilitate and worsen COVID-19 infections.
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Half of the infected in Iceland don't have any symptoms
"Early results from deCode Genetics indicate that a low proportion of the general population has contracted the virus and that about half of those who tested positive are non-symptomatic,” said Guđnason. “The other half displays very moderate cold-like symptoms."
"This effort is intended to gather insight into the actual prevalence of the virus in the community, as most countries are most exclusively testing symptomatic individuals at this time."
Of 3,787 individuals tested in the country, a total of 218 positive cases have been identified so far. "At least half of those infected contracted the virus while travelling abroad, mostly in high-risk areas in the European Alps (at least 90)," the government said on Monday.
Those numbers include the first results of the voluntary tests on people with no symptoms, which started last Friday. The first batch of 1,800 tests produced 19 positive cases, or about 1% of the sample.
Government of Iceland Testing Program
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