May 14, 2020
It is Thursday, so I have been reminded. Again.
Maryland's Governor announced phase 1 reopening yesterday. While not particularly unique amongst our states, it feels like a scary step forward. I have family that interpreted this as "all systems nominal, return to pre-COVID life." And, I have plenty of patients and family members who are far more conservative in their approach to increasing activities. But, we shall see what we Marylanders make of this "freedom." How does a restaurant sustainably open at 50% capacity? Who will enforce the stated "limited opening" rules? I will be most curious where my fellow citizens will fasten a face mask when getting a haircut. Here's hoping for prudent behavior. Keep an eye on the data.
----------
Data Visualization Update
State comparisons:
https://public.tableau.com/views/Coronavirus-ChangeovertimeintheUSA/2_Corona?:display_count=y&:origin=viz_share_link
Rt data
https://public.tableau.com/shared/7FH637YGW?:display_count=y&:origin=viz_share_link
FT data is still the best visualization I have found for country comparisons.
https://ig.ft.com/coronavirus-chart/?areas=usa&areas=gbr&cumulative=0&logScale=1&perMillion=0&values=deaths
----
This creeps me out. Here is another black-light germ-spreading videos. (In case the one from Saturday was not enough for you)
https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/13/health/japan-black-light-experiment-coronavirus-trnd-wellness/index.html
Here is one answer to the above - filling tables with mannequins. I have been to this hotel and restaurant. It is outstanding. This would bother me.
https://whdh.com/news/restaurant-to-seat-mannequins-at-empty-tables-to-make-social-distancing-less-awkward/
and
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAGu1ILhB4A/
Masks seem to be back in the media. Here are two articles that I found yesterday evening:
How are masks deemed "effective?"
http://news.mit.edu/2020/mit-lincoln-laboratory-tests-verify-if-uncertified-n95-masks-are-effective-0513
This set of pages is impressive. Some folks in Michigan managed to get a testing company to put a variety of masks through the same testing used for N95s and compare various characteristics. This data may explain why I was unable to get my Filtrete filters for my heat pump last month.
https://www.maskfaq.com/test-results
One pharma company announced plans for a stable immunoglobulin from convalescent plasma.
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/takeda-says-coronavirus-treatment-trial-using-recovered-patients-blood-could-start-in
HCQ + Azithromycin does not seem to be the right choice for hospitalized patients with COVID. Here is more evidence of harm, albeit not statistically significant.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2766117
Kawasaki-like diseases came up on the Q&A call on Tuesday - it is apparent that COVID is inducing an immune/inflammatory response in ways that seem unique. Maybe we notice the trend due to prevalence? Either way, I hope these kinds of observations will lead to a broader understanding of immune reactions to infectious disease.
https://www.axios.com/coronavirus-children-italy-hospital-d58a9578-b7e4-4d9a-80ce-e3c66713490c.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=organic
I am not surprised but scared for these folks. Cruises have trade-offs under the best of circumstances. This strikes me as foolish.
https://www.fastcompany.com/90503385/what-pandemic-carnival-cruise-bookings-soar-600-for-august-trips
More follow up to the Q&A. An article on the false-negative rates in some of the commercial antibody testing.
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/497661-abbotts-rapid-coronavirus-test-misses-nearly-half-of-positive-cases-study
Infographic of the day - Board Game decision tree. A game unto itself. It requires a lot of self-awareness to navigate, but I wonder where was this eight weeks ago when I learned that I could lose Trivial Pursuit to my 13-year old?
https://i.redd.it/7kcoaut8vky41.jpg
--------Bonus Round - Random things I find curious or interesting, but you may not edition.
I feel like Dante Alighieri is a little too famous for my typical bio-description page. I saw his birthplace in Florence, which makes him a "top-tier" renowned person from history in my book (If your birthplace is marked, you must be uber-famous, no?). However, I recently found this guidebook to his Nine Circles of Hell, which has given me pause when evoking Dante's Inferno. Thanks to this reference, I found myself correcting a colleague yesterday in the following way, "No, I pretty sure you mean working with that person is more like the fifth circle of hell, not the seventh." You can now share in my efforts for more accurate hell-related references.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/blog/2018/09/14/visitors-guide-to-dantes-nine-circles-of-hell
Yesterday I also learned that the President of Tanzania and I share a concern for the sensitivity and specificity of coronavirus testing. However, the reporting on his efforts at verifying the testing in the Tanzanian national lab is mystifying. His reported statements and conclusions are logically fallacious (pretty sure you can only reliably test for antibodies in human blood and not goats, motor oil, or fruit). And, the article about all of this is unintentionally funny. I suspect there are intellectually sound explanations for what is going on, but with that preamble, I offer, for your consideration, "Tanzanian paw paw tests positive for COVID-19 - President Magufuli." Enjoy.
https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/tanzanian-paw-paw-tests-positive-for-covid-19-president-magufuli/ar-BB13xpD0
As an absolute positive, I did learn about the Pawpaw fruit, which I am now curious to try, COVID+ or not. (I will consider this a little culinary cruise if you will? Too soon?)
https://www.foodandwine.com/lifestyle/pawpaw-fruit-history-facts
Clean hands and sharp minds,
-Adam
Maryland's Governor announced phase 1 reopening yesterday. While not particularly unique amongst our states, it feels like a scary step forward. I have family that interpreted this as "all systems nominal, return to pre-COVID life." And, I have plenty of patients and family members who are far more conservative in their approach to increasing activities. But, we shall see what we Marylanders make of this "freedom." How does a restaurant sustainably open at 50% capacity? Who will enforce the stated "limited opening" rules? I will be most curious where my fellow citizens will fasten a face mask when getting a haircut. Here's hoping for prudent behavior. Keep an eye on the data.
----------
Data Visualization Update
State comparisons:
https://public.tableau.com/views/Coronavirus-ChangeovertimeintheUSA/2_Corona?:display_count=y&:origin=viz_share_link
Rt data
https://public.tableau.com/shared/7FH637YGW?:display_count=y&:origin=viz_share_link
FT data is still the best visualization I have found for country comparisons.
https://ig.ft.com/coronavirus-chart/?areas=usa&areas=gbr&cumulative=0&logScale=1&perMillion=0&values=deaths
----
This creeps me out. Here is another black-light germ-spreading videos. (In case the one from Saturday was not enough for you)
https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/13/health/japan-black-light-experiment-coronavirus-trnd-wellness/index.html
Here is one answer to the above - filling tables with mannequins. I have been to this hotel and restaurant. It is outstanding. This would bother me.
https://whdh.com/news/restaurant-to-seat-mannequins-at-empty-tables-to-make-social-distancing-less-awkward/
and
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAGu1ILhB4A/
Masks seem to be back in the media. Here are two articles that I found yesterday evening:
How are masks deemed "effective?"
http://news.mit.edu/2020/mit-lincoln-laboratory-tests-verify-if-uncertified-n95-masks-are-effective-0513
This set of pages is impressive. Some folks in Michigan managed to get a testing company to put a variety of masks through the same testing used for N95s and compare various characteristics. This data may explain why I was unable to get my Filtrete filters for my heat pump last month.
https://www.maskfaq.com/test-results
One pharma company announced plans for a stable immunoglobulin from convalescent plasma.
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/takeda-says-coronavirus-treatment-trial-using-recovered-patients-blood-could-start-in
HCQ + Azithromycin does not seem to be the right choice for hospitalized patients with COVID. Here is more evidence of harm, albeit not statistically significant.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2766117
Kawasaki-like diseases came up on the Q&A call on Tuesday - it is apparent that COVID is inducing an immune/inflammatory response in ways that seem unique. Maybe we notice the trend due to prevalence? Either way, I hope these kinds of observations will lead to a broader understanding of immune reactions to infectious disease.
https://www.axios.com/coronavirus-children-italy-hospital-d58a9578-b7e4-4d9a-80ce-e3c66713490c.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=organic
I am not surprised but scared for these folks. Cruises have trade-offs under the best of circumstances. This strikes me as foolish.
https://www.fastcompany.com/90503385/what-pandemic-carnival-cruise-bookings-soar-600-for-august-trips
More follow up to the Q&A. An article on the false-negative rates in some of the commercial antibody testing.
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/497661-abbotts-rapid-coronavirus-test-misses-nearly-half-of-positive-cases-study
Infographic of the day - Board Game decision tree. A game unto itself. It requires a lot of self-awareness to navigate, but I wonder where was this eight weeks ago when I learned that I could lose Trivial Pursuit to my 13-year old?
https://i.redd.it/7kcoaut8vky41.jpg
--------Bonus Round - Random things I find curious or interesting, but you may not edition.
I feel like Dante Alighieri is a little too famous for my typical bio-description page. I saw his birthplace in Florence, which makes him a "top-tier" renowned person from history in my book (If your birthplace is marked, you must be uber-famous, no?). However, I recently found this guidebook to his Nine Circles of Hell, which has given me pause when evoking Dante's Inferno. Thanks to this reference, I found myself correcting a colleague yesterday in the following way, "No, I pretty sure you mean working with that person is more like the fifth circle of hell, not the seventh." You can now share in my efforts for more accurate hell-related references.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/blog/2018/09/14/visitors-guide-to-dantes-nine-circles-of-hell
Yesterday I also learned that the President of Tanzania and I share a concern for the sensitivity and specificity of coronavirus testing. However, the reporting on his efforts at verifying the testing in the Tanzanian national lab is mystifying. His reported statements and conclusions are logically fallacious (pretty sure you can only reliably test for antibodies in human blood and not goats, motor oil, or fruit). And, the article about all of this is unintentionally funny. I suspect there are intellectually sound explanations for what is going on, but with that preamble, I offer, for your consideration, "Tanzanian paw paw tests positive for COVID-19 - President Magufuli." Enjoy.
https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/tanzanian-paw-paw-tests-positive-for-covid-19-president-magufuli/ar-BB13xpD0
As an absolute positive, I did learn about the Pawpaw fruit, which I am now curious to try, COVID+ or not. (I will consider this a little culinary cruise if you will? Too soon?)
https://www.foodandwine.com/lifestyle/pawpaw-fruit-history-facts
Clean hands and sharp minds,
-Adam
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