As the global outbreak of respiratory disease continues to spread, U.S health officials continue to respond to this rapidly evolving public health risk. Some parts of the world are beginning to see a significant decline in new confirmed cases of COVID-19, but remain on high alert. In response to the high level of fear and hysteria due to this global pandemic, credible and positive reports have been made to confirm that it’s not all bad news…
China’s coronavirus epicenter reaches milestone of zero new cases.
On March 19, 2020, China’s coronavirus epicenter has reported no new domestic cases. China’s overall new-infection rate is so low that the country has shut down the last coronavirus hospital. While these coronavirus hospitals have been closed, the city of Wuhan and province of Hubei still remains under mass quarantine.
Two 103-year-old women have made a full recovery from COVID-19 after treatment.
One case took place in Wuhan, China. The 103-year-old woman was mostly healthy, having mild chronic bronchitis as an underlying health condition. The second 103 year-old woman in Iran was discharged from the hospital after of a week of treatment. The CDC has stated individuals who are older adults or suffer from underlying medical conditions still remain to be at a higher risk to getting very sick from COVID-19.
CDC is working to develop a new laboratory test to assist with efforts to determine how much of the U.S. population has been exposed to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19.
Posing such a high public health risk, the unknown is what creates high levels of hysteria and fear. The CDC is working to develop a serology test to confirm how much of the U.S population has been exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Initial work to develop a serology test for SARS-CoV-2 is underway at CDC.
Apple reopens all 42 China stores.
After having closed all retail stores for over a month, Apple Inc. feels it safe enough to reopen all 42 stores in China. On Friday, March 13 all stores reopened implementing precautionary safety measures.
Good news from South Korea, where the number of new cases is declining.
Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported the number of new cases is declining. “We assess that we’ve put out a big fire but cannot lower our guard yet,” Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon stated.
Italy is hit hard by the coronavirus, because they have the oldest population in Europe.
Italy has the biggest population of elderly people in Europe, with almost a quarter of people (22.75%) aged 65 or older. For comparison, US’s median age is 38.5 and 17% of the population are 65 or older.
The first few Maryland coronavirus patients are fully recovered and able to return to everyday life.
Montgomery County’s Chief Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles confirmed that the first three patients to test positive in the state were a couple in their 70’s and a woman in her 50’s. Officials say that the community is remaining on high alert.
Plasma from newly recovered patients from COVID-19 can treat others infected by COVID-19.
Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore are looking to utilize virus-fighting antibodies from the blood of individuals who have recovered from the coronavirus. The human convalescent serum is an option for prevention and treatment of COVID-19 disease that could be rapidly available when there are sufficient numbers of people who have recovered and can donate immunoglobulin-containing serum (Casadevall & Pirofski, 2020). For further information: https://www.jci.org/articles/view/138003
A San Diego biotech company is developing a COVID-19 vaccine in collaboration with Duke University and National University of Singapore.
“Duke-NUS has been on the front lines in the fight against COVID-19, developing the first serological tests for COVID-19 and was among the first groups to isolate and culture the virus. The partnership with Arcturus Therapeutics combines complementary strengths as we work together to fight this global outbreak,” said Professor Thomas M. Coffman, Dean of Duke-NUS Medical School. To learn more: https://www.duke-nus.edu.sg/about/media/media-releases/media-releases/arcturus-dukenus-covid-19-vaccine-using-starr-technology
While concerns remain at a high-level, it is important to MSA Security, that New York, the United States, and the rest of the world are provided with a steady flow of positive COVID-19 updates. Although to some it may feel as if the world has come to a halt, health professionals and government officials continue to work aggressively to keep our people safe. To stay updated on the status of COVID-19 visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.htm.