Today's News (2020/7/4): COVID-19 edition
Jul. 4th, 2020 04:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
solarbirdWe'd be in pretty good shape if it weren't for all the fucking Trumpists on the dry side. But they're there, so we're not.
----- 1 -----
Surge in state COVID-19 cases driven by eastern Washington
Nicholas K. Geranios, Associated Press
Updated 11:27 am PDT, Friday, July 3, 2020
https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Surge-in-state-COVID-19-cases-driven-by-eastern-15384897.php
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Cirio Hernandez Hernandez was thinning apple trees on a June morning in Yakima, grabbing a fistful of tiny apples and knocking off all but one that was left to grow to a marketable size.
It wasn't the Yakima Valley's hot temperatures, or the strenuous work, that was causing him discomfort.
“The hardest part is the mask,'' Hernandez Hernandez said, because it heats up his face.
But he and his fellow workers in the apple orchard were at least wearing face coverings, the primary protection against the coronavirus, which has surged in eastern Washington state.
...
The numbers are stark. In the past week, more than 40% of the state's 2,957 newly confirmed cases of coronavirus occurred within those three metro areas, which make up less than 15% of the state's population, according to the state Department of Health.
Yakima County, with 250,000 residents, has nearly as many cases as the neighboring state of Oregon, which has more than 4 million residents.
...
Benton and Franklin counties, which constitute the Tri-Cities metropolitan area of 300,000 people, also have big farm and food processing industries. The Tri-Cities have had 3,608 cases, including a record 215 on Wednesday, with 115 deaths.
...
Spokane County, which has 520,000 residents, is in Stage II with many businesses open. But the county has seen its once-low case numbers spike, in large part because people are going out more and because many residents are declining to wear masks.
Spokane County on Thursday reported a total of 1,443 cases and 41 deaths during the pandemic.
On Tuesday, Spokane County reported 81 new cases over a 24-hour period, its highest number since the outbreak began.
...
The political divide over masks, with many conservatives taking a cue from President Donald Trump and declining to wear them, makes for uneven adherence to the mask-wearing order.
Many people in liberal Seattle wear masks, but many residents of more conservative eastern Washington do not.
Inslee recently ordered that all residents of the state must wear masks when out in public, or face penalties. It was not well received by everyone.
“I can't wear a mask because I'm a patriot,"" said Janice Tollett of suburban Airway Heights, who showed up at Inslee's Spokane meeting to protest the mask order.
----- 2 -----
`Huge bummer': July Fourth will test Americans' discipline
John Seewer, Associated Press Updated
12:18 pm PDT, Friday, July 3, 2020
https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/July-Fourth-weekend-will-test-Americans-15384473.php
The U.S. headed into the Fourth of July weekend with many parades and fireworks displays canceled, beaches and bars closed, and health authorities warning that this will be a crucial test of Americans' self-control that could determine the trajectory of the surging coronavirus outbreak.
With confirmed cases climbing in 40 states, governors and local officials have ordered the wearing of masks in public, and families were urged to celebrate their independence at home. Even then, they were told to keep their backyard cookouts small.
“This year is a huge bummer, to say the least,” said Ashley Peters, who for 14 years has hosted 150 friends and relatives at a pool party at her home in Manteca, California, complete with a DJ, bounce house, water slide and shaved-ice stand. This time, the guest list is down to just a few people.
Pulling the plug on the bash, she said, was a “no-brainer” because so many of those she knows are front-line workers, including her husband, a fire captain. “I woke up and told my husband I wish it was just July 5,” she said.
----- 3 -----
'We Need to Live With It': White House Readies New Message for the Nation on Coronavirus
Published 2 mins ago
Updated 2 mins ago
July 3, 2020
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/coronavirus/white-house-readies-new-message-for-the-nation-on-coronavirus/2299661/
After several months of mixed messages on the coronavirus pandemic, the White House is settling on a new one: Learn to live with it.
Administration officials are planning to intensify what they hope is a sharper, and less conflicting, message of the pandemic next week, according to senior administration officials, after struggling to offer clear directives amid a crippling surge in cases across the country. On Thursday, the United States reported more than 55,000 new cases of coronavirus and infection rates were hitting new records in multiple states.
At the crux of the message, officials said, is a recognition by the White House that the virus is not going away any time soon — and will be around through the November election.
----- 4 -----
Austin Hospital Withheld Treatment from Disabled Man Who Contracted Coronavirus
After doctors withheld treatment including nutrition and hydration for six days, Michael Hickson died leaving his wife and five children behind.
Kim Roberts
June 29, 2020
https://thetexan.news/austin-hospital-withheld-treatment-from-disabled-man-who-contracted-coronavirus/
Michael Hickson, husband to Melissa and father of five children, died at age 46 on Thursday, June 11 at St. David’s South Austin Medical Center after the hospital withheld treatment from him, including hydration and nutrition, for six days.
His wife was not notified of his death until the next morning after his remains had already been transported to a funeral home without her permission.
Mr. Hickson became a quadriplegic in 2017 after a sudden cardiac arrest incident while driving his wife to work one morning. He had been in and out of hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, and home for the last three years.
“He regained his personality, had memories of past events, loved to do math calculations, and answer trivia questions,” Mrs. Hickson said of her husband in an interview with The Texan.
“Why are disabled people considered to have a poor quality of life?” Mrs. Hickson asked.
...
In a recorded conversation, the attending physician told Mrs. Hickson that he didn’t think her husband had much quality of life and, against her wishes, Mr. Hickson would not be nourished, hydrated, or receive treatment for the pneumonia he had developed.
“So as of right now, his quality of life — he doesn’t have much of one,” the doctor said.
“What do you mean? Because he’s paralyzed with a brain injury, he doesn’t have quality of life?” she responded.
“Correct,” the doctor replied.
On Saturday, when Mrs. Hickson returned to the hospital, the nurse supervisor took her to Mr. Hickson’s room. “It was at the end of the hall, empty and dark with no machines at all for treating him.”
Mrs. Hickson was unable to speak to her husband again after Saturday. She requested FaceTime visits with him while trying frantically to work on the guardianship issue and get him care. On the morning of his death, she sent an email asking for an update on his condition.
On Friday morning, the hospice group called her to tell her Mr. Hickson had died Thursday evening and asked if she’d like the name of the funeral home where his body had been taken.
“No one has offered condolences. There has never been an apology or acknowledgment of his death. It’s like they just don’t care,” she said.
----- 5 -----
Aaron Jakes
twitter.com/aaronjakes
3 July 2020
https://twitter.com/aaronjakes/status/1279124459954323459
[SEE ALSO: A non-NYT copy of the story in being discussed in this thread: https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/in-coronavirus-era-colleges-face-rising-revolt-by-professors/ ]
[THREAD]
This story in twitter.com/nytimes, beginning with its headline, fails spectacularly to explain what is happening right now to universities all across this country. The conflicts over plans for the fall are warning signs of an epic crisis for higher ed.
[LINKS TO: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/03/us/coronavirus-college-professors.html ]
[NEXT]
Before I explain, a few important caveats. First, twitter.com/nytimes did recently run an excellent op-ed by my colleague twitter.com/TenuredRadical that describes well the contours of the disaster that is looming and offers a compelling plan for how to address it.
[LINKS TO: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/05/opinion/sunday/free-college-tuition-coronavirus.html ]
[NEXT]
...
What's missing altogether from the Times story is any serious account of how debates over whether to return to campus are a consequence of a funding model for higher ed that is collapsing with terrifying speed.
[THREAD CONTINUES AT TOP LINK]
----- 6 -----
Florida breaks coronavirus record with over 11K new cases reported in one day
By Paola Pérez
Orlando Sentinel
Jul 04, 2020
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/coronavirus/os-ne-florida-coronavirus-saturday-july-4-20200704-e5lqdwvuhrcb5f2ynyplzprtrq-story.html
Florida reported 11,458 new coronavirus cases on Independence Day, shattering its record for daily reported cases in the state since the pandemic began.
The positivity rate for new cases was 14%, slightly lower than the highest reported rate during the past two weeks. That came June 23, when 16% of new cases tested positive.
The single-day record for new cases was last broken on Thursday with over 10,000 testing positive. To date, the state health department has reported a total of 190,052 cases.
Thursday and Saturday’s record-breaking reports are followed by June 27′s report with 9,585 cases, Friday’s report of 9,488 cases, and 8,942 cases posted on June 26, according to the department’s data.
The death toll is now 3,702, which includes 18 new fatalities reported Saturday. With 101 additional deaths from non-Florida residents, the toll is 3,803.
- Surge in state COVID-19 cases driven by eastern Washington
- `Huge bummer': July Fourth will test Americans' discipline
- 'We Need to Live With It': White House Readies New Message for the Nation on Coronavirus
- Austin Hospital Withheld Treatment from Disabled Man Who Contracted Coronavirus
- What's missing altogether from the Times story is any serious account of how debates over whether to return to campus are a consequence of a funding model for higher ed that is collapsing with terrifying speed.
- Florida breaks coronavirus record with over 11K new cases reported in one day
----- 1 -----
Surge in state COVID-19 cases driven by eastern Washington
Nicholas K. Geranios, Associated Press
Updated 11:27 am PDT, Friday, July 3, 2020
https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Surge-in-state-COVID-19-cases-driven-by-eastern-15384897.php
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Cirio Hernandez Hernandez was thinning apple trees on a June morning in Yakima, grabbing a fistful of tiny apples and knocking off all but one that was left to grow to a marketable size.
It wasn't the Yakima Valley's hot temperatures, or the strenuous work, that was causing him discomfort.
“The hardest part is the mask,'' Hernandez Hernandez said, because it heats up his face.
But he and his fellow workers in the apple orchard were at least wearing face coverings, the primary protection against the coronavirus, which has surged in eastern Washington state.
...
The numbers are stark. In the past week, more than 40% of the state's 2,957 newly confirmed cases of coronavirus occurred within those three metro areas, which make up less than 15% of the state's population, according to the state Department of Health.
Yakima County, with 250,000 residents, has nearly as many cases as the neighboring state of Oregon, which has more than 4 million residents.
...
Benton and Franklin counties, which constitute the Tri-Cities metropolitan area of 300,000 people, also have big farm and food processing industries. The Tri-Cities have had 3,608 cases, including a record 215 on Wednesday, with 115 deaths.
...
Spokane County, which has 520,000 residents, is in Stage II with many businesses open. But the county has seen its once-low case numbers spike, in large part because people are going out more and because many residents are declining to wear masks.
Spokane County on Thursday reported a total of 1,443 cases and 41 deaths during the pandemic.
On Tuesday, Spokane County reported 81 new cases over a 24-hour period, its highest number since the outbreak began.
...
The political divide over masks, with many conservatives taking a cue from President Donald Trump and declining to wear them, makes for uneven adherence to the mask-wearing order.
Many people in liberal Seattle wear masks, but many residents of more conservative eastern Washington do not.
Inslee recently ordered that all residents of the state must wear masks when out in public, or face penalties. It was not well received by everyone.
“I can't wear a mask because I'm a patriot,"" said Janice Tollett of suburban Airway Heights, who showed up at Inslee's Spokane meeting to protest the mask order.
----- 2 -----
`Huge bummer': July Fourth will test Americans' discipline
John Seewer, Associated Press Updated
12:18 pm PDT, Friday, July 3, 2020
https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/July-Fourth-weekend-will-test-Americans-15384473.php
The U.S. headed into the Fourth of July weekend with many parades and fireworks displays canceled, beaches and bars closed, and health authorities warning that this will be a crucial test of Americans' self-control that could determine the trajectory of the surging coronavirus outbreak.
With confirmed cases climbing in 40 states, governors and local officials have ordered the wearing of masks in public, and families were urged to celebrate their independence at home. Even then, they were told to keep their backyard cookouts small.
“This year is a huge bummer, to say the least,” said Ashley Peters, who for 14 years has hosted 150 friends and relatives at a pool party at her home in Manteca, California, complete with a DJ, bounce house, water slide and shaved-ice stand. This time, the guest list is down to just a few people.
Pulling the plug on the bash, she said, was a “no-brainer” because so many of those she knows are front-line workers, including her husband, a fire captain. “I woke up and told my husband I wish it was just July 5,” she said.
----- 3 -----
'We Need to Live With It': White House Readies New Message for the Nation on Coronavirus
Published 2 mins ago
Updated 2 mins ago
July 3, 2020
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/coronavirus/white-house-readies-new-message-for-the-nation-on-coronavirus/2299661/
After several months of mixed messages on the coronavirus pandemic, the White House is settling on a new one: Learn to live with it.
Administration officials are planning to intensify what they hope is a sharper, and less conflicting, message of the pandemic next week, according to senior administration officials, after struggling to offer clear directives amid a crippling surge in cases across the country. On Thursday, the United States reported more than 55,000 new cases of coronavirus and infection rates were hitting new records in multiple states.
At the crux of the message, officials said, is a recognition by the White House that the virus is not going away any time soon — and will be around through the November election.
----- 4 -----
Austin Hospital Withheld Treatment from Disabled Man Who Contracted Coronavirus
After doctors withheld treatment including nutrition and hydration for six days, Michael Hickson died leaving his wife and five children behind.
Kim Roberts
June 29, 2020
https://thetexan.news/austin-hospital-withheld-treatment-from-disabled-man-who-contracted-coronavirus/
Michael Hickson, husband to Melissa and father of five children, died at age 46 on Thursday, June 11 at St. David’s South Austin Medical Center after the hospital withheld treatment from him, including hydration and nutrition, for six days.
His wife was not notified of his death until the next morning after his remains had already been transported to a funeral home without her permission.
Mr. Hickson became a quadriplegic in 2017 after a sudden cardiac arrest incident while driving his wife to work one morning. He had been in and out of hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, and home for the last three years.
“He regained his personality, had memories of past events, loved to do math calculations, and answer trivia questions,” Mrs. Hickson said of her husband in an interview with The Texan.
“Why are disabled people considered to have a poor quality of life?” Mrs. Hickson asked.
...
In a recorded conversation, the attending physician told Mrs. Hickson that he didn’t think her husband had much quality of life and, against her wishes, Mr. Hickson would not be nourished, hydrated, or receive treatment for the pneumonia he had developed.
“So as of right now, his quality of life — he doesn’t have much of one,” the doctor said.
“What do you mean? Because he’s paralyzed with a brain injury, he doesn’t have quality of life?” she responded.
“Correct,” the doctor replied.
On Saturday, when Mrs. Hickson returned to the hospital, the nurse supervisor took her to Mr. Hickson’s room. “It was at the end of the hall, empty and dark with no machines at all for treating him.”
Mrs. Hickson was unable to speak to her husband again after Saturday. She requested FaceTime visits with him while trying frantically to work on the guardianship issue and get him care. On the morning of his death, she sent an email asking for an update on his condition.
On Friday morning, the hospice group called her to tell her Mr. Hickson had died Thursday evening and asked if she’d like the name of the funeral home where his body had been taken.
“No one has offered condolences. There has never been an apology or acknowledgment of his death. It’s like they just don’t care,” she said.
----- 5 -----
Aaron Jakes
twitter.com/aaronjakes
3 July 2020
https://twitter.com/aaronjakes/status/1279124459954323459
[SEE ALSO: A non-NYT copy of the story in being discussed in this thread: https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/in-coronavirus-era-colleges-face-rising-revolt-by-professors/ ]
[THREAD]
This story in twitter.com/nytimes, beginning with its headline, fails spectacularly to explain what is happening right now to universities all across this country. The conflicts over plans for the fall are warning signs of an epic crisis for higher ed.
[LINKS TO: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/03/us/coronavirus-college-professors.html ]
[NEXT]
Before I explain, a few important caveats. First, twitter.com/nytimes did recently run an excellent op-ed by my colleague twitter.com/TenuredRadical that describes well the contours of the disaster that is looming and offers a compelling plan for how to address it.
[LINKS TO: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/05/opinion/sunday/free-college-tuition-coronavirus.html ]
[NEXT]
...
What's missing altogether from the Times story is any serious account of how debates over whether to return to campus are a consequence of a funding model for higher ed that is collapsing with terrifying speed.
[THREAD CONTINUES AT TOP LINK]
----- 6 -----
Florida breaks coronavirus record with over 11K new cases reported in one day
By Paola Pérez
Orlando Sentinel
Jul 04, 2020
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/coronavirus/os-ne-florida-coronavirus-saturday-july-4-20200704-e5lqdwvuhrcb5f2ynyplzprtrq-story.html
Florida reported 11,458 new coronavirus cases on Independence Day, shattering its record for daily reported cases in the state since the pandemic began.
The positivity rate for new cases was 14%, slightly lower than the highest reported rate during the past two weeks. That came June 23, when 16% of new cases tested positive.
The single-day record for new cases was last broken on Thursday with over 10,000 testing positive. To date, the state health department has reported a total of 190,052 cases.
Thursday and Saturday’s record-breaking reports are followed by June 27′s report with 9,585 cases, Friday’s report of 9,488 cases, and 8,942 cases posted on June 26, according to the department’s data.
The death toll is now 3,702, which includes 18 new fatalities reported Saturday. With 101 additional deaths from non-Florida residents, the toll is 3,803.
