UPDATE Coronavirus COVID-19 : All 50 States Have Reported Cases

What is COVID-19?
In COVID-19, ‘CO’ stands for ‘corona,’ ‘VI’ for ‘virus,’ and ‘D’ for disease. Formerly, this disease was referred to as “2019 novel coronavirus” or “2019-nCoV.” A novel coronavirus is a new coronavirus that has not been previously identified. The virus causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is not the same as the coronaviruses that commonly circulate among humans and cause mild illness, like the common cold. Click here for an explanation on how it spreads and how it differs from a common cold or the flu.

UPDATE March 20, 2020

UPDATE March 19, 2020

As the days pass, the United States buckles down for our ride with novel Coronavirus-19. With the number of cases doubling since Tuesday, we can see the virus is no where near its end. With more test becoming available, numbers rise and we are now topping 11,000 cases as of today. The Coronavirus is now in all 50 states of the US.

Deborah Birx, the White House Coronavirus Respondence Coordinator said,

“So we will see the number of people diagnosed dramatically increase in the next four to five days,”
Wednesday’s White House Briefing

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a study compiled by Johns Hopkins University, that showed states like Louisiana, New Jersey, Florida and Colorado are on a similar trajectory as New York already, with others following closely behind.

Trump keeps saying there is some Malaria drug approved for the virus…

What I don’t understand is why I haven’t seen the CDC on the podium! Why is the White House trying to take lead on this? This is social, not political; or is it?

The government is advising Americans to avoid traveling abroad as many countries are restricting travel to and from the United States.

There are currently hundreds of Americans stranded in Tunisia, Morocco, Honduras, And Peru. The President has mentioned possibly using military aid to get Americans home.

Recent reports have concluded that the virus can live for hours as aerosol in the air and for days on surfaces so that basically means, mask on and disinfect.

UPDATE March 17, 2020

I’m gonna start by saying… DONALD TRUMP SAID,

Well, what on Earth do you mean Mr. President? That you felt it was a pandemic LONG before… how long? See, that’s why they need to let him stop talking.

On to other news, cause I’m going to just sit that up there and get to the business.

… END UPDATE (Read more on the news and preventative measures in the updates below.)

UPDATE March 16, 2020

Sorry I’ve been missing y’all but I’ve been following up, fact checking, and getting my house in order. Like most of the world, shaken by this pandemic, I too, have been drowning in multiple sources of information, both legit and what the hell are these folks talking about!

As of today, the number of Americans testing positive in the US had topped 3,700 with as many as 71 deaths reported.

The US Surgeon General warned Monday that “when looking at the projections, there’s every chance that we could become Italy.” Italy reported its largest one-day increase on March 15, with 3,590 cases and over 300 deaths.

And what is our President doing? Declaring a national emergency on a virus he earlier called a hoax while denying any blame for interfering with precautionary measures. Trump is now urging Governors to work on getting respirators and ventilators, and not wait for the federal government to provide them.

Here in the US, officials are scrambling to put policy & restrictions in place to contain the outbreak. Here are some of the ways cities are responding:

With all of this going on, there are still America’s that will have the ultimatum of choosing to self-quarantine and risk losing a job or go to work and risk infection.
As a result of this, Congress passed the Families First Corona Response Bill which provides FY2020 supplemental appropriations to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) for nutrition and food assistance programs, including:

the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC);
the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP); and
nutrition assistance grants for U.S. territories.

The bill also provides FY2020 appropriations to the Department of Health and Human Services for nutrition programs that assist the elderly.

The supplemental appropriations provided by the bill are designated as emergency spending, which is exempt from discretionary spending limits.

The bill modifies USDA food assistance and nutrition programs to

allow certain waivers to requirements for the school meal programs,
suspend the work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program), and
allow states to request waivers to provide certain emergency SNAP benefits.

In addition, the bill requires the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue an emergency temporary standard that requires certain employers to develop and implement a comprehensive infectious disease exposure control plan to protect health care workers.

The bill also includes provisions that

establish a federal emergency paid leave benefits program to provide payments to employees taking unpaid leave due to the coronavirus outbreak,
expand unemployment benefits and provide grants to states for processing and paying claims,
require employers to provide paid sick leave to employees,
establish requirements for providing coronavirus diagnostic testing at no cost to consumers,
treat personal respiratory protective devices as covered countermeasures that are eligible for certain liability protections, and
temporarily increase the Medicaid federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP).

Visit Congress.gov for the official document.

Click HERE for a rundown of who will and won’t qualify for government assistance.

Subscribe to the Washington Post Coronavirus Newsletter

UPDATE March 11, 2020

UPDATE March 9, 2020

Chile, it’s in Louisiana!

Gov. John Bel Edwards’ office at the Louisiana Department of Health, released a statement reporting it’s first presumptive positive case of covid-19.

The Jefferson Parish resident has been hospitalized in Orleans Parish.

As of today, Coronavirus-19 has been reported in as many as 36 of the United States.

Wash your hands! Watch your mouth!

… END UPDATE

UPDATE March 8, 2020

With now over 400 cases in up to 30 states, we are bracing for this one and I hope you’re taking proper precautions. Safety will be the only way to contain this outbreak.

Vermont, Missouri, & Washington, D.C. reported their first cases late Saturday, and Virginia announcing a second case on Sunday.

The Grand Princess Cruise ship that had been off the coast of California is expected to dock in Oakland.

“It’s not so much a question of if this will happen anymore, but rather more a question of exactly when this will happen and how many people in this country will have severe illness,” said Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

Be Prepared

For more information on preparedness click here.

… END UPDATE

UPDATE March 6, 2020

The novel Coronavirus-19 has now taken the lives of 17 Americans and is confirmed in now over 350. The number of confirmed cases In NY has jumped to 76, a 72% increase than the number of cases on Friday.

NY has declared a state of emergency. As the number of cases increases in the US, cities are preparing to contain the virus. NY TIMES released an article for dwelling owners and tenants urging them to increase sanitary measures but advises that you are more likely to catch it from someone close to you due to it spreading via coughs and sneezes (aka spit and mucus). New York City health commissioner, Oxiris Barbot stated that “this is not a disease that can be easily spread through casual contact,“ and that the risk of catching it in common areas was “casual at best.”

UPDATE March 5, 2020

UPDATE March 4, 2020

• The 10th American has died of covid-19
• Italy has closed schools and universities until March 15th

The virus is being slowed down in China, where it started, but due to lack of preparedness, officials are scrambling to contain the virus elsewhere, where hundreds of new cases are being reported daily. Health care providers and others are suffering from a shortage in masks as resources are being tested around the globe.

… END UPDATE

UPDATE March 3, 2020

There are now over 100 cases of covid-19 in the United States. The virus has spread to 73 countries, now including, Brazil and Mexico. There are over 90,000 cases reported worldwide and over 3,000 deaths.

The United States government has issued a complete travel ban to Iran and restricted bans to Italy and South Korea and urges citizens to avoid all nonessential travel to these areas.

Times reported that President Trump may invoke 1950s war era laws to supply heath care personnel 300 MILLION HIGH TECH FACE MASKS!

Associated Press reported schools are preparing online courses in preparation for school closings.

An email released by former Professor of Pathology at the University of San Diego, Jim James, states that the virus would be widespread in the states around mid to late March or April & people should take precautions. Email below

“Here is what I have done and the precautions that I take and will take. These are the same precautions I currently use during our influenza seasons, except for the mask and gloves:

1) NO HANDSHAKING! Use a fist bump, slight bow, elbow bump, etc.

2) Use ONLY your knuckle to touch light switches. elevator buttons, etc.. Lift the gasoline dispenser with a paper towel or use a disposable glove.

3) Open doors with your closed fist or hip – do not grasp the handle with your hand, unless there is no other way to open the door. Especially important on bathroom and post office/commercial doors.

4) Use disinfectant wipes at the stores when they are available, including wiping the handle and child seat in grocery carts.

5) Wash your hands with soap for 10-20 seconds and/or use a greater than 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer whenever you return home from ANY activity that involves locations where other people have been.

6) Keep a bottle of sanitizer available at each of
your home’s entrances. AND in your car for use after getting gas or touching other contaminated objects when you can’t immediately wash your hands.

7) If possible, cough or sneeze into a disposable tissue and discard. Use your elbow only if you have to. The clothing on your elbow will contain infectious virus that can be passed on for up to a week or more!
What I have stocked in preparation for the pandemic spread to the US:

1) Latex or nitrile latex disposable gloves for use when going shopping, using the gasoline pump, and all other outside activity when you come in contact with contaminated areas.
Note: This virus is spread in large droplets by coughing and sneezing. This means that the air will not infect you! BUT all the surfaces where these droplets land are infectious for about a week on average – everything that is associated with infected people will be contaminated and potentially infectious. The virus is on surfaces and you will not be infected unless your unprotected face is directly coughed or sneezed upon. This virus only has cell receptors for lung cells (it only infects your lungs) The only way for the virus to infect you is through your nose or mouth via your hands or an infected cough or sneeze onto or into your nose or mouth.

2) Stock up now with disposable surgical masks and use them to prevent you from touching your nose and/or mouth (We touch our nose/mouth 90X/day without knowing it!). This is the only way this virus can infect you – it is lung-specific. The mask will not prevent the virus in a direct sneeze from getting into your nose or mouth – it is only to keep you from touching your nose or mouth.

3) Stock up now with hand sanitizers and latex/nitrile gloves (get the appropriate sizes for your family). The hand sanitizers must be alcohol-based and greater than 60% alcohol to be effective.

4) Stock up now with zinc lozenges. These lozenges have been proven to be effective in blocking coronavirus (and most other viruses) from multiplying in your throat and nasopharynx. Use as directed several times each day when you begin to feel ANY “cold-like” symptoms beginning. It is best to lie down and let the lozenge dissolve in the back of your throat and nasopharynx. Cold-Eeze lozenges is one brand available, but there are other brands available.”
— End E-mail by Professor Jim James

Get your #MASKON!
…END UPDATE

UPDATE March 2, 2020

The United States has reported 91 cases of covid-19 and 5 deaths, US officials are reporting that the Coronavirus that causes covid-19 has been spreading undetected in Washington State for up to 6 weeks! Stores across the West Coast are seeing bare shelves as panic is taking over the citizens, with fear of the virus. Water, hand sanitizer, and face masks are being supplied to fill the demand like there is a natural disaster recovery underway.

At least 10 states have cases of coronavirus: Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin — and now, New York.

With increasing caseloads in South Korea, China, Italy, Iran and Britain, at this point, they see no end to the outbreak in site.

‘We will have more cases … That is inevitable’,
the US General Dr. Jerome Adams

The surgeon general also says that wearing masks could, in fact, increase your chances of contracting the virus. I’m currently investigating how that works. So, for now, #MaskOFF.

… END UPDATE

February 28, 2020

As the U.S. Treasury yield hit a 10-year low, and stocks losing over $5 billion in wealth and new cases of the Coronavirus are being reported in Wales, Northern Ireland, and Europe, Japan is declaring a state of emergency, and Switzerland is banning gatherings of 1,000 people. Our government, here in America, is like “ah, there’s nothing to worry about… UNLESS YOU’RE POOR!”

You’ve seen the headlines as officials double-down on “THE VACCINE MAY NOT BE AFFORDABLE FOR MOST OF YOU YOU N*GGAS” or whatever they said.

So what do we know?

• Over 83,000 confirmed cases in at least 53 countries in China, Europe, France, Iran, Iraq, US, Japan, South Korea, & Germany.

China has drive-thru testing centers. (I kid you not!)

Yeungnam University Drive-thru testing facility. via: Associated Press

• Covid-19 has no ethnicity or nationality.
• NY is now testing for its first possible case of the virus.
• “This virus has pandemic potential,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organization, warned late Thursday.
• Government health officials and other staff who have been in contact with those infected have not been properly trained up to this point causing fear of further spreading of the disease.

What can we do?

The US Department of Homeland Security recommends that those preparing should store a two-week supply of water, food, and any over-the-counter meds you take.

The USDHS also instructs to have any nonprescription drugs and other health supplies on hand, including pain relievers, stomach remedies, cough and cold medicines, fluids with electrolytes, and vitamins.”

DON’T GO TO ITALY, SOUTH KOREA, MAINLAND CHINA, JAPAN, OR IRAN IF YOU DON’T HAVE TO!

It is currently unclear exactly how or how fast this virus is transferred from human to human so other than STAY YO ASS AT HOME, you can visit the COVID-19 Prevention and Treatment page to learn more about how to protect yourself from respiratory illnesses, like COVID-19.

Also, if you don’t have it, they are saying you don’t need the mask… but, ikyfl! I’m gonna be frank here when I say, “PASS ME MY MASK!” I’m taking no chances!