"A new study of thousands of hospitalized coronavirus patients in the New York City area, the epicenter of the outbreak in the United States, has found that nearly all of them had at least one major chronic health condition, and most — 88 percent — had at least two. Though earlier research has shown chronic conditions like obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes are common risk factors for severe Covid-19, the ubiquity of serious medical conditions in these patients was striking: Only 6 percent of them had no underlying health conditions. The paper, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, analyzed data about 5,700 Covid-19 patients admitted between March 1 and April 4 to a dozen hospitals in New York City, Long Island and Westchester County that are part of the Northwell Health system. Scientists at the Feinstein Institutes, the research arm of Northwell, used electronic health records and other demographic information to analyze the characteristics of the patients. Dozens of children and teenagers got sick but survived, the researchers found. Women had a clear edge: Fewer were hospitalized to begin with, and they were more likely to survive. One in five of the hospital stays ended with the patient dying, but more than half of the patients studied were still hospitalized when the study ended. In total, 553 of the patients died. About a fifth of the patients — 1,151 — were put on ventilators, and most of those — 831 — were still on the machines when the study ended. Of the other 320 intubated patients, 282 died and 38 were discharged from the hospital. Their mortality rate, 88 percent, is higher than some other early case reports, which found death rates for coronavirus patients on ventilators ranging from 50 percent to close to 70 percent. Given that the length of hospital stay for these Northwell cases was relatively short, four days on average, it’s possible that those who died were mainly patients who were so ill that they were unlikely to be helped by any treatment....."
OMG!
Only 6% of the deaths, allegedly, are from COVID (or seasonal flu as the case may be). That's a whopping downward revision in the presumed death totals down there.
Couple that article with this:
"One of every five New York City residents tested positive for antibodies to the coronavirus, according to preliminary results Governor Andrew Cuomo described Thursday. The results provided the prospect that many New Yorkers who never knew they had been infected -- possibly as many as 2.7 million -- had already encountered the virus and survived. Cuomo also suggested the death rate was far lower than believed. Accurate antibody testing is seen as a critical tool to help determine when and how to begin restarting the economy. State officials said their test could send people back to work, but the city's top official for disease control, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, wrote in an e-mail alert Wednesday that the tests "may produce false negatives or false positive results." "Given the current lack of evidence" that any blood test for antibodies is indicative of "durable immunity," Daskalakis wrote, "it should not be used for that purpose." The alert went on to warn that the consequences of relying on potentially false results may lead to "providing patients incorrect guidance on preventive interventions like physical distancing or protective equipment." In New York City, about 21 percent, or 1 of every 5 residents, tested positive for coronavirus antibodies during the state survey. The rate was 16.7 percent on Long Island, 11.7 percent in Westchester and Rockland counties, and 3.6 percent in the rest of the state. Almost 14 percent of those tested in New York were positive, according to the preliminary results, which sampled approximately 3,000 people over two days at grocery and big-box stores. The governor suggested Thursday that, based on the survey, the death rate in New York from COVID-19 would likely be far lower than previously believed, possibly 0.5 percent of those infected....."
Oh, I just thought that last part was rather important. It's no more deadly than the seasonal flu.
Also see: Redfield Warns of Relapse
He's raising on a busted flush!
The web version of the Globe replaced those briefs from above with these:
"The White House on Thursday pitched “emerging” research on the benefits of sunlight and humidity in diminishing the threat of the coronavirus as President Trump encourages states to move to reopen their economies. Past studies have not found good evidence that the warmer temperatures and higher humidity of spring and summer will help tamp down the spread of the virus, but William Bryan of the Department of Homeland Security said at a White House briefing that there are “emerging results” from new research that suggest solar light has a powerful effect in killing the virus on surfaces and in the air. He said scientists have seen a similar effect from higher temperatures and humidity. A biocontainment lab in Maryland has been conducting testing on the virus since February, Bryan said. “The virus is dying at a much more rapid pace just from exposure to higher temperatures and just from exposure to humidity,” Bryan said. Trump was asked if it was dangerous to make people think they would be safe by going outside in the heat, considering that so many people have died in Florida. “I hope people enjoy the sun, and if it has an impact, that’s great,” Trump replied. “It’s just a suggestion from a brilliant lab by a very, very smart, perhaps brilliant man.” Trump noted that the researchers were also looking at the effects of disinfectants on the virus and wondered aloud if they could be injected into people, saying the virus “does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it would be interesting to check that.” Bryan said there was no consideration of that."
Would that be the infamous Fort Detrick?
"US coronavirus cases rose 2.5 percent Thursday from the day before to 856,209, the lowest daily increase this month, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg News. That was lower than Wednesday’s rate of 3.1 percent and below the average daily increase of 4.1 percent over the past week. California reported its deadliest day, with 115 fatalities, Governor Gavin Newsom said Thursday. Still, he said there’s been stabilization in the outbreak, as hospitalizations dropped 4.4 percent and intensive-care numbers fell 1.2 percent. New Jersey reported quicker test results and a drop in ventilator use as cases neared 100,000. The state has 4,247 positive results, pushing the total to 99,989. There were 307 more deaths, for a total of 5,368. Governor Phil Murphy said that test results now take five to seven days, rather than as long as 14 days, but that the capacity will have to double to prevent future cases from becoming “boomerang outbreaks.” “I am not in a position yet to begin reopening our state,” Murphy said Thursday at a press briefing. Texas reported its third-straight increase in the daily number of new cases, with an additional 875 sickened residents, bringing the total to 21,944. Another 18 people died, bringing total fatalities to 561. The rise comes as the number of daily virus tests reported has fallen this week, despite assurances from Governor Greg Abbott that the state has expanded its testing capabilities."
Like I would believe anything that Bloomberg or JHU reported -- or the Globe for that matter:
"Mass. reports new daily high in coronavirus cases amid thousands of additional tests" by Martin Finucane, Travis Andersen and Dasia Moore Globe Staff, April 23, 2020
Even before the state announced the latest count of coronavirus cases and deaths, Governor Charlie Baker on Thursday called the cumulative toll “staggering.”
“We must remember the people behind these numbers,” he said at his daily press briefing. “They’re our friends and our neighbors, and these people have families and loved ones whose worlds have been shattered by this ruthless virus.”
Nonetheless, Baker stressed that the state’s health care system has not been overwhelmed by patients and urged residents to continue to go to hospitals if they need treatment for other serious ailments.
Baker’s comments came as the total number of coronavirus fatalities reached 2,360, with 178 new deaths reported Thursday. The daily toll was lower than the 221 the day before, which was the state’s highest number of fatalities since the virus began its deadly march.
The number of confirmed cases climbed by 3,079, a new daily high. The state has now had 46,023 confirmed cases in all.
The Department of Public Health, at the same time, reported a spike in the number of tests, with a total of 195,076 people tested, up from 180,462 a day earlier.
There were other dispiriting metrics, too. The MBTA said Thursday that 103 members of its workforce have COVID-19. That includes 52 bus operators, and 9 who work on subways and trolleys. Six employees have recovered after testing positive, and one MBTA worker has died.
Long-term-care facilities continue to be of particular concern: 1,316 of the state’s 2,360 deaths to date are from nursing homes.
In Topsfield, 12 residents of the Masconomet Healthcare Center have died from COVID-19, an official at the facility confirmed Thursday.
The home’s residents were all tested this week; as of Thursday, 57 residents and 11 workers had confirmed cases.
“Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of Masconomet and its dedicated staff, 12 residents of Masconomet have lost their battle with COVID-19 complications,” said Kathryn Connors Soderberg, chief compliance officer.
“Whittier and all of its employees are devastated by these losses," she said, referring to the facility’s parent company, Whittier Healthcare Network.
Baker said the statewide death totals underscored the need to continue protective measures, such as social distancing and keeping nonessential businesses shuttered.
What is the real rate, Chuck?
At the same time, the governor said, the state’s hospitals have seen a troubling trend: a sharp decrease in the number of patients seeking attention for serious issues such as heart problems, kidney dialysis, and cancer treatment.
“We know these medical conditions didn’t stop when COVID-19 picked up,” Baker said.
People are simply dying at home and then counted as a COVID casualty.
Baker, who was joined by local hospital leaders at his briefing, said the state adequately prepared for the surge in COVID-19 patients, so hospitals could retain the capacity to treat other medical needs as well. As of Wednesday, Baker said, over half the state’s roughly 18,000 hospital beds were available to patients.
“It’s important that people are cared for when they’re sick, whether that’s for COVID-19 or something else,” Baker said, adding that residents should not be delaying life-saving treatment for a different medical problem out of fear.
Nancy L. Shendell-Falik, president of Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, said her hospital had seen an 80 percent decline in a month in patients with stroke symptoms such as speech impairment and changes in their vision.
“Those patients are starting to arrive at Baystate Medical Center,” she said. “They are seriously ill, and many of them have lifelong, debilitating consequences to waiting.”
Speaking later during a virtual town hall meeting hosted by the Globe, Dr. Peter L. Slavin, president of Massachusetts General Hospital, cautioned against ending social distancing too soon.
Virtual Town Hall with Mayor Marty Walsh and Dr. Peter Slavin
"Moving too quickly could spark a new wave that’s even bigger than the one we’re in now,” he said.
Given the new numbers and studies over the past few days, these guys are starting to sound like a broken record full of endless lies.
Joining Slavin was Mayor Martin J. Walsh, who also urged residents to stay the course. “We’re probably in for another four, five, six weeks of what we’re going through today," Walsh said.
Slavin said that while Mass. General has been able to provide adequate protective equipment to staff during the pandemic, some items are now in short supply, particularly gowns doctors wear when seeing patients.
“My understanding is that there are some institutions that are on the verge of running out of them," Slavin said.
Support from the public has been “incredibly heartwarming” to hospital staff, Slavin said. Still, he said, “There’s no doubt that some of our staff are experiencing the precursors” to traumatic stress.
It's the guilt from walking empty corridors in quiet hospitals.
Walsh acknowledged the toll the pandemic has taken on everyone in the city, regardless of their work.
Also Thursday, nearly 40 state lawmakers wrote to Baker urging him to speed the screening and release of inmates from the state’s jails and prisons. The letter, organized by Senator Michael Barrett of Lexington, was prompted by a recent Supreme Judicial Court opinion that “a reduction in the number of people who are held in custody is necessary” to minimize the harm of COVID-19.
“Even as the court acknowledged significant limits to its own authority over the situation, it went on, in unusually clear terms, to advise the Governor’s Parole Board . . . to ‘use every effort to expedite the several stages of this process as far as reasonably possible so as to reduce the overall number of incarcerated inmates as quickly as possible,’ ” Barrett said. “We agree with the court, and we want the governor to act.”
As of Tuesday, 97 inmates and 86 staff within county sheriffs’ institutions had tested positive for COVID-19. The state Department of Corrections reported that 117 inmates and 71 staff have tested positive. Seven DOC inmates have died of COVID-19.
Yeah, let them all out while they order us all imprisoned in our homes.
EVIL!
Late Thursday came one bit of encouraging news. Monica Bharel, the state public health commissioner who had suffered from COVID-19 herself, told the State House News Service that she has been cleared to end her isolation period and said she’s “feeling 100 percent.”
“As a medical doctor and as the state’s chief medical doctor, it was my duty and my job to learn everything I could and understand COVID-19, and I didn’t expect to have it myself,” she said in an interview. “As I was experiencing all the symptoms I read about, I was learning firsthand what it felt like, how intense the muscle aches could be, how the eye pain could keep you up all night, what it means to try to eat when you’ve lost your sense of smell.”
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Related:
Health commissioner describes ‘frightening’ COVID-19 battle
Also see:
Emergency department nurse Debbie Buonopane was applauded by her co-workers as she departed Brigham And Women's Hospital in Boston. (Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff).
She is also a US Navy veteran and a breast cancer survivor.
"Ann Langenfeld, a Newton resident, said she started feeling sick after she took a trip to New York City on March 4. “I just thought I had the flu,” she said, but, “they sent me for a CT and X-ray, and my lungs were full of the disease,” she said. “They said that they had to put me on a ventilator right away.” Langenfeld was put in a medically induced coma and spent the next 16 days on a ventilator. Langenfeld is a mother of two girls, ages 16 and 21, and she’s happy to be back home with her family. She wants to share her story to educate people and let them know that the coronavirus needs to be taken seriously. “It’s very, very contagious, and it’s something that people should be very afraid of,” she said....."
Good thing God was looking after them.
"‘Strokes and heart attacks don’t take a vacation.’ So why have emergency department visits sharply declined?" by Deanna Pan Globe Staff, April 23, 2020
Governor Charlie Baker acknowledged the trend Thursday, urging residents to go to the hospital or call their doctor in the event of a medical emergency.
“We don’t want people getting sicker or exacerbating an illness or an injury, and it’s important people are cared for when they’re sick, whether that’s for COVID-19 or for something else," he said.
Meanwhile, the spate of business closures and work-from-home mandates has resulted in fewer drivers on the road, and fewer car accidents. With more people avoiding public places and large groups, violent injuries have also plummeted.
“Traumatic injuries can be explained by [the fact that] people aren’t out and about, not in cars, not congregating,” said Dr. Brien Barnewolt, chairman and chief of emergency medicine at Tufts Medical Center, where emergency patient volume has decreased 40 to 50 percent, “but there is certainly a baseline of appendicitis, heart disease, bowel obstruction, and stroke, and we really aren’t seeing those cases as much, either.”
Doctors believe fear of contracting the coronavirus is driving the reductions in emergency department visits. In a Gallup survey conducted March 28 to April 2, more than 80 percent of respondents said they would be “very” or “moderately concerned” about visiting a hospital or doctor’s office if they needed urgent medical treatment, for fear of exposure to the virus, but that fear, doctors argue, is misplaced, given all the precautions hospitals have taken to reduce the likelihood of infection among both patients and providers.
I really never want to go to a clinic or hospital ever again after all this. I no longer trust them.
“I literally track every single COVID patient that comes into our department,” said Dr. Richard Wolfe, who oversees eight emergency departments within Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s network and affiliated hospitals. He said he’s not aware of any patients who contracted the disease in a health care setting. Only a handful of BIDMC medical providers have gotten sick on the job, he added, and those infections occurred before hospitals implemented aggressive policies requiring the use of personal protective equipment.
Patients who choose to ride out heart attacks and strokes because they’re afraid of going to the hospital may also be dying at home.
Dr. Michael VanRooyen, chair of emergency medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said he treated a woman in her 60s who had experienced sudden weakness in her arm and leg — clear symptoms of a stroke, but she had decided not to immediately seek care. A few days later, she was in his emergency department, but her stroke had progressed, so she couldn’t be treated with a drug that would have reversed her symptoms and restored her function. The damage, he said, had already been done.
“Literally, today I had a patient who has been diagnosed with a brain tumor who said they would rather not get it treated and stay at home because they were afraid of being at the hospital alone with COVID,” VanRooyen said. “I’ve never seen anything drop like this, so this is quite unusual,” he added. “People, I think, are really scared.”
At Mass. General and much to the surprise of Dr. David Brown, chief of emergency medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, even emergency psychiatric visits by patients with chronic mental health conditions, like depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, have plunged. As the pandemic recedes, Brown expects pent-up demand for emergency psychiatric treatment to jump.
Among those already infected with the coronavirus, the fear of suffering alone in the hospital — perhaps the most gut-wrenching consequence of the disease — is enough to keep them away, even if it means risking their lives, and it’s why Dr. Evan Berg, vice chair of clinical operations in emergency medicine at Boston Medical Center, the region’s largest and busiest provider of trauma services, has struggled to convince some COVID-19 patients to seek treatment.
“I’ve spoken personally with patients who have declined to be transported by ambulance to the hospital because they don’t want to die alone," he said. “They would rather be sick in their home surrounded by family, than to be cut off at the hospital. It is a really, really heartbreaking thing.”
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They must know about the nursing and soldiers homes:
"VA medical facilities struggle to cope with the coronavirus" by Michael Casey and Hope Yen Associated Press, April 23, 2020
As the coronavirus spreads, VA health care facilities are struggling with shortages of workers and the equipment necessary to protect employees from the virus, according to VA staff and internal documents the AP obtained.
The VA, responsible for the health care of 9 million veterans, denied it was short of supplies and stressed that it follows federal health guidelines when rationing protective equipment like masks and gloves, but the facilities were short on staff and equipment like masks, eye shields, hand sanitizer, and gowns. Some workers were forced to reuse masks for days or weeks, according to interviews with VA nurses.
The inspector general’s staff visited more than 230 facilities in March. It found that nearly a third of the medical centers could improve their processing for screening visitors. More than half of the medical centers reported shortages of supplies and equipment, including respirator masks, and 10 reported shortages of staffing, mostly for nurses in intensive care units.
Suzanne Gordon, a senior policy analyst at the nonpartisan Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute, said VA preparations were hampered by inadequate funding and staff, leaving it with nearly 50,000 job openings.
“In VA facilities all over the country, they are doing a really incredible job trying to respond to the crisis in a situation where they have been deliberately crippled by the Trump administration,” Gordon said, and as the nation’s largest health care system, the VA typically enjoyed preferred status in orders for supplies from vendors, but as the outbreak escalated, demand for crucial medical equipment spurred frantic competition for supplies.
Not long after, according to people familiar with VA’s weekly briefings to Congress, the supply shortages got worse, as medical workers burned through 250,000 masks a day.
On April 7, the VA issued guidelines asking workers to ration masks. Citing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, the VA said employees in direct contact with COVID-19 patients should use N95 masks as protection but may need to reuse them. VA staff working with high-risk elderly or vulnerable patients, such as those in nursing homes or spinal cord facilities, would get only one per workweek.
After criticism from staff, and a small increase in supplies, the VA on April 16 said employees working with high-risk elderly or vulnerable veterans could now have one per day.
A complaint filed by the American Federation of Government Employees alleged that VA workers who came in contact with someone suspected of contracting the virus were told on orders of VA Secretary Robert Wilkie they still had to work.
The shortages are creating chaos at the VA medical center in Brooklyn, N.Y., according to Maria Lobifaro, an intensive care nurse. Lobifaro says she’s forced to juggle five critical ICU patients on ventilators rather than the usual two. “It’s to the point where ... my hands are trembling because of what I’m going to walk into,” she said.....
Stage fright at Ground Zero?
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"Low-income and laid-off veterans struggle to access state benefits created for them" by Brian MacQuarrie Globe Staff, April 22, 2020
With job losses mounting during the pandemic, thousands of Massachusetts veterans are turning to a $72 million state program that is intended to provide them with emergency cash assistance for basic needs such as housing, food, fuel, and medical care.
The Veterans Legal Clinic at Harvard Law School has reported a tenfold increase in recent visitors to its online calculator that helps veterans determine their eligibility for the program, called Chapter 115 benefits, which the state describes as the only one of its kind in the nation. The calculator at massvetben.org attracted 5,000 users in March, up from 500 in February, but as more disabled and low-income veterans look to the state Department of Veterans’ Services for help accessing the benefits, they have been stymied by a lack of information on the agency’s website, leaving them unsure where else to turn, advocates for veterans said.
Its home page did not contain any information about the program until Wednesday, after the Globe had questioned department officials about the omission. Until that time, a link to COVID-19 updates at the top of the page had included data about confirmed coronavirus cases in Massachusetts and recommended precautions, but nothing about the veterans benefits.
Many veterans also have had trouble reaching their municipal veterans agents, locally appointed officials who interview applicants for the benefits and pass their requests to Veterans’ Services for approval, according to the advocates.....
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Yeah, support the troops.
Here is your MRE:
"New York City intends to serve a half-million Halal meals during the Muslim holiday of Ramadan, in the leading edge of a program that could feed as many as 2 million residents unable to pay for food, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. About 400,000 Halal meals will be distributed at 32 Department of Education buildings and another 100,000 will be served through community organizations during the month. The city also provides Kosher meals for Jews. It’s part of a program that has served at least 10 million grab-and-go meals at 435 sites and via taxi to housebound New Yorkers, at a cost of at least $170 million, the mayor said. “One of Ramadan’s most noble callings is to feed the hungry,” de Blasio said during a Thursday news briefing. “To remember to be there for those in need, and that is now harder than ever now that people can’t go to their mosques.” City officials expect the food crisis to become more acute. The mayor has estimated the city will lose at least 475,000 jobs due to the lockdown forced by the Covid-19 pandemic. “No New Yorker will go hungry,” he vowed. “Your city will provide.” Ramadan begins Thursday evening and ends the evening of May 23....."
The city is going to look like Pakistan:
"As Ramadan nears, religious leaders implore Pakistanis to ignore lockdown" by Maria Abi-Habib and Zia Ur-Rehman New York Times, April 23, 2020
NEW YORK — While clerics and governments across the Muslim world will greet Ramadan this week under lockdown, working together to shut mosques and urging worshippers to pray at home, in Pakistan, some of the most prominent imams have rallied their devotees to ignore the anti-pandemic measures.
Ramadan, which begins in Pakistan later this week, is the holy month in which Muslims crowd into mosques and fast all day, holding feasts after sundown with family and friends. Those are ripe conditions for the coronavirus to spread, and imams around the world are asking people to stay home, but in Pakistan, pandemic or no pandemic, hard-line clerics are calling the shots, overriding the government’s nationwide virus lockdown, which began late last month.
Most clerics complied with the shutdown when it was announced, but some of the most influential ones immediately called on worshippers to attend Friday prayers in even greater numbers. Devotees attacked police officers who tried to get in their way.
It's like the Southern Christians and their brothers and sisters all across this country.
As Ramadan drew closer, dozens of well-known clerics and leaders of religious parties — including some who had initially obeyed the lockdown orders — signed a letter demanding that the government exempt mosques from the shutdown during the holy month or invite the anger of God and the faithful.
On Saturday, the government gave in, signing an agreement that let mosques stay open for Ramadan as long as they followed 20 rules, including forcing congregants to maintain a six-foot distance, bring their own prayer mats, and do their ablutions at home.
By the time Prime Minister Imran Khan met with the clerics Monday, deferentially promising to abide by the deal, critics were demanding to know who was in charge during this national crisis: the government or the mosques.
“The state has become totally subservient to these clerics,” said Husnul Amin, an Islamabad-based professor and scholar on Islam and politics. “It is very difficult for the state to implement what’s best for the public good. The larger public interest is always up against the clerics. It’s completely undemocratic.”
I'm sick of the New York Times projection, sorry.
In our case, it's corporations, not clerics.
Pakistan’s imams were empowered by the military during the 1980s when mosques across the country churned out jihadis to fight the Soviet military in Afghanistan with the support of the United States.
That's the origin of "Al-CIA-Duh."
While other countries tried to curb hard-line clerics’ influence after the Afghan war, recognizing the dangers they posed, in Pakistan, the powerful military continued to use them as tools of foreign and domestic policy, but their defiance of the lockdown is exposing the limits of even the military’s control.
Just as the U.S. uses ISIS™and Al-CIA-Duh now.
The military wanted the shutdown, pressuring Khan to back the measure at a time when he was reluctant and worried about the economic toll, but when the security forces tried to prevent worshippers from gathering at mosques for prayers, they found themselves under attack.
In Karachi, the largest city, scenes emerged of worshippers chasing the police through narrow alleyways, pelting them with rocks and sending several officers to the hospital.
While clerics acknowledge that their mosques are perfect vectors for the coronavirus’s spread — worshippers gather to perform ablutions together before cramming into the mosques, shoulder to shoulder in supplication — they say they have to protect their bottom line: money and influence.
“We know the coronavirus pandemic is a global health issue, but religious duties cannot be abandoned,” said Maulana Ataullah Hazravi, a Karachi-based cleric. “Mosques depend largely on the donations collected during Ramadan.”
By Wednesday evening, the virus had infected at least 10,100 in Pakistan and killed some 210 people, according to officials. Experts say that the true numbers are probably much higher and that the government is not testing enough, but some of the faithful say they do not care about the science.
Starting to feel an upset stomach.
I wonder if was the Halal meals.
“Muslims wait for this month for the whole year so that they can earn maximum rewards from God by fasting and offering our prayers,” said Hazrat Ali, a worshipper in Karachi, where many mosques defied the lockdown from the start. “If the government stops us forcibly from visiting the mosques, we will resist,” he said.
That point — money — was high on the list of grievances that the clerics raised in their letter last week. Worshippers open their wallets wide during Ramadan, donating millions of dollars, and in places like Pakistan, where mosques are not under the authority of the state, the money can make or break imams and the followings they try to build, often to parlay into political power to challenge the government.
Pakistani clerics have frequently used their religious authority to get loyalists to lay siege to the capital, for example, forcing the state to change policies they disagree with.
That differs from countries like Egypt or the United Arab Emirates, where the authorities give clerics guidelines or even specific remarks for their Friday sermons.
While the government has given in this time, health care workers have not. Prominent doctors signed their own open letter Tuesday, urging that mosques be ordered to limit attendance to five worshippers at a time. On Wednesday, they doubled down on their warnings at a news conference.....
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They give you a bowl of soup after the sermon.
"Coronavirus deaths reported at state-run facilities for those with mental illness, developmental disabilities" by Matt Rocheleau Globe Staff, April 23, 2020
They give you a bowl of soup after the sermon.
"Coronavirus deaths reported at state-run facilities for those with mental illness, developmental disabilities" by Matt Rocheleau Globe Staff, April 23, 2020
Outbreaks of the novel coronavirus continued to take a toll this week on several state-run medical centers that serve people with chronic conditions, mental illness, and intellectual disabilities.
Two men — one in his 60s, another in his 70s — died from the coronavirus at Hogan Regional Center in Danvers, state officials said Thursday. Both had underlying health conditions.
Do I even need to say it?
Meanwhile, one patient died at Lemuel Shattuck Hospital in Jamaica Plain, as well as a patient at Tewksbury Hospital, according to officials.
Each facility has reported dozens of confirmed cases of the coronavirus among patients and staff members. The spread of the virus presents a particular challenge for these facilities, which are trying to quell the disease while providing long-term treatment and care for vulnerable groups of patients with complex mental and medical conditions.
Workers have voiced concerns, including about limited supplies of personal protective equipment and a lack of training.
“I get a lot of calls from staff who are extremely scared and feeling unprepared,” David Guiney, a registered nurse and union representative at Tewksbury Hospital, told the Globe. “They’re fearful for their co-workers and patients.”
State officials said they’ve brought in more protective gear, held training for staff, and isolated those who are infected, relying on advice from outside medical experts and public health guidance.
“As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to impact communities across the Commonwealth, we will aggressively respond, making all resources available to front-line health care and human services staff as they care for individuals receiving treatment at the hospital,” said a statement Thursday from Brooke Karanovich, a spokeswoman for the state’s Executive Office of Health and Human Services.....
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The Globe says better testing and more transparency is needed at Massachusetts nursing homes, and that urgent action is the priority, not assigning blame.
Time to get outside:
"Cape Cod National Seashore sees uptick in dumpings, other violations during coronavirus crisis" by Caroline Enos Globe Correspondent, April 23, 2020
An increase in dumpings, dogs off leashes, and other violations have been seen at the Cape Cod National Seashore since the COVID-19 crisis hit Massachusetts, according to National Park Service officials.
Deputy Chief Ranger Ryan White said visitors have done a good job following social distancing guidelines at the seashore; however, multiple pieces of furniture, bags of trash, and debris from renovation projects have been dumped there in the last month, White said.
“It’s been a recurring problem, but there has been an uptick of it with COVID-19 and also with the change of the weather,” White said. “People are outside more and they’re doing more renovations or home improvement projects."
A fence in the park was recently vandalized and officials have seen visitors ride dirt bikes, ATVs, and bicycles on trails where this isn’t allowed, according to a statement from the National Park Service.
More dogs have also been spotted roaming the seashore without a leash and walking in protected areas for shorebirds, officials said.
“You want your dog to be able to run around and get exercise, but leashes help protect the shorebirds and protect your own dog from other dogs and coyotes that we have in the area,” White said.
Monitoring the seashore for violations has become harder during the COVID-19 crisis, seashore Superintendent Brian Carlstrom said in the statement. All public buildings and restrooms on the property have been closed, and a reduced staff is working at the park.
“We do not have the resources to address these careless acts,” Carlstrom said. "We will issue citations to those who do not follow regulations, and we may be forced to close areas of the seashore if violations continue.”
All visitors must carry out their trash and food scraps, keep their dogs on leashes at all time, and follow trail and bike regulations at the seashore.
Visitors who violate the seashore’s regulations could be given a citation and fined up to $5,000, officials said.
“We understand how important it is for people to have the opportunity to get outdoors to relieve some of the stress that COVID-19 is causing,” Carlstrom said. “We urge the public to respect their seashore, follow all guidance and regulations, and act responsibly."
Visit the seashore’s website for more information on park regulations.
Just stay out.
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You can do a virtual walk instead:
"Massachusetts lawmakers on Thursday passed a bill that allows for notaries public to remotely perform work central to estate planning, mortgages, and more, in a move local private-sector leaders hailed as crucial during the novel coronavirus pandemic. The bill, which gives notaries public the ability to do business via videoconferencing, passed both the House and Senate and was sent to Governor Charlie Baker, according to legislative officials. Previously, notarizations in Massachusetts could not be done remotely, but in the times of social-distancing, things have changed....."
Not really:
"Community leaders on Thursday implored Boston authorities to consider racial equity in any plans for the recovery from the unprecedented novel coronavirus pandemic, which has hit local communities of color especially hard....."
Related:
"A man was arrested in Mattapan Wednesday afternoon after he allegedly threatened to shoot a clerk at a Boston convenience store because its smoke shop was closed, Boston Police said. Dayne Taylor, 39, of Mattapan, entered a convenience store in the area of 291 Huntington Ave. around 2:15 p.m. and became angry when he learned the store’s smoke shop area was not open, police said. Taylor allegedly said that he was going to shoot the clerk after he was asked to leave, according to police. Police said Taylor left and then drove by the store, stopped his white SUV outside of it, and allegedly pointed a revolver at the clerk before driving away. Officers stopped Taylor near 96 Itasca St. in Mattapan shortly at 3:50 p.m., but did not find a gun in his SUV, police said. Taylor was arrested without incident and charged with assault by means of a dangerous weapon. He is expected to be arraigned at Roxbury Municipal Court."
But they charged him as if he did, and it's a good thing he doesn't smoke pot.
"Police on Thursday identified an 18-year-old man killed Wednesday evening in a single-vehicle crash outside the Worcester Street fire station in Wellesley Hills that left two people dead. Patrick Cash was ejected from the white pickup truck involved in the crash and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said in a statement. Two other male teens were trapped in the truck and had to be removed by the Wellesley Fire Department. The truck’s 17-year-old driver died after being taken to a local hospital, and a 17-year-old rear passenger survived but remains hospitalized with significant but non-life-threatening injuries, police said. Neither of the 17-year-olds was identified because they are minors, police said. Lieutenant Marie C. Cleary, a Wellesley police spokeswoman, said none of the teens were from Wellesley but did not provide their hometowns. Investigators believe the truck was traveling west on Worcester Street at high speed when it veered off the pavement and hit a stone wall, but it then continued further west until it hit a cement wall head-on, police said. Officers from the Wellesley police Accident Reconstruction Unit and Detective Unit are continuing to investigate in cooperation with the Norfolk district attorney’s office."
"Former Police Chief Ralph “Rusty” Marino is being charged with one count of enticing a child under the age of 16cq, officials said Thursday. He is scheduled to be arraigned on May 22cq in Leominster District Courtcq, the Worcester district attorney’s office said in a statement. According to Massachusetts law, Marino could be sentenced to over 20 years in prison if convicted. Marino’s defense lawyer, Greg L. Johnson of Boston, could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday evening. Marino placed himself on administrative leave after a meeting with state police Saturday and then submitted his one-line letter of resignation to the Stow Board of Selectmen Wednesday. The board announced at the meeting that a criminal complaint had been filed against Marino but did not discuss the allegations. The board voted unanimously, 4-0, to accept the resignation and appointed Sergeant Darren Thraen as acting chief of the department for the next three weeks."
