US yesterday 19,532. AL, SC new highs. SC 5 days in a row.
Canada yesterday 361, lowest since end of March.
Middle East focus today:
Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, doing better, consistent decline after peak.
Lebanon fluctuating below 20.
Jordan overall at a low level, like Lebanon, but having a few cluster outbreaks.
Yemen also flutuating at a low level. Data reporting may be an issue.
Bahrain, Oman, Iraq cases increasing, really need to take more action.
Turkey, after rapid increase, and rapid decrease, now showing new increase. Not clear why.
Iran on terrible trends up and down and on and on. Need to get to zero.
Saudi Arabia epicenter in Riyadh. Top 150 communities shown in the fire plot attached. Relative fire plot (selected communities labeled) shows some locations are getting better, others worse.
Green zone (oasis) strategy in the desert would be super helpful to #get2zero.
Overall, Middle East 4 week progress plot attached shows more consistency in strong actions is needed to #get2zero.
Important News from CDC on HICPAC Infection Control recommendations:
"Based on the significant interest in the draft recommendations, CDC is taking a proactive step of communicating back to HICPAC some initial questions and comments... 1/ blogs.cdc.gov/safehealthcare…
"In addition, CDC is working to expand the scope of technical backgrounds of participants on the HICPAC Isolation Guideline Workgroup .. in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) regulations and guidance.
2/
"The expanded workgroup and the HICPAC with the newly appointed members will review and discuss these additional considerations and guideline at the next HICPAC meeting, which is open to the public.
3/
"Long Covid: NHS legal action launched by family of girl
"The mother of an 11-year-old Aberdeenshire girl with long Covid has launched a legal action against their health board, in what lawyers claim is the first case of its kind in Scotland. 1/ bbc.com/news/uk-scotla…
"Helen Goss, from Westhill, is seeking damages from NHS Grampian on behalf of her daughter, Anna Hendy.
"The action claims the health board is responsible for "multiple failings" in Anna's treatment and care.
"NHS Grampian said it would not comment on individual patient cases.
2/
"The claim alleges failings were avoidable, that they caused Anna "injury and damage", and led to her condition worsening.
"Anna became unwell after contracting Covid in 2020.
Handwashing, Gloves, and Masks: Oh My!
In 1847, German obstetrician Ignaz Semmelweis saw that obstetric patients died of childbed fever at a much higher rate than those treated by midwives...he suggested to his colleagues that they wash their hands 1/ whn.global/handwashing-gl…
..before examining their new mother patients. His idea was ridiculed and ignored. Patients continued to suffer unnecessary illness and death until Louis Pasteur’s experimental confirmation of germ theory in 1861 was disseminated and accepted in the medical community. ..
2/
"Today handwashing is a mainstay of medical protection and of basic hygiene far beyond the medical arena.
"When I was a child in the 1960s and 1970s, my dentist and physician conducted exams and dental work with clean hands but no gloves.
3/
"Covid is everywhere, and I’m wearing a mask again – why is that so weird?
"Spain has made mask wearing mandatory in hospitals and health settings as the country faces a wave of Covid and flu infections. A junior doctor says she thinks Britain should do the same
1/
"As of this week, masks are mandatory in Spain’s hospitals&health centres as the country experiences a surge in Covid, flu & other illnesses. As the UK navigates a similar surge this winter, Chidera Ota, 29, explains why she’s started wearing a mask while out and about.
2/
"At the end of December, I started wearing a mask again. I was taking the coach from London to Edinburgh for Christmas, and as I was queuing in the coach station, all I could hear was coughing and spluttering. I knew Covid cases were reaching a record high, flu was everywhere. 3/
"What Companies Can Do Against Long Covid
By Britta Domke
"Many companies are overlooking the significant risk posed by Long Covid, a decision that could have serious repercussions. With a few targeted measures, it's possible to make workplaces largely safe from coronavirus. 1/
"Deserted workplaces, everyone's out with Corona: For businesses, this wave of illness often translates into considerable revenue losses.
2/
"The news from Jena University Hospital barely made a ripple in most newspapers. The business sector remained silent. However, what an interdisciplinary team from Jena revealed in a study with 40 Long Covid patients should be a cause for concern among employers.
3/