How Covid-19 Might Spread to You

[S Landreth]

Thailand - Cabinet approves Bt51bn stimulus package for low-income workers

The Cabinet on Tuesday gave the green light to a new Bt51-billion stimulus package to assist low-income workers hit by the Covid-19 crisis. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha said ministers had agreed to two schemes – “Kon La Khreung” (Let’s Go Halves) and a boost to shopping subsidies for state welfare cardholders.

Under the Kon La Khreung scheme, 10 million people will get daily discounts on their shopping of up to Bt100, capped at Bt3,000. The scheme will open for merchants to register through the website from October 1.: https://www.nationthailand.com/busin...ernal_referral

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

Thailand - Phuket 'a patient in coma': governor/Tourism losses put at staggering B400bn

Phuket's governor on Monday asked all stakeholders to help restore its economy as quickly as possible after figures show the province has lost more than 400 billion baht since the outbreak of Covid-19.

The resort island is suffering a severe crisis as the tourists it needs so much have been kept away by the travel ban introduced to control the pandemic, Narong Woonciew told a Public Health Association (PHA) forum.

Mr Narong said Phuket usually had 14 million tourists per year, 10 million of them foreigners, arriving on 300 flights each day. These had slumped to just 81 flights a day and tens of thousands of domestic visitors at an estimated annualised rate.

He added that 40,000 workers had lost their jobs and even those still in work had lost 20-90% of their income, while only 30% of all hotels were still open.

"Phuket is like a patient in a coma in ICU. So it is necessary for all stakeholders to help restore Phuket as quickly as possible,'' Mr Narong said.

He said the resort province was launching several packages to attract local and foreign tourists.

Next year, it might be still facing the same situation, so the government can help by organising seminars to draw large amounts of attendees to the province, he said.

"So far, the province has invited 15,000 village health volunteers in the South to travel and spend time in the province while today's seminar is bringing in 10,000 attendees and followers and will relieve some of the hardship," he said.

PHA president Prapat Thamwongsa said the forum "Step to New Normal In Primary Health Care" was a chance to share ideas in order to tackle future challenges and raise people's understanding of how to prevent the virus spreading.

Research presentations, competitions and award ceremonies have all been organised to cover all activities in the public health field, he said.

District and tambon public health clinics were also playing a key role in the promotion of quality health, disease prevention and application of first aid.

The government reported on Monday that the country had no new coronavirus cases and the total remained at 3,506, with 59 deaths.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...-coma-governor

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

• Up to 70% of KN95 masks imported from China don't meet filtration standards, study says

The shortage of N95 masks forced hospitals to find alternatives to protect health care workers while caring for COVID-19 patients. Queue the KN95 mask.

As its name advertises, the KN95 mask is meant to filter out 95% of aerosol particles. However, nonprofit patient safety organization ECRI issued a high priority hazard alert against these masks after an analysis found that up to 70% of KN95s masks imported from China did not meet these filtration standards.

The news comes as U.S. hospitals were forced to purchase hundreds of thousands of KN95 masks produced in China over the past six months.

“We’re finding that many aren’t safe and effective against the spread of COVID-19,” said Dr. Marcus Schabacker, ECRI’s president and chief executive office. “Using masks that don’t meet U.S. standards puts patients and frontline health care workers at risk of infections.”

ECRI tested nearly 200 masks from 15 different manufacturer models purchased by some of the largest health systems in the country. Schabacker said there was not only variability among the different brands, but also inconsistencies among masks made by the same manufacturer.

“We are concerned about the safety of health care workers and patients when using KN95s in high risk procedures and that’s why we sent out the hazard alert,” he said. “We don’t use this lightly; we reserve that for immediate risk.”

In April, the Food and Drug Administration issued an umbrella emergency use authorization for masks that are manufactured in China and not approved by the National Institutes of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The agency reissued the order in June.

Besides the filtration concerns, public health experts have also criticized KN95 masks for their inability to create a tight seal on someone’s face. While these N95 masks have head and neck straps, KN95s have ear loops.

“What’s important to realize is that it’s the tight-fitting seal on your face that gives the N95 superior protection, other than the actual high-quality filtering properties of the mask itself,” said Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

However, Schabacker said the ECRI analysis controlled for the KN95's inferior ear loops by taking them off and creating a seal when testing the models. This means that even if the KN95 mask had head and neck straps, it still wouldn’t protect healthcare workers to the degree that an N95 mask would.

He clarifies that this only applies to KN95 masks that were manufactured in China. Some KN95s are imported from South Korea.

Schabacker said health care providers should consider testing KN95 masks before using them. He also suggests strategically using the N95 masks by either reusing them or extending their use.

But both Schabacker and Glatter say these quick fixes won’t help the overall shortage of PPE in the U.S. and advocate for a more centralized approach to production and distribution so that hospitals have the equipment they need.

“Nearly nine months into the pandemic, we need a national plan to ensure the safety and health of all first responders and healthcare workers,” Glatter said. “We need to create a trusted and continuous supply of PPE... so we don’t have to rely on other countries.”: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...ri/5806327002/

• Coronavirus Cases: 31,565,811

Deaths: 970,800

Underreported US death count: 204,801

US conflicts and 911 Casualties………

World War I - 116,516
Vietnam War - 58,209
American Revolutionary War – 8,000
Iraq War - 4,576
War in Afghanistan - 2,216
911 Casualties – 2,977

Total US Casualties in the conflicts above and 911 Casualties: 192,494

it's been blown way out of proportion.

[S Landreth]

Thailand - Soft loans planned for struggling airlines, tax break on jet-fuel extended

The Government Savings Bank (GSB) is planning to offer soft loans with annual interest of 2 per cent to airlines hit by the Covid-19 fallout. The loan term will be 60 months.

The package will be sent to the Cabinet for approval soon, said GSB chairman Patchara Anuntasilpa. The move would help revive Thailand’s tourism industry, seen as vital for economic recovery, he added.

The loans will be offered via the Export-Import Bank of Thailand.

Meanwhile the airline industry is getting more support after the Excise Department decided to extend the jet-fuel tax cut for low cost airlines. The tax cut of 20 satang per litre will be extended for another six months from the end of September. The department is also considering whether to waive the tax entirely, said Patchara, who is also director general of the Excise Department.

Airlines have reduced their number of flights by 20 per cent from pre-Covid levels. Previously, excise tax revenue from aviation fuel was about Bt1 billion per year. A tax exemption would not cost much in lost revenue, Patchara assured.

Excise tax collected in the first 11 months (October 2019 to August 2020) of fiscal 2020 totalled Bt503 billion, down 6.53 per cent on last year. The top five tax revenue earners were oil and oil products (Bt206 billion), cars (Bt77.7 billion), beer (Bt73.3 billion), liquor (Bt56.6 billion), and cigarettes (Bt58.1 billion).

The department estimates total tax collected for fiscal year 2020 will be Bt520 billion, higher than the revised target of Bt501 billion following the virus fallout, but lower than the original target of Bt585 billion.

For the next fiscal year, the department expects to collect a total of Bt534 billion.: https://www.nationthailand.com/busin...ernal_referral

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

Thailand - BOT leaves rate unchanged

The Bank of Thailand (BOT)’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted unanimously to maintain the policy rate at 0.50 per cent on Wednesday.

The committee assessed that the Thai economy in 2020 would contract 7.8 per cent, slightly less than the 8.1 per cent previous forecast, but would expand in 2021 at a lower rate than previously predicted mainly due to slow recovery of foreign tourist figures, according to MPC secretary Titanun Mallikamas.

The MPC would also monitor risks of a second wave of Covid-19.

Headline inflation this year would be lower than previously predicted and would rise gradually in 2021, it said. However, it added that financial stability was more vulnerable given the economic outlook.

The committee viewed that the extra accommodative monetary policy since the beginning of the year and additional fiscal, financial, and credit measures had helped alleviate adverse impacts. They would also support economic recovery after the pandemic subsided, facilitate the return of inflation to the target, and reduce financial stability risks. The committee thus voted to maintain the policy rate.

It also viewed that financial institutions should speed up debt restructuring for households and businesses to have a more meaningful impact.

Domestic demand, both private consumption and private investment, were expected to improve somewhat while the labour market remained fragile.

The MPC saw employment and household incomes as still weak and in need of time to recover, which would result in falling ability to service household debt, which would affect private consumption in the period ahead.

Overall economic activities would take at least two years before recovering to the pre-pandemic level, though the recovery would vary significantly among economic sectors and firms in different segments.

The committee agreed the financial system remained sound despite increasing vulnerabilities given the economic outlook. Commercial banks had robust capital fund and loan loss provision levels.

The MPC would monitor developments in economic growth, inflation, and financial stability, together with associated risks, including external risks, the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the effectiveness of the fiscal, financial, and credit measures, in deliberating monetary policy going forward. Additional appropriate monetary policy tools would be used if necessary, it said.: https://www.nationthailand.com/busin...ernal_referral

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

Coronavirus Cases: 31,816,647

Deaths: 976,021

Underreported US death count: 205,478

US conflicts and 911 Casualties………

World War I - 116,516
Vietnam War - 58,209
American Revolutionary War – 8,000
Iraq War - 4,576
War in Afghanistan - 2,216
911 Casualties – 2,977

Total US Casualties in the conflicts above and 911 Casualties: 192,494

it's been blown way out of proportion.

[serrollt]

The total number of military and civilian casualties in World War I was about 40 million: estimates range from around 15 to 22 million deaths^[1] and about 23 million wounded military personnel, ranking it among the deadliest conflicts in human history.
116,516 dead seppos

Vietnam war casualties
Total deaths: 1,353,000
58,290 dead seppos

Iraq war casualties
109,032 deaths including 66,081 civilian deaths.
4,576 dead seppos.

Afghanistan War Casualties
Est. 200,000~
2,216 dead seppos

[S Landreth]

Thailand - Electricity, water subsidies to be extended for another year

The Cabinet has approved a one-year extension of a scheme to help underprivileged people with their electricity and tap water bills in this Covid-19 situation, government deputy spokeswoman Ratchada Thanadirek said in a Facebook post yesterday (September 22).

The scheme will be extended from October 2020 to September 2021.

“This measure is expected to help 13.9 million holders of state welfare cards nationwide, or approximately 8 million households. However, each household is entitled to the subsidy each month on one power bill and one water bill only,” she said.

Electricity fees are being waived for households that use less than 50 units per month. If it’s over 50 units, the state welfare card covers up to Bt230 of the bill per household. Any exceeding amount has to be paid by households.The state welfare card also covers Bt100 of tap water bills per household per month.: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/...ernal_referral

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

• Johnson & Johnson starts trial of single-dose COVID-19 vaccine/Johnson & Johnson Begins Final-Stage Testing of Covid-19 Vaccine

Johnson & Johnson is starting a huge study to test if a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine can protect people against the coronavirus. The study, launching Wednesday, will be one of the world's largest coronavirus vaccine studies so far, involving 60,000 volunteers in the U.S., South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru.

A handful of other vaccines in the U.S. — including shots made by Moderna and Pfizer — as well as drug developers in other countries are already in final-stage testing. Hopes are high that answers about at least one candidate being tested in the U.S. could come by year's end, maybe sooner.

Pfizer and its partner BioNTech may be the first to learn if their vaccine works, with the companies planning to look at results after 32 coronavirus infections have occurred in their 44,000-person trial, according to Bloomberg News. That could occur as soon as September 27, analytics firm Airfinity told Bloomberg.

Recent U.S. data about COVID-19 "are unambiguously bad," Pantheon Economics chief economist Ian Shepherdson wrote in a Wednesday research note. "Over the past week, the number of daily new confirmed cases has risen by 14.5% compared to the previous week."

Meanwhile, U.S. health officials insist the race for a vaccine isn't cutting corners.

"We want to do everything we can without sacrificing safety or efficacy — we're not going to do that — to make sure that we end up with vaccines that are going to save lives," Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, told reporters.

But many vaccine specialists question whether the Food and Drug Administration will stick to that goal under intense pressure from the Trump administration. President Donald Trump has consistently presented a faster timeline for a new vaccine than experts say is adequate to fully test the candidates.: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-v...hnson-phase-3/ - https://www.wsj.com/articles/johnson...ne-11600857900

• Coronavirus Cases: 31,935,983

Deaths: 978,063

Underreported US death count: 205,922

US conflicts and 911 Casualties………

World War I - 116,516
Vietnam War - 58,209
American Revolutionary War – 8,000
Iraq War - 4,576
War in Afghanistan - 2,216
911 Casualties – 2,977

Total US Casualties in the conflicts above and 911 Casualties: 192,494

it's been blown way out of proportion.

[S Landreth]

Thailand - Pandemic knocks over 14% off value of Social Security Fund

The Covid-19 crisis has wiped more than 14 per cent off the value of the Social Security Fund (SSF)'s investment portfolio. The fund plays an important role in the Thai stock market, investing over Bt2 trillion in 69 companies.

However, since July its portfolio has dropped 14.9 per cent to Bt2.19 trillion, according to the fund’s latest financial report on Monday (September 21).

Meanwhile, the SFF is also being criticised by netizens for holding a large stake in Phuket’s Sri Panwa Hotel amid claims it encroaches on forest reserves, and public anger at hotel owner Vorasit Issara for criticising pro-democracy protesters.

On June 30, 68 per cent of the SFF was in government bonds and 12.09 per cent in Thai stocks. The fund has a policy to invest 80 per cent in safe-haven assets and 20 per cent in volatile assets.

The fund realised gains of Bt23 billion in the first half of this year – Bt21 billion from interest, debt instrument sales and asset borrowing fees, and Bt2.7 billion from dividends and equities and investment unit sales.

Of the SSF’s stock investment, 8.08 per cent is in PTT (worth Bt19.1 billion), 7.76 per cent in Siam Cement (Bt18.3 billion), 6.16 per cent in Advanced Info Services (Bt14.5 billion), 5.45 per cent in CP All (Bt12.9 billion) and 5.25 per cent in Airports of Thailand (Bt12.4 billion).

The fund also recently invested Bt5.57 billion in other five companies – Central Retail Corp, Srisawad Corp, CH-Karnchang, Amata Corp and CPN Retail Growth Leasehold REIT.

The SSF focuses on Thai holdings, investing just 3.28 per cent in foreign equities.

Passakorn Linmaneechote, deputy managing director of Kasikorn Securities, explained SSF’s investments had dropped partly because the fund had to sell assets to pay unemployment compensation to people who lost jobs during the pandemic.

It was also driven down because the price of Thai stocks was high compared to foreign stocks, he said.

He considers the fund’s 3 per cent foreign investment level to be low.

“If they want to increase investment in foreign assets, they have to set up a team to manage risks from foreign investment which may take a long time," he said.

In Malaysia, some funds took five to 10 years to set up a team to monitor foreign investments, he added.: https://www.nationthailand.com/busin...ernal_referral

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

Coronavirus Cases: 32,131,138

Deaths: 982,515

Underreported US death count: 206,598

US conflicts and 911 Casualties………

World War I - 116,516
Vietnam War - 58,209
American Revolutionary War – 8,000
Iraq War - 4,576
War in Afghanistan - 2,216
911 Casualties – 2,977

Total US Casualties in the conflicts above and 911 Casualties: 192,494

it's been blown way out of proportion.

[serrollt]

The total number of military and civilian casualties in World War I was about 40 million: estimates range from around 15 to 22 million deaths^[1] and about 23 million wounded military personnel, ranking it among the deadliest conflicts in human history.
116,516 dead seppos

Vietnam war casualties
Total deaths: 1,353,000
58,290 dead seppos

Iraq war casualties
109,032 deaths including 66,081 civilian deaths.
4,576 dead seppos.

Afghanistan War Casualties
Est. 200,000~
2,216 dead seppos

[S Landreth]

• Investigators Identify Key Component in COVID-19, Kidney Injury Link

While acute kidney injuries (AKI) are common in patients suffering from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), its pathogenesis is poorly understood.

A team, led by Tariq U. Azam, Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, began to shed light on the pathogenesis between AKI and COVID-19.

The urokinase receptor system could be a key regulator of the intersection between inflammation, immunity, and coagulation, while the soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) has been identified as an immunologic risk factor for acute kidney injuries. However, researchers do not know whether suPAR is linked with COVID-19-related AKI.

In the multinational, observational study, the investigators examined hospitalized adult COVID-19 patients. The researchers measured suPAR levels in plasma samples within 48 hours of hospital admission from 352 individuals and examined the association between suPAR levels and incident -in-hospital acute kidney injuries.

The mean age of the patient population was 61 years old.

A total of 91 (25.9%) individuals developed a AKI during hospitalization, 25 (27.4%) of which required dialysis. The median suPAR level was 5.61 ng/ml, while AKI incidence increased in conjunction with suPAR tertiles, from a 6.0% incidence in patients with suPAR <4.60 ng/ml (first tertile) to a 45.8% incidence of AKI in patients with suPAR levels >6.86 ng/ml (third tertile).

However, no patient with a suPAR <4.60 ng/ml required dialysis during their hospitalization. In the multivariable analysis, the highest suPAR tertile was linked to a 9.15-fold increase in the odds of an acute kidney injury (95% CI, 3.64-22.93), as well as a 22.86-fold increase in the odds of requiring dialysis (95% CI, 2.77-188.75). The investigators also found the association was independent of inflammatory markers and persisted across different subgroups.

“Admission suPAR levels in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 are predictive of in-hospital AKI and the need for dialysis,” the authors wrote. “SuPAR may be a key component of the pathophysiology of AKI in COVID-19.”

In a separate observational study of 3235 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across the Mount Sinai Health System in New York, acute kidney injuries occurred in 1406 patients (46%), of whom 280 (20%) required dialysis. The researchers found about 66% of these injuries were moderate to severe and the majority of patients had evidence of proteinuria.

There have been other large studies conducted in both New York and China that produced similar findings regarding COVID-19 and acute kidney injuries.

Earlier this year, investigators found a mathematical way to forecast whether patients are at a high risk of developing an acute kidney injury.

In the diagnostic study, the investigators examined 495,971 adult hospital admissions between 3 university hospitals in Illinois. The researchers used data from patients with serum creatinine (SCr) measurements from Loyola University Medical Center (LUMC) from 2007-2017 (n = 200,613), University of Chicago (UC) from 2008-2016 (n = 48,463), and at NorthShore University Health System (NUS) from 2006-2016 (n = 246,895).

In a time-to-event analysis, the investigators found a probability cutoff of at least 0.057 predicted the onset of a stage 2 AKI a median (IQR) of 27 hours prior to the eventual doubling in SCr concentrations in the University of Chicago cohort, 34.5 hours in the NUS cohort, and 39 hours in the LUMC cohort.: https://www.hcplive.com/view/covid-1...ey-injury-link

• Coronavirus Cases: 32,258,596

Deaths: 984,394

• Underreported US death count: 207,018

US conflicts and 911 Casualties………

World War I - 116,516
Vietnam War - 58,209
American Revolutionary War – 8,000
Iraq War - 4,576
War in Afghanistan - 2,216
911 Casualties – 2,977

Total US Casualties in the conflicts above and 911 Casualties: 192,494

it's been blown way out of proportion.

[S Landreth]

Update…….because the US death count continues to grow.

• Investigators Identify Key Component in COVID-19, Kidney Injury Link

While acute kidney injuries (AKI) are common in patients suffering from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), its pathogenesis is poorly understood.

A team, led by Tariq U. Azam, Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, began to shed light on the pathogenesis between AKI and COVID-19.

The urokinase receptor system could be a key regulator of the intersection between inflammation, immunity, and coagulation, while the soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) has been identified as an immunologic risk factor for acute kidney injuries. However, researchers do not know whether suPAR is linked with COVID-19-related AKI.

In the multinational, observational study, the investigators examined hospitalized adult COVID-19 patients. The researchers measured suPAR levels in plasma samples within 48 hours of hospital admission from 352 individuals and examined the association between suPAR levels and incident -in-hospital acute kidney injuries.

The mean age of the patient population was 61 years old.

A total of 91 (25.9%) individuals developed a AKI during hospitalization, 25 (27.4%) of which required dialysis. The median suPAR level was 5.61 ng/ml, while AKI incidence increased in conjunction with suPAR tertiles, from a 6.0% incidence in patients with suPAR <4.60 ng/ml (first tertile) to a 45.8% incidence of AKI in patients with suPAR levels >6.86 ng/ml (third tertile).

However, no patient with a suPAR <4.60 ng/ml required dialysis during their hospitalization. In the multivariable analysis, the highest suPAR tertile was linked to a 9.15-fold increase in the odds of an acute kidney injury (95% CI, 3.64-22.93), as well as a 22.86-fold increase in the odds of requiring dialysis (95% CI, 2.77-188.75). The investigators also found the association was independent of inflammatory markers and persisted across different subgroups.

“Admission suPAR levels in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 are predictive of in-hospital AKI and the need for dialysis,” the authors wrote. “SuPAR may be a key component of the pathophysiology of AKI in COVID-19.”

In a separate observational study of 3235 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across the Mount Sinai Health System in New York, acute kidney injuries occurred in 1406 patients (46%), of whom 280 (20%) required dialysis. The researchers found about 66% of these injuries were moderate to severe and the majority of patients had evidence of proteinuria.

There have been other large studies conducted in both New York and China that produced similar findings regarding COVID-19 and acute kidney injuries.

Earlier this year, investigators found a mathematical way to forecast whether patients are at a high risk of developing an acute kidney injury.

In the diagnostic study, the investigators examined 495,971 adult hospital admissions between 3 university hospitals in Illinois. The researchers used data from patients with serum creatinine (SCr) measurements from Loyola University Medical Center (LUMC) from 2007-2017 (n = 200,613), University of Chicago (UC) from 2008-2016 (n = 48,463), and at NorthShore University Health System (NUS) from 2006-2016 (n = 246,895).

In a time-to-event analysis, the investigators found a probability cutoff of at least 0.057 predicted the onset of a stage 2 AKI a median (IQR) of 27 hours prior to the eventual doubling in SCr concentrations in the University of Chicago cohort, 34.5 hours in the NUS cohort, and 39 hours in the LUMC cohort.: https://www.hcplive.com/view/covid-1...ey-injury-link

• Coronavirus Cases: 32,258,596

Deaths: 984,394

Underreported US death count: 207,018

American Civil War Casualties (North and South) - 214,938

it's been blown way out of proportion.

[S Landreth]

well,........ only had one poster helping me turn the page.