Tag: ITALY

First US person-to-person case of coronavirus reported in Chicago. ‘We believe people in Illinois are at low risk.’

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The first U.S. case of the coronavirus spreading from one person to another was reported in Chicago on Thursday, the husband of a woman who caught the disease while in China.

It’s the second case that’s been confirmed in Illinois, and the sixth case in the U.S., since the respiratory virus first started to spread in Wuhan, China.

A Chicago woman who returned from caring for her sick father in China earlier this month was the first local person diagnosed with the illness, health officials reported Friday. The woman, who is in her 60s, traveled to Wuhan, China, in late December and returned to Chicago on Jan. 13. Her spouse, who had not traveled to China, is the second Illinois case and first instance of person-to-person spread in the U.S., the Illinois Department of Public Health said.

Health officials said the man has not attended any mass gatherings or taken the “L” train recently, and is currently sharing details of his activities from the last several weeks. Officials declined to say how many people they’re monitoring for illness who’ve been in contact with the couple but said they are “actively monitoring all close contacts.” The CDC considers close contact to consist of 10 minutes or more of face-to-face contact with a person.

In all, health officials are investigating 21 possible cases of the virus in Illinois.

Shortly after the announcement of the second Chicago case, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency.

Despite the news Thursday, the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health Dr. Ngozi Ezike said, “We believe people in Illinois are at low risk.”

“This person to person spread was between two very close contacts, a husband and wife,” Ezike said at a news conference. “The virus is not spreading across the community at this time.”

What is coronavirus and what precautions should people in the Chicago area be taking? »

Coronaviruses are often spread through close personal contact, said Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health.

“We know this new patient had close contact with his wife after she began to develop symptoms so it’s not unexpected,” Arwandy said.

DuPage County public health officials said Tuesday they are tracking multiple county residents who may have come in contact with the woman, but none had reported symptoms. The couple lives in Chicago but may have come into contact with people in DuPage County, said Don Bolger, a spokesman for the DuPage County Health Department.

 

There have been 7,818 cases reported worldwide, mostly in China, and 170 deaths from the illness in China, according to the World Health Organization.

On Wednesday, the U.S. government evacuated 195 Americans from Wuhan. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also advised Americans to avoid all nonessential travel to China.

 

Symptoms of the virus can include fever, cough and shortness of breath. It’s believed symptoms appear anywhere from two to 14 days after exposure. The CDC has said it’s still unclear how easily the virus spreads from person to person.

Local health officials say it’s not necessary for Chicagoans to stay home or cancel activities amid the news.

More to come.

 

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NEW RESEARCH CASTS DOUBT CORONAVIRUS EPIDEMIC STARTED AT WUHAN FOOD MARKET

New Research Casts Doubt Coronavirus Epidemic Started At Wuhan Food Market

They determined the first patient had no links to a shady seafood market selling live snakes and bats for human consumption

Zero Hedge – JANUARY 26, 2020

The South China Morning Post reports that a team of researchers at Wuhan’s Jinyintan hospital have retraced the movements of the first individual who was diagnosed with the virus.

They determined that he had no links to a shady seafood market selling live snakes and bats for human consumption.

The development comes despite practically all of the western media reports from the city of Wuhan having claimed that the city’s hospitals have been completely overwhelmed by cases of pneumonia as more cases of the Wuhan coronavirus are confirmed.

Amazingly, SCMP caveated its report by claiming that other patients among the earliest cases had “continuous exposure to the market,” which was shut down on Jan. 1 by Wuhan authorities over fears that its trade in wild animals was linked to the viral outbreak. Authorities have since banned the selling of live animals at markets.

The researchers, seven of whom work at Wuhan’s Jinyintan hospital, designated for patients with the illness, revealed on Friday in The Lancet medical journal that symptoms of the new disease were first reported on December 1 – much earlier than the Wuhan government’s initial announcement on December 31 of 27 cases of the pneumonia-like infection.

According to the report, the first patient had no exposure to the Huanan seafood market which was shut down on January 1 over fears – later confirmed – that the new virus was linked to its trade in wild animals. The researchers added that none of the patient’s family had developed fever or any respiratory symptoms. There was also no epidemiological link between the first patient and the later cases, they found.

The researchers analysed data from 41 patients with confirmed infections who had showed an onset of symptoms up to January 2. Six of those patients died, putting the fatality rate of the group at 15 per cent. The researchers noted that clinical presentations of the patients greatly resembled severe acute respiratory syndrome.

The first patient to die from the new coronavirus had continuous exposure to the market before he was admitted to hospital with a seven-day history of fever, cough and breathing difficulties, according to their report.

Doctors also identified 13 other patients who had no contact with the market, which helps build the case for human to human transmission.

The absence of a link to the seafood market is one of the indicators for human-to-human transmission of the virus and the researchers identified another 13 patients who also had no direct exposure to the market.

“Taken together, evidence so far indicates human transmission for 2019-nCoV,” the report said. “We are concerned that 2019-nCoV could have acquired the ability for efficient human transmission,” the researchers added, along with a strong recommendation for precautions such as fit-tested N95 respirators and other personal protective equipment.

Much to Beijing’s chagrin, a team of Chinese scientists on Friday revealed that symptoms of the virus first emerged as early as Dec. 1, much earlier than the Wuhan government’s initial announcement of the first 27 cases on Dec. 31. The notion that the virus may have been transmitted to humans via consuming bats, rats, badgers or snakes was widely reported in the Western press, even by CNN.

Though the possibility of zoonotic transmission hasn’t been entirely ruled out, these researchers apparently believed that there’s reason to doubt that the fish market was the source of the virus. However, the situation is still very much in flux, and it remains true that some of the other patients did have contact with the market.

Either way, do the researchers findings lend more credence to the other conspiracy theory about the virus’s origin? Wuhan reportedly has two labs that participate in China’s bio-warfare program, as Radio Free Asia first reported, and a handful of US outlets, including the Washington Times, have picked up the story.

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Chinese health chiefs warn coronavirus is growing ‘stronger’, MUTATION closely monitored by scientists

CAP

The mysterious coronavirus is now spreading more rapidly and little is still known about it, China‘s senior health officials said, as Beijing grapples with shortages of hazmat suits and protective masks.

“The virus’ transmission ability has become stronger,” National Health Commission Minister Ma Xiaowei said at a press briefing on Sunday.

Ma said that the previously-unknown coronavirus, which has already killed 56 people in China, is spreading faster, while the outbreak is entering a “more serious and complicated phase.”

The official noted that the government’s knowledge of the new virus remains limited and they remain puzzled about the risks posed by its mutations. Beijing will dispatch additional teams of medics to assist patients and study the virus, he added.

Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention head Fu Gao said that there were no signs of clear mutation of the virus so far, but further surveillance is needed.

Local media has reported about the shortage of basic protective gear, like goggles and masks, in Wuhan, the capital of the central Hubei Province, which has been hit hardest by the outbreak. Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology Wang Jiangping said that Hubei needs about 100,000 protective medical suits per day but the factories across the country are making only 30,000 of them daily.

Chinese virus death toll rises to 56, with nearly 2,000 infected nationwide & more cases confirmed abroad

CAP

The authorities have ordered an increase in production and have diverted millions of masks, along with scores of hazmat suits, gloves and goggles, to Wuhan. The local office of the Red Cross has set up a 24-hour hotline for accepting donations of equipment. E-commerce giant Alibaba, laptop-maker Lenovo, and the world’s largest gaming company Tencent have all pledged to donate large sums of money to purchase medical supplies.

Wuhan and nine other major cities in Hubei were partially quarantined in an effort to contain the outbreak. Ma said that the week-long Lunar New Year vacation provides the best window for the “isolation and disinfection” of the area.

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Finland college attack that killed 1 and injured 10: What we know so far

CAP

The Finnish city of Kuopio was gripped by violence on Tuesday after an attacker went on a stabbing spree targeting students temporarily based at a local shopping mall. Here is what is known about the incident so far.

Location: temporary college premises

The violence erupted in the Herman shopping mall in the southern part of the city. Some of its space was temporary rented by the Savo Vocational College while its campus is under renovation. The mall gave rooms to around 600 students and 50 employees of the college.

1 killed, 10 injured

Kuopio police found one dead body when searching the mall after responding to the emergency. Eight apparent victims of the attacker were also found and sent to local hospitals.

The suspected perpetrator was injured after police used firearms to apprehend the assailant. An officer recieved a minor injury as well. Two people were reported to be in critical condition.

CAP

Suspect was student, Finnish national with no criminal record

The police identified the suspect as a student of the college, born in 1994, with no criminal record. He is a Finnish citizen. The police are yet to determine what motivated him to attack fellow students.

Sword attack and fire

The man used a long-bladed weapon to cut his victims, police said, confirming accounts of witnesses, who said a sword was involved. He also had a firearm on him, the police said, but it’s not clear whether he used it or not. He may also be responsible for a small fire at the second floor of the mall, which was quickly extinguished.

Student launched deadly attack at Finnish vocational college using a sword – eyewitnesses

CAP

‘Shocking, completely unacceptable’

Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne responded to the violence in Kuopio on Twitter, saying it was “shocking and completely unacceptable,” while extending condolences to the victims.

CAP

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PELOSI LECTURES TRUMP ON BALTIMORE POVERTY — FROM 5-STAR HOTEL IN ITALY!

Pelosi Lectures Trump On Baltimore Poverty -- From 5-Star Hotel In Italy!

Typical Democrat hypocrisy on full display

July 28, 2019

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had some choice words Saturday for President Trump over his remarks about Baltimore’s squalid conditions under the failed leadership of Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) — from a luxury hotel in Venice.

“@RepCummings is a champion in the Congress and the country for civil rights and economic justice, a beloved leader in Baltimore, and deeply valued colleague,” Pelosi tweeted Saturday. “We all reject racist attacks against him and support his steadfast leadership. #ElijahCummingsIsAPatriot.”

Screen Shot 2019-07-28 at 1.08.37 PM

Notably, Politico pointed out that Pelosi had been spotted at a 5-star restaurant at Hotel Danieli, in Venice, Italy, that same day.
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POLISH MP INVITES AOC FOR EDUCATIONAL VISIT TO ‘REAL’ CONCENTRATION CAMPS

“This is why when someone cheapens the history, or uses it for political point-scoring, we become agitated and upset.”

Raheem Kassam HumanEvents.com – JUNE 21, 2019

A Polish lawmaker and committee chairman on trans-Atlantic trade has invited Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to visit former concentration camps in his country in an effort to educate the freshman legislator.Polish MP Invites AOC For Educational Visit To 'Real' Concentration Camps

Ms. Ocasio-Cortez has recently been embroiled in a war of words with the political right, and indeed members of her own Democratic Party, after suggesting the Trump administration was running “concentration camps” in the United States (despite the Obama administration operating the same policy).

Dominik Tarczyński, a member of the Polish Sejm (parliament), wrote to Ocasio-Cortez on Wednesday.

In his communication, Tarczyński writes:

Screen Shot 2019-06-21 at 10.55.49 AM

The Congresswoman was reprimanded by the official Twitter account of Yad Vashem, the world Holocaust memorial center in Israel.

Read more here…

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Pope Francis Urges Carbon Penalties to Avert Climate ‘Catastrophe’

VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - DECEMBER 25: Pope Francis delivers his Christmas Urbi Et Orbi blessing from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica on December 25, 2017 in Vatican City, Vatican. (Photo by Franco Origlia/Getty Images)

By Thomas D. Williams, PHD.D.

ROME — Pope Francis warned of disastrous consequences if humanity does not immediately react to the threat of climate change, since the world has reached a “critical moment” and there is no time to waste.

“Dear friends, time is running out!” the pope told a group of participants in a Vatican-sponsored conference on energy transition Friday. “We cannot afford the luxury of waiting for others to come forward or of prioritizing short-term economic benefits. The climate crisis requires decisive action from us, here and now.”

Despite the pontiff’s frequent denunciation of a “politics of fear,” he seemed determined to paint as frightening a picture as possible of an impending climate apocalypse in order to incite people to action.

This conference “takes place at a critical moment,” Francis said. “Today’s ecological crisis, especially climate change, threatens the very future of the human family, and this is not an exaggeration. For too long we have collectively ignored the fruits of scientific analysis, and catastrophic predictions can no longer be viewed with contempt and irony.”

The pope’s words Friday went beyond sounding a general alarm and scorning climate-change skeptics. They also urged specific political action, most notably regarding penalties for carbon usage such as a carbon tax.

“A carbon pricing policy is essential if humanity wants to use the resources of creation wisely,” he said. “The failure to manage carbon emissions has produced a huge debt that will now have to be repaid with interest from those who come after us.”

The cost of carbon usage must be paid here and now by those who use it, and not deferred for future generations to cover, he proposed.

“Our use of common environmental resources can be considered ethical only when the social and economic costs of their use are recognized in a transparent manner and are fully sustained by those who use them, rather than by other populations or future generations,” he said.

The pope reiterated the popular belief that “the effects on the climate will be catastrophic if we exceed the 1.5ºC threshold outlined in the Paris Agreement goals,” for which we have “only a little over a decade.”

“In the face of a climatic emergency, we must take appropriate measures, in order to avoid committing a grave injustice towards the poor and future generations. We must act responsibly well considering the impact of our actions in the short and long term,” he said.

“Future generations are soon to inherit a very ruined world,” the pontiff stressed. “Our children and grandchildren should not have to pay the cost of the irresponsibility of our generation.”

Appearing to take a page from AOC’s Green New Deal, Francis expressed his conviction that an energy transition from fossil fuels to a low-carbon society “can generate new employment opportunities, reduce inequality, and increase the quality of life for those affected by climate change.”

Today “a radical energy transition is needed to save our common home,” he warned. “There is still hope and the time remains to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, provided that there is prompt and resolute action.”

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