Coronavirus updates: autopsy results drastically change US coronavirus timeline
Updates on the respiratory illness that has infected more than two million people and killed more than 100,000.

Here’s the latest news on the pandemic.

22 April 17:05 bst — Deaths suggest coronavirus was in the US weeks earlier than thought

The first US COVID-19 death may have occurred in California on 6 February — more than three weeks before the first reported death occurred in Washington state.

Three people who died in Santa Clara County between 6 February and 6 March have now been confirmed as COVID-19 deaths after autopsies, according to a statement released by the county’s department of public health on 21 April. The updated statistics include two people who died at home and a third whose location of death was not specified. Previously, the first COVID-19 death in the county was thought to have occurred on 9 March.

The revised cause of death shows that the deadly disease had footholds in the United States earlier than previously thought. Similar reports have surfaced elsewhere in recent weeks. In late March, a non-peer-reviewed epidemiology study of the Lombardy region in northern Italy found that the virus may have been circulating there for more than a month before it was detected.

22 April 16:45 bst — Climate scientist and IPCC veteran dies of coronavirus

John Houghton, a climate scientist and a senior member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) died of COVID-19 on 15 April, aged 88.

Houghton was the lead editor of the first three IPCC assessment reports — massive, influential studies thatsummarize the state of scientific knowledge on climate change — and accepted the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the organization alongside former US vice-president Al Gore. Researchers who knew Houghton commended him for his scientific rigour, his leadership and his ability to connect with policymakers and the public.

After studying at the University of Oxford, UK, Houghton became a professor there in 1958. He was a pioneer in the use of emerging satellite technologies for understanding the Earth system. As the director-general of the UK Met Office, the nation’s weather agency, from 1983–91 he helped to establish the Hadley Centre for Climate Science and Services and advised the UK government on the scientific consensus on climate change. “He knew they could only really make progress if they had very clear and well-communicated scientific advice,” says Richard Betts, a climate scientist at the University of Exeter, UK, who worked on several IPCC reports with Houghton.

Houghton’s lifetime of leadership in the climate-change community is a significant legacy, Betts says. “He wasn’t just a scientist. He was someone who cared passionately.”

A devout Christian, Houghton co-founded and led the John Ray Initiative, a charity focused on promoting environmental stewardship through both science and Christianity. He famously convinced a prominent US evangelical lobbyist of the compatibility of climate change and Christian thought in the early 2000s.

His former students remember him fondly. “John was an excellent leader,” says James Drummond, a retired atmospheric scientist most recently at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada. Houghton supervised Drummond through his undergraduate and graduate studies at Oxford in the 1970s. “If I do a quarter of what he did, I will be doing very well,” says Drummond.

Researchers have analyzed the records of 85 individuals who died with COVID-19 in the early stages of the outbreak in Wuhan, China. The analysis revealed that the majority of those patients had a few consistent factors in common.

A new study analyzing the data of 85 people who died with COVID-19 found that the majority were male, more than 50 years old, and had underlying health conditions.
A team of investigators hailing from eight institutions in China and the United States — including the Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital in Beijing, and the University of California – Davis — recently looked at the data of 85 patients who died of multiple organ failure after having received care for severe COVID-19.

All individuals whose data the study used received care at either the Hanan Hospital or the Wuhan Union Hospital between January 9 and February 15, 2020.

The researchers who conducted the study uncovered a series of factors that the majority of these patients shared.

They report their findings in a study paper that appears in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Stay informed with live updates on the current COVID-19 outbreak and visit our coronavirus hub for more advice on prevention and treatment.

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The majority were older males
The research team was able to access and analyze the deceased patients’ medical histories, including whether they had any underlying, chronic conditions.

The researchers were also able to find out what symptoms the patients experienced once they had contracted the virus and access information from laboratory tests and CT scans, as well as information about the medical treatment they received while in the hospitals.

They found that 72.9% of those who died with COVID-19 were male, with a median age of 65.8 years and underlying chronic conditions, such as heart problems or diabetes.

“The greatest number of deaths in our cohort were in males over 50 with noncommunicable chronic diseases,” the investigators note.

“We hope that this study conveys the seriousness of COVID-19 and emphasizes the risk groups of males over 50 with chronic comorbid conditions, including hypertension (high blood pressure), coronary heart disease, and diabetes,” they have commented.

The team also notes that, among the 85 patients whose records they analyzed, the most common COVID-19 symptoms were fever, shortness of breath, and fatigue.

As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are changing tack regarding their recommendation to the public about wearing face masks, some experts explain how certain masks could help keep the coronavirus at bay. However, these should be our last resort, they warn.
A recent study explains why surgical face masks could help protect against the new coronavirus — as the last line of defense.

A few days ago, the CDC issued new guidance on the circumstances under which it is advisable to wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The federal agency now “recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially [original emphasis] in areas of significant community-based transmission.”

Yet, by advising the use of homemade cloth masks, the CDC are upholding their earlier recommendation that people refrain from purchasing surgical masks and N95 respirators, which they deem to be “critical supplies” for healthcare workers, who face shortages of protective equipment.

Stay informed with live updates on the current COVID-19 outbreak and visit our coronavirus hub for more advice on prevention and treatment.

A newly published study from the University of Maryland, College Park and The University of Hong Kong now shows how surgical masks, in particular, could help prevent people with a viral infection from shedding infectious particles.

The researchers started their study before the new coronavirus pandemic, so their investigation does not include people who contracted SARS-CoV-2.

Nevertheless, their findings may be relevant to current international debates about the efficacy of masks in preventing the spread of SARS-CoV-2.

The researchers’ findings appear in the journal Nature.
Surgical masks can prevent transmission

In the study, the team worked with 246 participants who had acquired a respiratory infection from a flu virus, a coronavirus, or a rhinovirus.

The researchers split the participants into two groups, providing some with surgical masks and leaving others without.

Then, they asked everyone to exhale through an innovative machine designed to capture particles emitted through exhalation — a device suggestively named Gesundheit II — to determine whether the masks could effectively catch the tiny droplets that carry these viruses.

This idea for the test arose in the wake of a previous study, spearheaded by Prof. Donald K. Milton. The study also used the Gesundheit II machine, and the results indicated that a person with the flu could shed infectious particles without coughing or sneezing.

Even minuscule droplets carried by regular breathing were able to spread the flu virus, that study demonstrated.

In the current investigation, the team found that surgical masks could help reduce the amount of coronavirus shed by participants — and suggested that simply breathing could spread this type of virus.

Masks also helped reduce the amount of flu virus shed through coughing or sneezing, but not through aerosols emitted by just breathing.

Some Canadian transit agencies are quietly taking steps to protect customers against the novel coronavirus that’s been sounding alarm bells around the world.

Several say they have stepped up efforts to clean vehicles and stations and switched to more aggressive anti-microbial cleansers as a precaution.

READ MORE: Coronavirus: Do Canadians really need to stockpile household items?

Public transit services say there is still no need for concern even as the number of Canadians diagnosed with the virus known as COVID-19 continues to climb.

Health officials have recorded at least 30 cases in the country so far, with Ontario reporting the highest number at 20.

One regional transit provider operating a heavily travelled bus and rail network in southern Ontario says it has already documented one instance of an infected passenger travelling on one of its vehicles.

READ MORE: Cancelling travel over coronavirus? Why a flight refund isn’t guaranteed

Metrolinx spokeswoman Anne Marie Aikins says long-lasting disinfectant spray was tested on one of its GO Transit trains recently, and is being rolled out to the entire network after a patient who tested positive for COVID-19 used one of its vehicles to travel home from the airport.

Aikins said the product primarily targets bacteria and mould rather than viruses, but the company views it as a sensible precaution.

“We think it’s just incumbent on us to do whatever we can to protect our staff and our customers,” she said.

Source : GlobalNews

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Learn how the Ministry of Health is helping to keep Ontarians safe during the 2019 Novel Coronavirus outbreak. Find out how to protect yourself and how to recognize symptoms.

Contact Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000, your local public health unit or your primary care physician if you’re experiencing symptoms of the 2019 novel coronavirus.

Please do not visit an assessment centre unless you have been referred by a healthcare professional.

Do not call 911 unless it is an emergency.

Symptoms of COVID-19

Those who are infected with COVID-19 may have little to no symptoms. You may not know you have symptoms of COVID-19 because they are similar to a cold or flu.

Symptoms may take up to 14 days to appear after exposure to COVID-19. This is the longest known incubation period for this disease. We are currently investigating if the virus can be transmitted to others if someone is not showing symptoms. While experts believe that it is possible, it is considered less common.

Symptoms have included:

• cough
• fever
• difficulty breathing
• pneumonia in both lungs

In severe cases, infection can lead to death.

Think you might have COVID-19?

If you or your child become ill

If you are showing symptoms of COVID-19, reduce your contact with others:

• isolate yourself at home for 14 days to avoid spreading it to others
  • if you live with others, stay in a separate room or keep a 2-metre distance
• visit a health care professional or call your local public health authority
  • call ahead to tell them your symptoms and follow their instructions

Children who have mild COVID-19 symptoms are able to stay at home with a caregiver throughout their recovery without needing hospitalization. If you are caring for a child who has suspected or probable COVID-19, it is important to follow the advice for caregivers. This advice will help you protect yourself, others in your home, as well as others in the community.

If you become sick while travelling back to Canada:

• inform the flight attendant or a Canadian border services officer
• advise a Canada border services agent on arrival in Canada if you believe you were exposed to someone who was sick with COVID-19, even if you do not have symptoms
  • this is required under the Quarantine Act
  • the Canada border services agent will provide instructions for you to follow

Check your exposure risk

Have you been on a flight, cruise or train, or at a public gathering? Check the listed exposure locations to see if you may have been exposed to COVID-19.

Diagnosing coronavirus

Coronavirus infections are diagnosed by a health care provider based on symptoms and are confirmed through laboratory tests.

Treating coronavirus

Most people with mild coronavirus illness will recover on their own.

If you are concerned about your symptoms, you should self-monitor and consult your health care provider. They may recommend steps you can take to relieve symptoms.

Vaccine

If you have received a flu vaccine, it will not protect against coronaviruses.

At this time, a vaccine or therapy to treat or prevent this disease has not yet been developed. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a global review of therapies that may be used to treat or prevent the disease.

Health Canada is fast tracking the importation and sale of medical devices used to diagnose, treat or prevent COVID-19.

About coronaviruses

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses. Some cause illness in people and others cause illness in animals. Human coronaviruses are common and are typically associated with mild illnesses, similar to the common cold.

COVID-19 is a new disease that has not been previously identified in humans. Rarely, animal coronaviruses can infect people, and more rarely, these can then spread from person to person through close contact.

There have been 2 other specific coronaviruses that have spread from animals to humans and which have caused severe illness in humans. These are the:

1. severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS CoV)
2. Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS CoV)

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