California's first case of coronavirus community spread started in a nail salon, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in his daily pandemic briefing.
Thursday, May 7, 2020
US surpasses 75,000 coronavirus deaths
According to Johns Hopkins University's tally of cases in the United States, at least 75,054 people have died from coronavirus.
Federal judge in Massachusetts issues order allowing gun shops to reopen
A federal judge in Massachusetts issued an order Thursday allowing licensed gun shops in the state to reopen.
Michigan extends stay-at-home order to May 28
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced on Thursday that she signed an executive order to extend Michigan’s Covid-19 stay-at-home order through May 28.
Here's how California plans to begin reopening
California will begin reopening Friday, and guidelines are being introduced to support the lifting of restrictions.
"It does not mean a return to normal," Health Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly warned as he laid out the state’s plans Thursday.
Retail stores will be allowed to do more curbside pickup and possibly deliveries, likely with hand sanitizer at the door. Ghaly is encouraging outlets to change from direct payment at a cash register and move to a "click and swipe methodology."
Plant workers at warehouses and manufacturers should be further apart, and Ghaly suggests perhaps break rooms will be closed down to prevent people from congregating.
"Delivery drivers will have different personal protective equipment than they did before COVID-19 became a reality,” Ghaly said.
Employers must train employees on how to limit the spread of Covid-19 and how to screen for symptoms on a daily basis. Each location will be required to have a site-specific protection plan including cleaning and disinfecting protocols, Ghaly explained.
Industry-wide guidance will be issued shortly, but some businesses will be able to move further into stage two, which may include the reopening of offices and dining inside a restaurant.
Modifications to the stay-at-home order allow residents to move from phase one into phase two.
Stage one involves the strict stay-at-home order, with only essential businesses remaining open.
Phase two includes "lower risk" workplaces like retail, manufacturing, and offices. Phase three will include personal care businesses like salons and gyms, and the final phase is for the "highest risk" businesses like sporting events and concerts.
"It does not mean a return to normal," Health Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly warned as he laid out the state’s plans Thursday.
Retail stores will be allowed to do more curbside pickup and possibly deliveries, likely with hand sanitizer at the door. Ghaly is encouraging outlets to change from direct payment at a cash register and move to a "click and swipe methodology."
Plant workers at warehouses and manufacturers should be further apart, and Ghaly suggests perhaps break rooms will be closed down to prevent people from congregating.
"Delivery drivers will have different personal protective equipment than they did before COVID-19 became a reality,” Ghaly said.
Employers must train employees on how to limit the spread of Covid-19 and how to screen for symptoms on a daily basis. Each location will be required to have a site-specific protection plan including cleaning and disinfecting protocols, Ghaly explained.
Industry-wide guidance will be issued shortly, but some businesses will be able to move further into stage two, which may include the reopening of offices and dining inside a restaurant.
Modifications to the stay-at-home order allow residents to move from phase one into phase two.
Stage one involves the strict stay-at-home order, with only essential businesses remaining open.
Phase two includes "lower risk" workplaces like retail, manufacturing, and offices. Phase three will include personal care businesses like salons and gyms, and the final phase is for the "highest risk" businesses like sporting events and concerts.
Public health experts urge caution in use of coronavirus antibody tests
Public health experts urge caution in use of coronavirus antibody tests
Antibody tests which tell people if they have been infected with coronavirus are not very reliable and should only be used with caution, the Association of Public Health Laboratories and the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists said Thursday.
The association issued new guidelines to help state public health labs and others decide how and when to use the tests, often called serologic tests.
The tests, which look for antibodies in the blood, can show someone was infected. But it’s still not clear if having antibodies to Covid-19 means a person is immune to further infection, the strength of the immunity or for how long, the groups said in a joint statement.
“Until more evidence about protective immunity is available, serologic test results should not be used to make staffing decisions (return to work), decisions regarding the need for personal protective equipment or need to discontinue social distancing measures,” the statement said.
The guidelines include information on the different types of serologic tests, current testing availability, how to choose the right test for population studies, how to interpret the test results and continuing research needs for evaluating the tests.
The tests can be used for determining how widespread the coronavirus may be in a community or population, whether a person can serve as a convalescent plasma donor and to detect whether a person has had an immune response.
Some context: The US Food and Drug Administration at first allowed manufacturers to begin selling antibody tests in mid-March without any federal review and without knowing whether the tests even worked.
The FDA has since changed that policy and now requires validation of the tests.
Antibody tests which tell people if they have been infected with coronavirus are not very reliable and should only be used with caution, the Association of Public Health Laboratories and the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists said Thursday.
The association issued new guidelines to help state public health labs and others decide how and when to use the tests, often called serologic tests.
The tests, which look for antibodies in the blood, can show someone was infected. But it’s still not clear if having antibodies to Covid-19 means a person is immune to further infection, the strength of the immunity or for how long, the groups said in a joint statement.
“Until more evidence about protective immunity is available, serologic test results should not be used to make staffing decisions (return to work), decisions regarding the need for personal protective equipment or need to discontinue social distancing measures,” the statement said.
The guidelines include information on the different types of serologic tests, current testing availability, how to choose the right test for population studies, how to interpret the test results and continuing research needs for evaluating the tests.
The tests can be used for determining how widespread the coronavirus may be in a community or population, whether a person can serve as a convalescent plasma donor and to detect whether a person has had an immune response.
Some context: The US Food and Drug Administration at first allowed manufacturers to begin selling antibody tests in mid-March without any federal review and without knowing whether the tests even worked.
The FDA has since changed that policy and now requires validation of the tests.
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