Health

Minnesota coronavirus deaths hit new single-day mark at 35, officials say

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Minnesota recorded the state’s highest single-day total of coronavirus deaths Thursday, with 35 people succumbing to the virus, state Department of Health officials said Thursday.

The grim milestone was overshadowed as rioters continued causing destruction in the Twin Cities region following the death of George Floyd while in police custody earlier in the week.

The state’s new high for coronavirus deaths came nearly two weeks after the end of the state’s stay-at-home order, FOX 9 of Minneapolis-St. Paul. Minnesota has now lost a total of 967 residents to the virus since the pandemic began.

MINNESOTA HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY GRADUATION CEREMONY EXPOSED PEOPLE TO CORONAVIRUS

Twenty-seven of the victims had been residents of long-term care facilities. Two others were people in their 30s and 40s who had no reported underlying conditions.

The state’s 51-day stay-at-home order expired May 18 but restrictions on large gatherings, church services and dine-in restaurants have continued.

Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm provides an update on the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, during a news conference in St. Paul, Minn., Wednesday, May 27, 2020. (Associated Press)

The total number of cases in Minnesota rose by 483 from Wednesday for a total of 22,947 cases, according to FOX 9.

Minnesota’s official coronavirus numbers include only those who test positive for the virus, but officials believe it will go up significantly as the state increases its capacity for testing.

So far, a little more than 225,000 have been tested in the state, the Minnesota Post reported.

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State health officials warned this week that protests over the death of Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly eight minutes Monday, could cause a spike in coronavirus cases.

“People are moved to want to speak and to want to gather in solidarity and in protest, and we certainly honor and respect that right,” state Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said, according to the Star Tribune. “As we know, large gatherings do pose a risk in any epidemic, but certainly where we stand today with the state of COVID-19 spread in our community. Knowing that we have community spread, we just want to again encourage folks who gather to be mindful of the risk.”

Minnesota is one of 20 states on the COVID Exit Strategy website listed as “trending poorly.” Others include Wisconsin, South Carolina, Ohio, California and Alabama.

PPE fee means patients could pay more at dentist’s office

PPE fee could raise the prices for dental patients

As dental offices across the country resume services after closing their office doors during the pandemic, they have new guidelines from the American Dental Association to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.

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MASON CITY, Iowa – Godwin Odia said he was surprised when he got a call from his dentist about a coronavirus surcharge fee added to his bill.

“I told the dentist, no, I will not pay,” he told Fox News.

Odia, who lives in Maryland, said his dentist will charge $10 per person for each visit. That would be an additional $40 for his family of four each time they visit.

The additional cost would cover personal protective equipment (PPE) for dentists.

“I don’t think it’s proper to charge consumers because they, too, are suffering and have been financially impacted by COVID-19, as well,” Odia added. “

But these fees are not just limited to Maryland.

As dental offices across the country resume services after closing their doors during the pandemic, they have new guidelines from the American Dental Association to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.

Dr. Nathan Hehr and his team in Mason City, Iowa, for example, will screen patients twice to determine their exposure to the coronavirus.

The first assessment is over the phone. Staff will ask if the patient or anyone close to the patient tested positive for the coronavirus. The second line of questioning will come on appointment day.

“We’re doing that to protect both the patient and us,” Hehr told Fox News. “We now have a face shield that we’ve never worn before, and we’re wearing N95 masks that have better protective [sic] and better seal around the edges.”

CORONAVIRUS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Also, patients will not be allowed in the waiting room. Instead, they will have to wait in their vehicles and call into Hehr’s office. One of his team members will meet the patient outside to take his or her temperature. If it’s higher than 100.4 degrees, patients will have to reschedule.

Hehr said visits might take a little longer because staffers have to do extra cleaning between patients, as well.

“One of the new things with the coronavirus is aerosols. When we’re working on patients with our hand tools, it generates a lot of air and water that could potentially be released in this room,” Hehr added.

He put up shower curtains across patient doorways to create a barrier to limit the exposure in the office. Patients have been required to wear face masks and sanitize hands before they can enter his office. Hehr said he would provide masks to patients who need them.

All of these things will add up, he said.

“I think we have to be realistic with the fact that our overhead costs have gone up significantly with the new PPE and the changes we have to make. Somehow that has to be accounted for,” he told Fox News.

Making matters worse for dentists is the fact that appointments have been down.

“Nine out of 10 dentists were reporting that, compared to last year at the same time, they were seeing 5 percent of the patients they would see in a normal period,” said Laurie Traetow, executive director for the Iowa Dental Association.

The American Dental Association proposed PPE fees to help dentists cover the costs of the new guidelines.

It’s not yet clear whether insurance companies will cover the new fees or if they’ll have to come out of patients’ pockets.

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As for Odia, he said his insurance company would not cover the cost for the coronavirus surcharge.

“My insurance company told me over the phone that they would not cover it because a PPE charge is unnecessary.”

Vaping causes ‘slime cloak,’ mouth stress, researchers say

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Vapers may think twice before taking another puff after learning of a new study revealing e-cigarettes’ power to produce “slime cloaks” in users’ mouths.

Though the vapers involved in the study were in their early 20s and healthy, the study also warned that “at the molecular level, they were living life on the edge.”

A study, published on May 27 in the research magazine Science Advances, showed how e-cigarettes can place stress on the oral microbiome and create an environment resembling a gum disease called periodontitis. While the effect of e-cigarettes on the respiratory system has received a lot of attention, the Ohio State University researchers say their study offers some of the earliest experimental evidence on e-cigarettes’ toll on oral microbial ecosystems.

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Senior author Purnima Kumar, professor at Ohio State’s College of Dentistry, told Inverse that oral bacteria coat themselves in a slime layer when exposed to vapor. While the “slime cloak” presents a challenge for healthy bacteria in attaching to the colony, it remains vulnerable to pathogenic characters, the outlet wrote.

“Most importantly, these changes happen within three to 12 months of vaping,” Kumar told Inverse. “This is the fastest change [to the oral microbiome] to a human behavior that we have observed so far, [including] diet, antibiotic use, smoking [and] hookah.”

SOME TEENS WHO VAPE NICOTINE DON’T REALIZE THEY’RE INGESTING THE CHEMICAL, STUDY SUGGESTS

Long-term consequences are unclear at this point because the findings are so new.

The researchers conducted the study by collecting plaque samples just below the gums in a group of smokers, nonsmokers, former smokers who switched to e-cigarettes and dual-users.

The study revealed 284 genes in vapers that were enriched, which signaled oral bacteria had entered a stress-response mode and created the slime layer. Researchers also reported increased levels of inflammatory cytokines, which also entails a bodily immune-response.

CHEMICAL BURNS FROM VAPING? LUNG DAMAGE RESEMBLES MUSTARD GAS EXPOSURE, MAYO CLINIC DOCTORS SAY

Kumar explained the inflammatory pathways activated among smokers and vapers differed, meaning vapers could see different consequences from the inflammation.

The team pointed to two sugar alcohols, glycerol and propylene glycol, that may be the drivers of the changes in e-cigarette users’ mouths. Researchers also found the films continued to spread in the absence of nicotine.

TEXAS TEEN, 15, BECOMES NATION’S YOUNGEST VAPING-RELATED FATALITY

According to the study, 6 percent of Americans (including 3 million high school students) use e-cigarettes. The newly discovered changes in vapers’ oral microbiomes, not to mention previous reports of vaping-related fatalities and lung injuries, could be reason for alarm over additional health consequences to come.

After a coronavirus infection, when is it safe to be around others? CDC offers new guidance

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For those who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, or suspect they may be infected, knowing when it’s safe to see other people can be daunting. In an attempt to offer some clarification, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week issued new guidelines on how to proceed after you are feeling better.

For those who are symptomatic and have a confirmed or highly suspected case of COVID-19, the federal agency advised waiting 10 days since symptoms first appeared, including three days with no fever, before seeing others. Overall symptoms must also have improved before coming out of isolation, the CDC added.

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“Depending on your health care provider’s advice and availability of testing, you might get tested to see if you still have COVID-19. If you will be tested, you can be around others when you have no fever, symptoms have improved, and you receive two negative test results in a row, at least 24 hours apart,” the CDC said.

For those who have tested positive for COVID-19 but do not show any symptoms, the CDC also advised waiting 10 days from the time you were tested before having contact with other people. Asymptomatic people must continue to be asymptomatic within that period of time. If they develop symptoms, however, they are advised to follow the guidelines outlined above.

Those with weakened immune systems, such as those undergoing cancer treatment, should possibly wait longer than 10 days — but the federal agency advised that those patients speak to their health care provider for more personalized recommendations.

“It is important to remember that anyone who has close contact with someone with COVID-19 should stay home for 14 days after exposure based on the time it takes to develop illness,” the CDC added.

But why 10 days? The guidelines come after the CDC earlier this month cited two studies in its memo titled: “Symptom-Based Strategy to Discontinue Isolation for Persons with COVID-19.” The studies referenced by the federal agency found that the “statistically estimated likelihood of recovering replication-competent virus approaches zero by 10 days.”

OFFICE LIFE AFTER CORONAVIRUS COULD POSE SERIOUS HEALTH THREATS, REPORT SAYS

That said, how long a person remains contagious after contracting the virus remains a source of debate, and more research is needed, Yahoo noted.

“What the CDC is basically saying is that they think the data are pretty secure that after 10 days you’re no longer infectious. There’s probably no live virus anymore,” Dr. Willam Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist, and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine explained to the outlet.

The news comes after the CDC also recently issued guidelines on office reopenings as many states begin to ease lockdown restrictions.

Amid coronavirus, CDC offers guidelines on office reopenings

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With many states gradually easing coronavirus lockdowns, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has now issued guidelines for reopening offices.

“Workers in office buildings may be at risk for exposure to the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Office building employers, building owners and managers, and building operations specialists can take steps to create a safe and healthy workplace and protect workers and clients,” the federal agency said when announcing the guidelines.

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For starters, employers are encouraged to ensure that building ventilation systems are operating properly. Opening windows and doors, when feasible, to “increase circulation of outdoor air as much as possible” is also recommended. CDC officials also advised employers to check for rodents and mold growth that could be harmful to employees’ health. (Indeed: The stagnant water in plumbing systems can lead to a buildup of harmful bacteria if not properly managed by facilities managers, according to a recent report . Particularly worrisome is Legionella bacteria, which can cause Legionnaires’ disease, a serious type of pneumonia.)

Additionally, employers are encouraged to “identify where and how workers may be exposed to COVID-19 at work,” per the CDC.

Daily temperature checks, staggered shifts and the forbidding of handshaking, hugs, and fist bumps may also be the norm in the post-coronavirus workplace.
(iStock)

More specifically, employers are advised to identify work or common areas where workers may be less than 6 feet apart — such as break rooms or meeting rooms, for instance. New building guidelines should also be well-communicated with all employees, as well as any contractors who may visit.

Employers are also urged to modify workspace setups to ensure employees are able to social distance from one another. When this is not possible, the CDC advises to “install transparent shields or other physical barriers where possible.”

High-touch items – such as coffee pots and bulk snacks – should be replaced with “pre-packaged or single-serving items,” per the CDC.

OFFICE LIFE AFTER CORONAVIRUS COULD POSE SERIOUS HEALTH THREATS, REPORT SAYS

What’s more, employers should “actively encourage employees who have symptoms of COVID-19 or who have a sick family member at home with COVID-19 to notify their supervisor and stay home.”

Daily temperature checks, staggered shifts, and the forbidding of handshaking, hugs, and fist bumps may also be the norm in the post-coronavirus workplace.

You can read more of the guidelines for reopening offices here.

Black patients double odds for coronavirus hospital admission, study says

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A new study found that the odds of coronavirus hospital admission were nearly doubled if a patient is black.

The study, published on May 27 in the New England Journal of Medicine, set out to find more information about racial and ethnic differences in outcomes from COVID-19. Researchers compared clinical characteristics and hospital course of lab-confirmed cases in black non-Hispanic patients to white non-Hispanic patients.

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In a large Louisiana cohort of patients at Ochsner Health, researchers found that 76.9 percent of COVID-19 hospitalized patients, and 70.6 percent of fatalities, were black, while blacks comprise only 31 percent of the health care system’s population.

However, blacks weren’t independently associated with higher mortality than whites after adjustment for differences in sociodemographic and clinical characteristics on admission, researchers say.

RED CROSS REPORTS 208 CORONAVIRUS-RELATED ASSAULTS ON HEALTH CARE WORKERS

The study concluded that in multivariable analyses, black race, older age, public insurance, residence in a low-income area and obesity were associated with higher odds of hospital admission.

The findings support demographic data on COVID-19 cases released by the New York City Department of Health earlier this month, which shows rates of coronavirus hospilizations among New York City “Black/African-American” patients exceed all other races and ethnicities at 650.3 cases per 100,000 people. Hispanic/Latino patients follow closely behind at 589.06 per 100,000 whereas white patients are reportedly hospitalized at a rate of 290.94 cases per 100,000 people.

The NYC data confirmed the direct correlation between poverty and cases, hospitalizations and deaths, with cases ticking higher as financial circumstances worsen.

CALIFORNIA MAY BE REOPENING TOO QUICKLY, STATE HEALTH OFFICIAL WARNS

In the Louisiana study, the percentage of black patients with Medicaid insurance was three times as high as the percentage of white non-Hispanic patients, and black patients were almost twice as likely to live in low-income areas as white patients. Black patients had higher prevalence of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease than white patients.

Regardless of race, the most common acute medical conditions observed throughout hospitilzation were hypoxic respiratory failure and pneumonia coinfection. Also, the average length of hospital stay was similar across racial groups.

LOUISIANA CHILD’S POSSIBLE CORONAVIRUS-LINKED MIS-C DEATH THE FIRST IN STATE

Researchers did report a higher percentage of black patients with acute renal failure during hospitalization when compared to white patients (15.3 percent and 10.7 percent, respectively). The vast majority of patients in the intensive care unit were black. In addition, 81.6 percent of 364 patients who received mechanical ventilation were black patients.

Despite several noted limitations, the study authors say the research sheds light on otherwise epidemiologic characteristics of black non-Hispanic patients who, they say, are otherwise underrepresented in medical literature.

California may be reopening too quickly, state health official warns

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The California health official who issued the country’s first shelter-in-place order has expressed concern over a possible surge in coronavirus cases there and says the state may be reopening too quickly.

Speaking to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Dr. Sara Cody, health officer for Santa Clara County, said she was troubled by the state now allowing gatherings of 100 people for various purposes and noted that the pace at which the state is reopening at large is “concerning.”

LOUISIANA CHILD’S POSSIBLE CORONAVIRUS-LINKED MIS-C DEATH THE FIRST IN STATE

“This announcement to authorize county health officers to allow religious, cultural, and political gatherings of 100 people poses a very serious risk of the spread of COVID-19,” Cody told the board on Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Her remarks came after the California Department of Public Health earlier this week announced the statewide reopening of places of worship for religious services as well as in-store retail shopping — albeit under certain guidelines.

On Tuesday, state health officials also announced that counties “that have attested to meeting the criteria for accelerated reopening” can begin to reopen hair salons and barbershops under certain restrictions as well, including the mandatory use of face masks.

But the broader easing of restrictions raises a red flag for Cody, who has been credited with creating the nation’s first shelter-in-place order. San Francisco Bay Area’s regional shelter-in-place order affected nearly 7 million people across six counties, according to the newspaper. The broader state of California quickly followed the model, as did other hard-hit states like New York.

“The state has shifted away from the stay-at-home model and has made significant modifications with increasing frequency,” since the beginning of May, Cody said.

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“The pace at which the state has made these modifications is concerning to me,” she added, noting California could possibly see a surge in cases linked to the fast-paced reopenings. (Experts speaking to the San Francisco Chronicle, for instance, said a recent spike in cases in the Bay Area may be linked to the loosening of restrictions there.)

Speaking to the various counties across the state entering Phase 2 of reopening, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose reopening strategy has also faced criticism from some lawmakers, said the state is “not looking back.”

“We’re making progress, we’re moving forward. We’re not looking back, but we are walking into the unknown, the untested… and we have to be guided by the data that brought us back to this place,” Newsom said during a Tuesday briefing.

The news comes as California this week became the fourth state to surpass 100,000 coronavirus cases, with the Golden State reporting 2,908 cases on Tuesday — reportedly it’s highest daily total to date.

Red Cross reports 208 coronavirus-related assaults on health care workers

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In a time when the well-being of the medical community is most essential, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported more than 200 incidents of physical violence against health care workers linked to COVID-19.

Peter Maurer stated that, since March, the ICRC recorded 208 COVID-19 related attacks against health care systems and workers in 13 countries.

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“The COVID-19 crisis is fast threatening to become a protection crisis,” Maurer told the United Nations Security Council over a video call.

Though violence against the industry’s employees is unfortunately nothing new, health workers amid the coronavirus pandemic are experiencing harassment, stigmatization and physical violence, according to an ICRC statement. Some health care professionals and people they were caring for have even been killed.

Maurer explained that the socioeconomic impacts from the pandemic will cause new waves of despair, leaving people facing hunger and poverty exposed to abuse and exploitation.

The message comes in sharp contrast to the outpouring support for health care workers amid the crisis.

SIGNS OF DEPRESSION OR ANXIETY SEEN IN ONE-THIRD OF ADULTS, CENSUS FIGURES SHOW

A community of concerned advocates representing medical and humanitarian global organizations in the 13 countries, spanning more than 30 million health care professionals, is calling for the protection of the workers and solidarity against violence.

“Health-care workers and facilities and medical vehicles should never be a target of violence, and we urge governments, communities and weapon bearers to respect and protect health care at all times, and to contribute to creating a protective environment in which health care can be provided safely,” as written in the declaration.

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Health care professionals working under paramount stress, and victims of violence, must be offered mental health support, the declaration maintains.

Louisiana child’s possible coronavirus-linked MIS-C death the first in state

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A child in Louisiana has died of a rare inflammatory condition that’s possibly linked to the novel coronavirus, marking the first such death in the state, health officials said this week.

In addition to the one death, at least 13 cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) have also been reported in the Bayou State. No other details were provided on the child who died, with officials with the Louisiana Department of Health citing privacy concerns for the family, according to a news release provided to Fox News.

CORONAVIRUS CLAIMS LIFE OF CHICAGO BOY, 12: OFFICIALS

MIS-C is an inflammatory condition that is similar to Kawasaki disease, which causes swelling in arteries throughout the body. Many children with MIS-C — which causes inflammation in the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs — have either been infected with the novel coronavirus or had been exposed to someone with a COVID-19 infection, according to health officials.

MIS-C can also cause persistent fever, rashes, vomiting, and diarrhea, among other symptoms such as a red tongue and eyes.

In Louisiana, all of the cases were reported in patients 19 years old or younger, with at least four children still hospitalized due to MIS-C.

More cases of the Kawasaki disease-like inflammatory condition are likely to pop up in children around the country as the virus continues to spread, experts have warned, and the increasing number of cases even prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to recently issue an advisory regarding MIS-C. Overall, more than 250 cases of the mysterious illness have been reported across the country in recent weeks.

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Dr. Jacqueline Szmuszkovicz, a pediatric cardiologist at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, recently said that children who have a fever that lasts for four or more days should seek medical attention.

“Certainly, if they see any of the other signs — the rash, the red tongue, red eyes — we encourage them to seek care,” she told The Los Angeles Times.

6 feet likely not far enough to stop COVID-19 transmission: experts

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When inside, it might be a good idea to take a few more steps back.

Experts on Tuesday said they believe the six-feet of distance recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) may not be enough to limit the transmission of COVID-19.

In a perspective article published in the journal Science, three experts wrote that aerosol particles can accumulate and remain infectious in indoor air for hours, while being easily inhaled deep into the lungs.

WEARING A SURGICAL MASK CAN REDUCE CORONAVIRUS TRANSMISSION BY UP TO 75 PERCENT, STUDY SAYS

Customers wearing protective masks from the coronavirus and keeping social distancing space line up to enter a Costco Wholesale store in the Van Nuys section of Los Angeles, Saturday, May 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

“Increasing evidence for SARS-CoV-2 suggests the 6 ft WHO recommendation is likely not enough under many indoor conditions where aerosols can remain airborne for hours, accumulate over time, and follow air flows over distances further than 6 ft,” they said.

Chia Wang of National Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan, as well as Kimberly Prather and Dr. Robert Schooley of the University of California, San Diego, said that a large proportion of the COVID-19 spread appears to be occurring through the airborne transmission of aerosols. They added the transmission was produced by asymptomatic individuals during breathing and speaking.

On Tuesday, the experts said that for society to resume as normal, measures must be implemented to reduce aerosol transmission, which includes the universal wearing of masks — in addition to widespread testing. They believe both practices could help identify and isolate those infected asymptomatic individuals.

TEXAS BAR OWNER BANS CUSTOMERS FROM WEARING CORONAVIRUS MASKS INSIDE

“It is particularly important to wear masks in locations with conditions that can accumulate high concentrations of viruses, such as health care settings, airplanes, restaurants, and other crowded places with reduced ventilation,” they added.

The perspective article stated that countries — like Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and South Korea — have implemented universal masking and were the most effective in reducing the spread of COVID-19.

The six feet of social distancing guidelines by the WHO is based on studies of respiratory droplets in the 1930s. However, technology didn’t exist at the time for detecting tiny aerosol particles, the experts stated.

Smaller aerosols will evaporate faster than they can settle, they added. Because of that, they can be affected by air currents, which can transport them over long distances and cause them to stay in the air for hours.

“A lot of the evidence has been pointing to aerosol transmission of respiratory viruses,” Prather told WebMD. “This particular virus, a lot of evidence is mounting.”

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This month, a study by scientists in Hong Kong found that using surgical masks could reduce the rate of non-contact transmission through respiratory droplets or airborne particles by up to 75 percent.

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