Nursing Home Cases Hit New High; Campus Reverts To Online Classes
Nikki Attkisson | Last Updated : August 18, 2020According to the new report, the coronavirus is hitting hard again in nursing homes, with the number of new infections climbing to a weekly high and most of the new cases are in Sunbelt states. The virus does not discriminate between the old and the young, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is reversing course after outbreaks of the coronavirus and going to online classes only.
President Donald Trump’s top expert said “It’s not just classes that are a problem but socializing”, Dr. Deborah Birx, said on Monday families and friends holding parties are a big cause of outbreaks. A new report founds that coronavirus cases in nursing homes have surged to a new weekly high and the CEO of the industry association that sponsored the study warned “we’ve definitely taken a step back.”
A report submitted by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living found 9,715 COVID-19 cases during the week of July 26, based on an analysis of the most recent federal data available. The figures edged the previous high of 9,421 cases in the last week of May.
The reports have also mentioned that nearly four in five of coronavirus infections were at facilities in Sunbelt states, where total nursing home cases nearly tripled since mid-June. Also, the deaths are on the upswing with 1,706 COVID-19 fatalities during the week ending July 26, a 22% increase from the previous week, but still well below the 3,130 deaths reported in the last week of May.
A week after classes resumed by the universities, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Monday became the first major college to pivot back to online classes. The university’s chancellor, Kevin Guskiewicz, and its provost, Robert Blouin wrote “As much as we believe we have worked diligently to help create a healthy and safe campus living and learning environment, we believe the current data presents an untenable situation,” in a message to the campus. And the athletic department of the university’s issued a statement saying the switch back to online classes won’t interfere with its intention to field a football team this season.
The study says that COVID-19 symptoms usually progress, fever and cough, then aches and pains, followed by nausea and vomiting, and then diarrhea. A group of researchers from the University of Southern California found in a new study that this is the most likely order of how COVID-19 symptoms develop. One of the study’s authors, Peter Kuhn, said “This order is especially important to know when we have overlapping cycles of illnesses like the flu that coincide with infections of COVID-19,” “Doctors can determine what steps to take to care for the patient, and they may prevent the patient’s condition from worsening.”
Some significant developments are:
- The virtual Democratic Convention begins Monday. There will be no crowds, little pageantry, and entirely uncharted waters at the remote event this year.
- Five months into the coronavirus pandemic, Michigan and Maryland top 100,000 cases.
- New Zealand has delayed its election because of COVID.
- Pepperoni is the latest American staple to be in short supply amid the pandemic.
- The U.S. has 5.4 million confirmed infections and more than 170,000 deaths.
- According to John Hopkins University data, worldwide, there have been more than 776,000 deaths and more than 21 million cases.
With over 15 years as a practicing journalist, Nikki Attkisson found herself at Powdersville Post now after working at several other publications. She is an award-winning journalist with an entrepreneurial spirit and worked as a journalist covering technology, innovation, environmental issues, politics, health etc. Nikki Attkisson has also worked on product development, content strategy, and editorial management for numerous media companies. She began her career at local news stations and worked as a reporter in national newspapers.