Gay men still not allowed to give blood as US desperately needs donors
(WHO-DT/CNN/Meredith) — Many blood banks are getting low on inventory because social distancing is keeping donors away.
That’s shining a new spotlight on a regulation that prevents a large group of willing volunteers from helping – gay men.
For decades, the FDA has ruled that men who have had sex with other men in the last 12 months cannot give blood. The stigma behind that marginalized group is that they may transfer HIV to other patients by giving blood.
Keenan Crow with OneIowa, a nonprofit that helps the Iowa LGBTQ community, said this is not backed up by science but is just a stigma.
“It’s much more likely that you’ll be struck by lightning than receive HIV in a blood transfusion due to all these testing advancements,” Crow said.
In the middle of a pandemic, Iowa’s blood supply is plummeting – like all states in the US. Danielle West with Lifeserve Blood Center said because schools and businesses are closed, they’ve canceled many blood drives and have lost out on 1,300 donations. Each donation could potentially save three lives, meaning 3,900 lives are already impacted by the lack of donations.
Lifeserve Blood Center is the only provider of blood for hospitals in central Iowa.
While Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has recommended Iowans stay home, Lifeserve is making sure giving blood is still safe. They’re keeping the beds at least six feet apart and asking additional health screening questions. They’re also only taking donors by appointment, no walk-ins.
When their country needs them, many gay men remain willing but not able. It’s estimated that 360,000 gay men nationwide would donate blood if the ban was lifted.
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Transgender woman fatally stabbed in the neck in Harlem; friend believes she was killed over a wig
A transgender woman was fatally stabbed in the neck in a Harlem park early Saturday by a suspect who fled the scene on a motor scooter, police said.
Cops were called to Harlem River Park near the corner of E. 128th St. and Third Ave. about 1:30 a.m. to find the 33-year-old victim sprawled on the ground, bleeding from a gaping wound in the neck, officials said.
Medics rushed the victim to Harlem Hospital, but doctors were unable to save her.
Witnesses told police that the woman was sitting a bench at the athletic field when her attacker stormed up and started arguing with her. As the two fought, the suspect pulled out a blade and knifed her in the neck before speeding off on scooter.
A gruesome blood trail that started on the bench and ended several feet away was still visible Saturday morning.
Friend Lavonia Brooks said the victim, nicknamed “Lexi,” was a prostitute who may have been attacked by another transgender streetwalker.
Earlier in the night, Lexi ripped a wig off another transgender woman, Brooks explained.
“What happened last night was uncalled for,” Brooks said. “It was all over a wig, a f—— wig.
“She did her thing at the park and stuff, but she mostly stayed to herself,” said Brooks, remembering Lexi’s love of poetry, fashion and makeup. “I really looked up to her because of her tolerance and respect. Lexi had a beautiful heart, she was very gifted.”
Cops were scouring the park and surrounding streets Saturday for surveillance footage of the attack that could help them identify the suspect.
No arrests have been made.
Photo Credit: Theodore Parisienne/for New York Daily News
90-year-old coronavirus survivor in Washington credits God and potato soup for her recovery
A potato a day helps keep the coronavirus at bay.
While the Centers for Disease control has repeatedly stressed that there is no known cure for COVID-19, 90-year-old Geneva Wood developed a regiment she credits with helping her stave off the illness: God and homemade potato soup.
Wood, a mother of five, spent the start of 2020 recovering from a stroke at Life Care Center, a nursing home in Washington State once at the heart of the U.S. coronavirus outbreak, according to ABC News. Thirty-five residents diagnosed with the illness died in the weeks after the virus first emerged there.
Just days before her scheduled release, Wood fell and broke her hip and two days later, on March 6, she was diagnosed COVID-19, according to one of her daughters, Cami Neidigh.
Wood’s family rushed to the facility to see her, but were only allowed to visit in a limited capacity. After 11 days of treatment, the rule changed and they were no longer allowed inside her room at all.
That’s when Neidigh decided to whip up the family’s beloved homemade potato soup as a means to cheer up her ailing mother. They stored a batch in the hospital refrigerator and then got permission to bring the treat from home to Wood’s door.
“She had gone about a week without eating and once we were able to get her some soup and once she was able to see us through the window, she really rallied. It’s her comfort food,” she said.
“Mom has told me that her mother taught her to make it when she was a kid. Anytime she gets sick, what she survives on is her potato soup. It has protein and everything she wants and it doesn’t upset her stomach and calms her down.”
Wood has since been cleared of the virus and hugged her family for the first time last week. She has a residual cough due to lung damage, but is otherwise recovering and healthy.
“I beat the coronavirus,” Wood told “Good Morning America.”
“I have a lot to live for, and God gave me the strength to do it.”
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How to clean a sponge so that it is free from germs and viruses
Janilyn Hutchings, a certified professional in food safety and a food scientist for StateFoodSafety, says about sponges: “If they’re dirty, they can spread germs to everything they touch, from dishes and utensils to the kitchen counter and appliances.”
Why you should clean a sponge regularly
Yeast, mold, bacteria: All sorts of germs can make your sponges smelly, or worse.
A 2017 study found that fecal coliform bacteria lurks in 44 percent of kitchens, often in sponges and dishcloths. This E. Coli bacteria can be harmless, but certain strains may cause diarrhea, cramps and vomiting. In fact, a study conducted in Japan found that kitchen sponges were second only to drain traps when it came to the highest levels of bacterial contamination in the house.
Your sponge might also harbor other types of bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus or Campylobacter, which can also cause diarrhea. You’re probably more than ready to clean that sponge now, right? Jennifer Quinlan, PhD, professor in Drexel University’s Department of Nutrition Sciences, says don’t wait.
“The general recommendation is to just do it daily,” Quinlan says.
Methods of cleaning sponges
The USDA’s ARS Food Technology and Safety Laboratory has found that two methods work to disinfect a kitchen sponge and make it safe to use again:
Dishwasher: If you run the dishwasher every night before you head off to bed, Quinlan suggests just tossing the kitchen sponge on the top shelf and turning on the dishwasher. The heat disinfects the sponge and your dishes at the same time.
Microwave: “You basically dampen it, you make sure it’s wet, put it in the microwave and you microwave it for a minute,” says Quinlan. “You’ll see steam coming off of it.” Again, the heat is the hero here. But this method isn’t foolproof, so check out this article on how to do it properly.
According to the USDA, these two methods are 99 percent effective in killing off bacteria present in sponges. “It’s really that simple,” says Quinlan.
The following are methods not recommended:
Hot soapy water: Hot tap water won’t be hot enough to get rid of the germs, according to Quinlan. You could boil water on the stove and soak your sponge in that, but only if you don’t have a microwave or dishwasher.
Bleach bath: Heat is more effective than bleach for this purpose, according to Quinlan. “It’s the heat that kills the pathogens,” says Quinlan. Plus, if you try to bleach your sponges, the bleach doesn’t always work its way through the entire sponge. And you risk leaving bleach behind and potentially getting onto food prep surfaces and food.
When to throw your sponge out
At some point, you should just throw the sponge away. Two weeks is a pretty good lifespan for a typical kitchen sponge, says Hutchings.
“Replacing it at least every two weeks will keep the bacteria from spreading and growing, making you sick if you use it,” she says. “You should also replace them if they smell funny and you can’t get rid of the odor, or if they start breaking apart.”
A 2017 study suggests that cleaning your kitchen sponges doesn’t really kill the bacteria as well as you’d think anyway. You might just be better off replacing your sponges each week than trying to clean them.
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NJ shuts down party during coronavirus crisis, charges party host
New Jersey police shut down a party involving nearly 50 people as authorities try to tamp down large gatherings that could spread the coronavirus, officials said Saturday.
Members of the Ewing Township Police Department broke up the party on Friday night after finding 47 people, including a DJ, crammed into a 550-square-foot space, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy posted on Facebook.
“The organizer was charged as they should have been and deserved to be,” Murphy posted.
Further details of the party and police response were not disclosed. A call to the Ewing Township Police Department for information was not returned.
“This is not a game,” Murphy said about the police action and the rapidly spreading disease that is ravaging the nation. “Stay home. Be smart.”
Murphy said that 11,124 New Jersey residents had tested positive for the coronavirus as of 1:30 p.m. Saturday. So far, 140 people in the state have died.
New Jersey saw 2,289 COVID-19 cases pop up in the state in the last 24 hours.
Sickened residents seemed to be clustered in Bergen and Essex counties, which had 1,838 and 1,086 cases respectively, officials said.
Photo Credit: nydailynews.com
SCAM ALERT: Fake coronavirus stimulus checks are already hitting mailboxes
(WFLA/CNN/Meredith) — When it comes to scams, experts say if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
One man in Florida says there’s a scam going around you need to know about – fake coronavirus relief checks.
Thomas Andrews got one in the mail Thursday.
From the outside, the fake check looks official, including words like “time-sensitive,” “fast-tracked,” “open immediately” and “do not bend.” The check was for more than $3,000.
Luckily for Andrews, he knew it was suspicious. Stimulus checks to many Americans are a major component of the massive coronavirus relieve bill signed by President Donald Trump on Friday. But Andrews knew there’s no way the checks could be in the mail yet (it may take weeks or even months), so he is giving people a heads up on Facebook. Plus, $3,000 is more money than any American will be getting.
“I wanted to post it as soon as I could because I know that some people, like my grandma, would have fallen for stuff like that,” Andrews said.
Along with the check is a letter telling people to come claim their stimulus incentives over the next week. Andrews’ check showed an address in Bushnell, Florida that was connected to a used car lot.
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MO nurse resigns after being told she can’t wear a mask around patients
RICHMOND HEIGHTS, Mo. (KMOV.com) — A local nurse says she recently resigned after she says she wasn’t allowed to wear a mask while working with patients.
The nurse has 32 years of experience and worked for St. Mary’s hospital. She asked to remain anonymous to protect herself.
The head of a state nursing organization said concerns about personal protection equipment (PPE) and the safety of nurses are on the rise.
“Nurses don’t want to be part of the problem, they want to be part of the solution,” the nurse told News 4.
She says she bought N-95 masks with her own money so she didn’t jeopardize the hospital’s supply. She doesn’t work with coronavirus patients but wanted protection for her and her co-workers because people not showing symptoms can spread the virus.
“I walked into work with my mask on and my boss said I had to take it off. I told her I would not take it off or I would quit,” the nurse said. “It was for my safety, my coworkers safety, my patient’s safety.”
So she resigned and she says officials with the hospital told her to leave without a two-week notice.
“I really found it shocking that for me to protect myself during a pandemic that they would let a nurse walk out the door,” the nurse said.
St. Mary’s said the following to News 4:
“We believe there is no basis in fact to the allegations that nursing leaders have directed nurses to work in an unsafe manner. We do currently have restrictions on hospital staff supplying their own PPE as we cannot guarantee that personal PPE is up to CDC standards and has been properly sterilized. “Build a dynamic banking and financial enterprise.Transform operations, operating models and enterprise architecture to become more agile and efficient, allowing you get to market faster.Ad By IBM See More
“It just blows my mind that when our nurses are wanting to wear protective equipment that they are being told they’re not able to,” Heidi Lucas said, the director of the Missouri Nurses Association.
Lucas said calls with concerns about the safety of nurses are on the rise.
“If we lose our healthcare workforce, if our healthcare workforce gets sick in mass what are we going to do?” Lucas said.
Metro bus drivers are allowed to wear N-95 masks. A former St. Mary’s nurse is asking what about nurses. She says she doesn’t regret taking a stand.
“I would regret it if I made my family sick, if I made my other coworkers. If I made a patient sick,” the nurse said. “I would never get over that.”
Lucas said one Kansas City hospital is allowing all its employees to wear masks.
St. Mary’s Hospital is saying first and foremost, the safety of patients and staff is the top priority.
The nurse says any interaction with patients can put hospital staff at risk because people can carry the virus and give it to others without showing symptoms. She told the story of another worker who tried to practice social distancing.
“She sits at a desk and so family members come up to talk with her. Early on I said you need to put a sign up to tell people to step back,” the nurse said. “They made her take it off and she’s at DePaul hospital right now and she’s waiting on her result and she sounds terrible.”
The number of nurses expressing concern about working conditions is growing.
Photo Credit: kmov.com
These Common Household Products Can Destroy the Novel Coronavirus
News of stores running out of hand-sanitizing gels and chlorine wipes may have you worried about how to protect your family at home as COVID-19 spreads. But plain old hand soap will go a long way.
“It isn’t possible to disinfect every surface you touch throughout your day,” says Stephen Thomas, M.D., chief of infectious diseases and director of global health at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, N.Y. “The planet is covered with bacteria and viruses, and we’re constantly in contact with these surfaces, so hand-washing is still your best defense against COVID-19.”
You need to amp up your typical cleaning routine only if someone in the household exhibits signs and symptoms of a respiratory infection or if you live in an area with known cases of COVID-19. In that scenario, Thomas says, “Clean high-traffic areas that get touched frequently, such as kitchen counters and bathroom faucets, three times a day with a product that kills viruses.”
The good news is that coronaviruses are some of the easiest types of viruses to kill with the appropriate product, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. “It has an envelope around it that allows it to merge with other cells to infect them,” Thomas says. “If you disrupt that coating, the virus can’t do its job.”
If you can’t get your hands on hand sanitizer or Clorox wipes, see below for a number of cleaning products that you probably have around the house already, and that stores are more likely to have in stock, that are effective in deactivating the novel coronavirus. We also tell you which products don’t work and when you can expect retailers to stock back up on cleaning supplies.
Cleaning Products That Destroy Coronavirus
Soap and Water
Just the friction from scrubbing with soap (any kind of soap) and water can break the coronavirus’s protective envelope. “Scrub like you’ve got sticky stuff on the surface and you really need to get it off,” says Richard Sachleben, an organic chemist and a member of the American Chemical Society. Discard the towel or leave it in a bowl of soapy water for a while to destroy any virus particles that may have survived.
Using antibacterial soap won’t give you added protection against the coronavirus because it kills bacteria, not viruses. You can still use it as long as you scrub.
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Bleach
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a diluted bleach solution (⅓ cup bleach per 1 gallon of water or 4 teaspoons bleach per 1 quart of water) for virus disinfection. Wear gloves while using bleach, and never mix it with ammonia—or anything, in fact—except water. (The only exception is when doing laundry with detergent.) Once mixed, don’t keep the solution for longer than a day because the bleach will lose potency and can degrade certain plastic containers.
“Always clean the surface with water and detergent first, since many materials can react with bleach and deactivate it,” Sachleben says. “Dry the surface, then apply the bleach solution and let it sit for at least 10 minutes before wiping it off.”
Bleach can corrode metal over time, so Sachleben recommends that people not get into the habit of cleaning their faucets and stainless steel products with it. Because bleach is harsh for many countertops as well, you should rinse surfaces with water after disinfecting to prevent discoloration or damage to the surface.
If you can’t find liquid bleach, you can use bleach tablets instead. You may have seen Evolve bleach tablets, which dissolve in water, at Walmart or on Amazon. Just follow the dilution instructions on the packaging (1 tablet is equal to ½ cup liquid bleach). A label on the bottle states the product is not a disinfectant, but chemically, it’s the same as liquid bleach. A company spokesperson at Custom Bottling & Packaging, which acquired Evolve three years ago, says the company hasn’t had the time or resources to put their product through the Environmental Protection Agency’s registration process that would allow them to make disinfecting and sanitizing claims. As of this update, Evolve is not experiencing any shortages and is supplying hospitals, research centers, and correctional facilities.
Isopropyl Alcohol
Alcohol solutions with at least 70 percent alcohol are effective against the coronavirus on hard surfaces. First, clean the surface with water and detergent. Apply the alcohol solution (do not dilute it) and let it sit on the surface for at least 30 seconds to disinfect. Alcohol is generally safe for all surfaces but can discolor some plastics, Sachleben says.
Hydrogen Peroxide
According to the CDC, household (3 percent) hydrogen peroxide is effective in deactivating rhinovirus, the virus that causes the common cold, within 6 to 8 minutes of exposure. Rhinovirus is more difficult to destroy than coronaviruses, so hydrogen peroxide should be able to break down the coronavirus in less time. Pour it undiluted into a spray bottle and spray it on the surface to be cleaned, but let it sit on the surface for at least 1 minute.
Hydrogen peroxide is not corrosive, so it’s okay to use it on metal surfaces. But similar to bleach, it can discolor fabrics if you accidentally get it on your clothes. “It’s great for getting into hard-to-reach crevices,” Sachleben says. “You can pour it on the area, and you don’t have to wipe it off because it essentially decomposes into oxygen and water.”
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What Not to Use Against Coronavirus
Homemade Hand Sanitizer
You’re probably seeing all sorts of hand sanitizer recipes floating around your social media and the internet, but Thomas at Upstate Medical University advises against making your own. “People don’t know the right ratios to use, and the internet won’t give you the right answer,” he says. “Not only can you hurt yourself, but it could give you a false sense of security.”
Sachleben seconds that advice. “I’m a professional chemist, and I don’t mix my own disinfectant products at home,” he says. “Companies spend a bunch of time and money to pay chemists specifically to formulate hand sanitizers that work and that are safe. If you make it yourself, how can you know if it’s stable or if it works?”
Vodka
There are widely circulated recipes on the internet using vodka to combat the coronavirus. A couple of vodka makers, including Tito’s, have already come out with statements telling their customers that their 80-proof product does not contain enough ethyl alcohol (40 percent compared with the 70 percent required) to kill the coronavirus.
Distilled White Vinegar
Disinfection recommendations using vinegar are popular online, but there is no evidence that they are effective against the coronavirus. (Read about the 9 things you should never clean with vinegar.)
Tea Tree Oil
While there is preliminary research that suggests tea tree oil may have an effect against the herpes simplex virus, there is no evidence that it can kill coronaviruses.
When Retailers Expect More Supplies
Wondering when you’ll be able to get your hands on hand sanitizer, Lysol wipes, Clorox sprays, etc., at your local store? CR spoke to major chains, including Costco, CVS, Kroger, Stop & Shop, Target, and Walgreens. They are still seeing temporary shortages and are restocking as quickly as their suppliers allow. Most stores have instituted purchase limits to prevent hoarding.
“The overbuying caused the supply chain to short-circuit,” says Burt Flickinger, managing director at Strategic Resource Group, a retail and consumer goods consulting firm. “It took a few weeks for the manufacturing plants to catch up, but brands such as Clorox, 3M, and Procter & Gamble will be fulfilling 75 percent of their orders in the next week.” He estimates that store shelves and Amazon should be restocked with cleaning products within the first two weeks of April.
You may still have a hard time finding hand sanitizer, however. Purell announced March 24 that shipments of hand sanitizer will be prioritized to workers deemed critical by the federal government, including healthcare workers, first responders, and grocers.
And toilet paper and paper towels will continue to be scarce. “The paper companies are struggling to meet demand,” Flickinger says. “They’re supplying about 25 percent of what retailers are ordering.” Your best bet is to ask the store manager when the trucks make their deliveries and be there when they’re unloading.
—Additional reporting by Mary Farrell
Editor’s Note: This story, originally published March 9, 2020, was updated to include additional information about bleach tablets, tea tree oil, and retailers’ inventory of disinfectants and other supplies.
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Pierce County coronavirus cases now at 231 with five deaths
Pierce County on Friday reported 45 new confirmed cases and another death in the coronavirus pandemic.
The county now has 231 cases and five deaths out of 4,310 tested by University of Washington virology lab and state public health labs.
The latest death from Lakewood, a man in his 80s with underlying health conditions, follows two also from Lakewood reported Thursday, a man and woman both in their 70s, also with underlying health conditions.
Pierce County’s case numbers from Friday are below, with Thursday’s numbers in parentheses.
▪ Bonney Lake: 6 (5)
▪ Central Pierce County: 11 (7)
▪ East Pierce County: 9 (7)
▪ Edgewood/Fife/Milton: 13 (12)
▪ Frederickson: 7 (6)
▪ Gig Harbor area: 14 (13)
▪ Graham: 6 (5)
▪ JBLM: 3 (no change)
▪ Key Peninsula: 2 (1)
▪ Lake Tapps/Sumner area: 7 (6)
▪ Lakewood: 12 (10)
▪ Parkland: 17 (13)
▪ Puyallup: 16 (14)
▪ South Hill 10 (6)
▪ South Pierce County: 4 (4)
▪ Southwest Pierce County 3 (no change)
▪ Spanaway 8 (5)
▪ Tacoma: 75 (60)
▪ University Place: 8 (6)
On Thursday, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department again changed its reporting methods, adding more cities to the list and redistributing case numbers to different cities as it removed more general county locator descriptions.
As case numbers have grown in the county, the health department has adjusted its reporting style and has added a map to view case locations on its website.
The outbreak of the coronavirus, which causes COVID-19 respiratory disease, has now claimed five lives in the county, including three from Lakewood, one from Puyallup and one from Spanaway.
Underlying medical conditions have been tied to many of the deaths. On Friday, the health department issued a reminder on its blog of what classified as underlying conditions putting patients in the high-risk category:
▪ Heart disease
▪ Diabetes
▪ Lung disease
▪ HIV
▪ Asthma
▪ Pregnancy
▪ Auto-immune disorders
▪ Recent surgery
▪ Cancer treatment
▪ Severe obesity
Read more here: https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/coronavirus/article241569046.html#storylink=cpy
Up to 10 percent of recovered coronavirus patients test positive again, report says
As many as 10% of recovered coronavirus patients in China tested positive again after being discharged from the hospital, according to a report.
Doctors on the front lines of the outbreak in Wuhan, China — where the virus emerged — reported that between 3 and 10% of cured patients became reinfected with the illness, though it’s unclear whether they were contagious the second time, the South China Morning Post reported.
Tongji Hospital, which identified the first COVID-19 case, confirmed that five of 145 patients — a little over 3% — tested positive again in nucleic acid tests, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
“So far there is no evidence to suggest that they are infectious,” said Wang Wei, the hospital’s president.
He said the five patients who tested positive again did not have any symptoms and none of their close contacts had been infected.
Wang added that surveillance of similar patients showed that 80 to 90% had no trace of the virus in their system one month after being discharged from the hospital, according to the report.
But, he said, these are just “small samples” and “not enough to assure us of the validity of our initial findings.”
“We need a large-scale epidemiological study to guide our disease surveillance and prevention works,” Wang said.
Meanwhile, other quarantine facilities in Wuhan have seen about 5 to 10% of their recovered patients test positive again. The findings were reported by the health news outlet Life Times, which is affiliated with state-run newspaper People’s Daily.
The studies come as health officials around the world are testing the concept of taking plasma from someone who has been infected, processing it and injecting the antibodies into a sick person to stimulate their immune system.
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