H5N1

Ebola: A new case recorded in Gouécké

Via guineematin.com: Ebola: A new case recorded in Gouécké. Despite all the details in this report, we know nothing about the fifth case itself. The Google translation:

A new positive case of Ebola was recorded this Wednesday, February 24, 2021, in the sub-prefecture of Gouécké, prefecture of N'Zérékoré, where the disease reappeared recently. This brings to 5 the number of confirmed cases recorded since the resurgence of the epidemic in Guinea. The announcement was made by the National Health Security Agency (ANSS). 

Guineematin.com offers you below the situation of the day communicated by the ANSS: 

• Vaccination of 51 contacts around confirmed cases including 11 in Dubreka prefecture and 40 in N'Zérékoré on February 23, 2021; 

• The result of the suspected case who died at the CT-Epi in N'Zérékoré on February 23, 2021 was negative; 

•  One (1) new confirmed case among the contacts monitored was detected today in Gouécké (N'Zérékoré); 

•  Cumulative of five (5) confirmed cases and four (4) probable cases as of February 23, 2021; 

•  Two (2) confirmed cases are hospitalized at the CT-Epi in N'Zérékoré on February 23, 2021; 

•  No case hospitalized at the CT-Epi in Nongo (Conakry); 

•  Two (2) cases of recovery including one (1) in Conakry and one (1) in N'Zérékoré; 

•  Cumulative five (5) deaths including four (4) probable cases and one (1) confirmed case as of February 23, 2021; 

•  One hundred and six (106) contacts left the follow-up in N'Zérékoré as of February 22, 2021; 

•  To date, 276 contacts are being followed up.

COVID-19 in the US on Monday: 28,174,133 cases, 500,071 deaths

The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) dashboard makes it official:

But bear in mind that all official case counts and mortality counts are very likely severe undercounts. And the pandemic continues.

Ebola: A 7th case notified in North Kivu

Via 7sur7.cd: Ebola: A 7th case notified in North Kivu. The Google translation:

The provincial minister of health in North Kivu, Doctor Nzanzu Salita Eugène, during a lively press briefing this Monday, February 22, 2021 in the town of Butembo, announced a 7th positive case for the Ebola virus. This is the daughter of the second case notified in the Biena health zone, in Lubero territory. This new case is being taken care of in the Katwa health zone. 

“Since the epidemic was declared in North Kivu, we are currently registering 7 cases of Ebola. The last patient was diagnosed yesterday. She is from Masoya, mainly from Ngubi village. She's the daughter of the 2nd confirmed case we had. So this is a known contact and was on her twelfth day of follow-up. Currently, she is following care in the CTE (Ebola Treatment Center) in Katwa,” Dr. Nzanzu Salita explained to 7SUR7.CD at the microphone. 

He also affirms that the vaccination against Ebola "for people not yet vaccinated" started on Monday and will end on Tuesday 23 February next." 

In addition, the provincial minister of health in North Kivu denied rumors that an Ebola response team in charge of vaccination was attacked in the health zone of Biena (Lubero), last Sunday, by drivers of motorcycle taxis. 

“This is wrong. What is true is that the taximans were in mourning. And you know here with us how we manifest during mourning. They were sympathizing because one of their own had passed away. And after that, we had vaccinated more than 62 people. So, to tell you that we were not attacked,” he said. 

Since the reappearance of the Ebola virus epidemic in North Kivu, the cumulative number of cases is 7. 4 have died and 3 are being treated in the health zones of Biena (Lubero) and Katwa (Butembo). More than 500 contacts are followed.

Ebola in Butembo: Two patients died

Via Radio Okapi: Ebola in Butembo: two patients died. Excerpt from the Google translation:

Two patients from the Ebola virus epidemic died on Friday February 19 and Saturday February 20 in the province of North Kivu. This is a woman from the Katwa health zone in Butembo and a man from the Biena health zone in Lubero territory who tested positive on Thursday February 18 in Butembo, indicates the provincial minister of Health, Dr Nzanzu Salita. 

According to him, the deceased man was a contact with the very first Ebola case of the twelfth epidemic. This brings the total to six cases of Ebola already recorded, including four deaths.  

“We have just recorded two deaths. One, we recorded it last night, another we just recorded this morning. There is an old and a new one, so there is the last case of Biena, so the 6th case that died, and there is also the 3rd case that died. So, out of the 6 (Ebola patients), we have just lost 4, and we remain to take care of 2 who are at the CTE (Ebola Treatment Center) in Katwa,” detailed Dr Nzanzu Salita. 

 Dr Nzanzu Salita Eugène thus asks all contacts of these Ebola cases to go to health structures as quickly as possible in order to find out their state of health. 

“We call on families not to make these deaths just another opportunity for contamination because we know that when an Ebola patient dies, the number of viruses is quite high at that time. So if you touch his body, you risk infecting yourself and infecting many people,” the provincial minister warned. 

He insists that the population should not hide with this disease. “You have to get to care as quickly as possible, if you are in contact with a patient, contact our health structures to find out your state of health because, as soon as you have started the signs, you have little almost 10 days,” advised Dr Nzanzu. 

Awareness sessions 

To limit the spread of the virus in Ebola, the provincial minister of health of North Kivu is increasing awareness sessions. On Saturday February 20, he met with pressure groups and citizen movements at City Hall. He called on everyone to get involved in raising public awareness for community engagement against this disease and against COVID-19. 

Transmitting the real information and avoiding rumors around Ebola in order to avoid the errors known during the 10th Ebola epidemic, this is the key message from the provincial minister of health of North Kivu to his interlocutors.

COVID-19 on Friday night: 110,687,323 cases, 2,450,499 deaths

A screenshot from the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) dashboard:

The US will pass 28 million cases by morning, and half a million deaths sometime next week.

 

The dashboard also tells us that on November 15, 2020, COVID-19 cases were half of what they are tonight. It took most of a year to reach 55 million cases, and 3 months to double that number.

WHO: Ebola virus disease – Guinea (17 February 2021)

Via ReliefWeb, WHO has published Disease outbreak news: Ebola virus disease – Guinea (17 February 2021). Excerpt:

On 14 February 2021, the Ministry of Health (MoH) of Guinea informed WHO of a cluster of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) cases in the sub-prefecture of Gouécké, Nzérékoré Region, Guinea between 18 January and 13 February 2021. The cases showed symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting and bleeding after attending the burial of another relative (a 51 year-old nurse) on 1 February 2021. 

The index case of the cluster was a nurse who had originally presented at a health centre in Gouécké on 18 January 2021 with headache, physical weakness, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, and fever. She was diagnosed with typhoid. She sought a second consultation at a health facility in Nzérékoré on 23 January 2021 for fever, vomiting, liquid stools, and physical weakness, and she was diagnosed with malaria. On 24 January she consulted a traditional practitioner in Nzérékoré, and she died on 28 January 2021. She was buried unsafely on 1 February in Gouécké. The other six cases are the five family members and the traditional practitioner she visited. 

Among the seven cases, five have died (4 probable and 1 confirmed). The other two confirmed cases are currently in isolation in dedicated health care facilities in Conakry and Gouécké, Nzérékoré region. 

The Ebolavirus species is not yet determined. Additional laboratory analyses are on-going to ascertain virus species. 

As of 15 February, one hundred and ninety-two (192) contacts have been identified, including 164 contacts in N’Zérékoré Health District and 28 in Ratoma Health District, Conakry. To date, no contacts have been reported to have travelled in neighboring countries. However, Nzérékoré is the second-largest city in Guinea and lies at the intersection of roads from Ganta (in Liberia), Danané (Côte d’Ivoire), and roads to other major hubs in Guinea like Kankan and Macenta in (Guinea). Therefore, there is concern about the exportation of EVD cases into the neighboring countries.

Ebola in N'Zérékoré: 52 new contacts including 6 deaths (official)

Via guineenews.org: Ebola in N'Zérékoré: 52 new contacts including 6 deaths (official). The Google translation and then a comment:

A crisis meeting on the assessment of the Ebola virus epidemic was held this Wednesday, February 17 at the headquarters of the prefecture of N'Zérékoré. 

Since the detection of the first cases of Ebola in the locality of Gouécké, concern has grown among the population where the number of infections and deaths continue to grow. This, despite awareness-raising and preventive measures put in place by the government to break the chain of contagion as quickly as possible. 

To date, specialized health structures have reported 52 new contact cases, including 6 deaths. 

This now brings the number of contacts to 216 people, 2 isolated cases including one at high risk, indicate these local health services. 

Note 100 hand washing kits were made available to the hospital through the synergy of all partners active in the fight against Ebola.

The last paragraph implies an alarming lack of resources and preparation in Gouécké.

COVID-19 on Sunday morning: 105,866,930 cases, 2,311,227 deaths

A screenshot from the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) dashboard:

Yesterday's case count was unusually low: 372,153. Deaths were also low at 10,111.

Here are the BC seniors' residences hardest hit by COVID-19 outbreaks

Via CBC News, a discouraging report: Here are the B.C. seniors' residences hardest hit by COVID-19 outbreaks. Excerpt:

There are 21 seniors' residences in B.C. where more than 40 per cent of residents were infected with COVID-19, including four homes where more than a third of residents have died.  

Some ranked among the lowest in B.C. in terms of the hours of care the provincial government funded them to provide in 2020. 

While some seniors homes have faced intense scrutiny from families and media reports, several facility outbreaks where over 70 per cent of residents contracted the virus have not been widely reported. 

For two months last spring, family members watched in anguish as 53 seniors at the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver became infected, just over a quarter of the facility's residents. Twenty of them eventually died from their illness, including the first Canadian to die of causes related to COVID-19.  

Ten months later, the Lynn Valley outbreak doesn't even appear in a list of the 21 hardest-hit homes in B.C.

A deadly second wave 

While deaths in Ontario and Quebec care homes made headlines during the first wave, B.C. saw deaths in care more than triple during its second wave. 

"I think the second wave for British Columbia was horrific compared, for example, to Ontario and Quebec, which had horrific first waves," said B.C. seniors advocate Isobel Mackenzie.  

The pandemic claimed 174 lives in B.C. care homes between March 9 and Oct. 19 of last year at which time Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry declared the second wave had begun. 

During the second wave so far in B.C., 652 seniors in care homes have died, bringing the province's deaths in care to 826 out of a total of 1,240 people who have died.

Vietnam: The COVID-19 outbreak continues as Tet nears

Via his newsletter Vietnam Weekly, Michael Tatarski writes: The Outbreak Continues as Tet Nears. Excerpt:

On Monday, the COVID-19 outbreak of community transmission accounted for 238 cases. That figure stood at 375 as of last night, with 278 of those cases detected in Hai Duong Province and largely linked to one factory there. 

Quang Ninh Province, where another cluster which originated at Van Don Airport has caused problems, has seen 44 cases of community transmission. Health workers there have traced nearly 82,000 direct and indirect contacts of known cases, 36,200 of whom have been tested so far. 

That is the kind of world-beating contact tracing that has served Vietnam well throughout the pandemic, and for an example of just how granular (and, it must be said, public) that can get, take the case of a Hanoian who works at a notary public in the capital and took a day trip from Saigon before testing positive for COVID-19. 

His time in Saigon has been documented to an incredible degree, and this article notes precisely how long he was at specific cafes, restaurants and massage parlors. 

Medical workers have once again proven to be heroes, with teams in Quang Ninh working through cold, wet nights and one health worker in Hai Duong collapsing out of exhaustion. 

However, I have to say that government messaging has gotten rather confusing this week, especially for people trying to decide whether it is still safe to travel for Tet or not. Some provinces and cities have announced that they will require 14-21 days of self-isolation for arrivals from “COVID-19 hotspots,” but such locations are vaguely defined. 

Saigon (which remains busy and largely normal with the exception of closed schools) is also randomly testing thousands of residents, while Thua Thien-Hue Province officials will test all passenger transport workers there, and Hanoi’s chairman asked residents not to visit their hometowns while cancelling 29 of the city’s 30 planned holiday fireworks shows and banning crowds near the one show that will go ahead. 

There was also this concerning story from Tuesday about Hanoi’s testing capacity being stretched thin, which I haven’t seen anything else about since. Top leaders had also said that they planned to have the outbreak under control nationally by this weekend, but there have been rumors that that deadline has been walked back. 

The good news is that daily new case numbers have been steady, with no major spikes or worrying spread to previously untouched provinces (one exception is Gia Lai in the Central Highlands, which now has 20 cases, all linked to Hai Duong). 

Amid these varying responses from different provinces, flights are operating normally, and I believe most bus and train lines are as well. It’s clear to me that officials understand the significance of Tet, by far the most important holiday for Vietnam every year, and aren’t willing to disrupt it where they don’t see that as absolutely necessary.