Tuesday, July 14, 2020
Wisconsin is a destination I enjoy returning to yearly to visit family, friends, food and more recently my yearly health check up. I had started going on my yearly Veterans Administration medical checkups in 2017 and had planned on going yearly without fail. Every year (2017-2019) I was given the same diagnosis on all of my lab work, cholesterol a little high, weight a little high, this was a little high, that was a little high… …kinda made me want to take the plunge and just get a little high.
Then last year May, 2019, even my weight went a little higher but I just shrugged it off and looked forward to my next beer-laden, corn-enriched trip to Wisconsin in 2020. On my way back to Panama from that trip, I made a stop in Chicago to hang out with and learn from some of the finest Private Investigators in the world during a weekend regional meeting. Part of that weekend included a trip to watch the Chicago White Socks get their rear-ends handed to them (the game was brutal; their loss a thing of legends). But the truly pivotal part of that game, wasn’t the loss, it wasn’t how our beloved Chicagoan Steve Kirby said the F-Word about 20 times, it was when a fellow PI took a sneak pic of me cramming a Bratwurst in my face. It was disgusting. No, doctors, my weight wasn’t just a little higher, I was outright obese and it took a friend to show that truth to me through the lens of his camera.
So, I took that as motivation and I spent the next 10 months kicking my own ass into shape, having hired a great trainer, knowledgeable nutritionist, sacrificing time from family and jollification just to get my body into proper form. With very few exceptions, I eliminated sugar from my diet, ate only select carbohydrates and the only liquid I consumed during that time was water. Yes, I slipped up from time to time or sometimes just flat out intentionally had an adult beverage with a friend, but minus those very few exceptions, I really took it seriously. I wasn’t planning on doing any races, competitions or returning to my glory days as an international sex symbol. No, I just needed to get my body healthy before I ended up having a stroke or a heart attack. The hard work paid off and in those 10 months, I lost 50 lbs. Also, I went to the Veteran’s Administration earlier this year. Instead of going in May as I normally would, I decided to move it up to February. We had no idea this Pandemic was going to hit us, but for some heavenly reason, we felt it important to go sooner.
My tests were completed and the results were golden. All of my blood work came back perfect. Cholesterol levels perfect, literally perfect. As a matter of fact, I’d never been that healthy or felt that good in… well, a very very long time.
Then… the pandemic. This pandemic has been vicious and cruel in so many ways. We all know what’s going on in the world, but not many people talk about what’s going on with themselves as an individual. Perhaps with what I write from time to time helps someone out there to realize that they’re not alone. It’s ok to feel a sense of helplessness, hopelessness, hurt, stress, pain, anger, frustration. I’ve had more than a few friends break down and I’ve broken down as well. It’s not easy to know that even though you’re not doing all that bad, someone you know is in a world of hurt.
There’s this kid out there, by the name of Alberto. He used to sell candy and stuff on a corner near my office. I befriended him at first because it’s always good to have eyes on the street and people watching your back. After a while, he kinda grew on me, so I’d make it a point to buy some lollipops from him and then hand them out to our employees or random strangers, or peanuts and give them to my boys or other random strangers. Well, with the pandemic, Alberto has been behaving and staying home.
In April, Alberto asked for some “help”. I was more than happy to do so, but the deal was that I’d take it to his house. I needed to see how “bad” he really was. It was bad. It was an eye-opener. Wife, 5 kids and a home no bigger than my bedroom, which is quite small itself in my eyes. I knew that this meager donation was going to be something amazing for him, his wife and his kids. Then, I didn’t hear much from Alberto until mid-June. As a matter of fact, it was June 17 which also happened to by my birthday. It was good to hear from him. He had another request, “Amigo, puedes ayudar con algo para conseguir comida y gas.” (Friend, can you help me with something for food and gas?) This time, instead of a chat, I called him. “Hey Alberto, how are you?” In the kindest, although illiterate way, he told me that he was fine, but that his wife was in the hospital. My first thought was “COVID”.
“No señor…” he paused, “We haven’t had anything to eat and she’s developed bleeding stomach ulcers.”
Now, I consider myself to be a tough guy. I’m that guy, that tells his kid, “everything is going to be fine” when they just did a double axle forward head flip off the roof of the house and their head just fell off in the process. The guy that reassures his childhood friends that anyone can jump their bike across that creek and I’ll the first one to prove it… …and then fails, but just walks it off even though I lost a shoe in the process. I’m a daring, positive, risk-taking tough-guy. But I wasn’t prepared for this. I can handle any amount of blood for any reason, but this news was just too much. This kid’s wife is hospitalized because she didn’t get enough food that month. “Well, that’s not going to happen to them again.”, I thought to myself.
It has been moments like this during the length of this “process” that has been eating away at me a little at a time. I didn’t even notice it until I took a pause and decided to reevaluate where I was in this whole mess. As much as I hate to admit it, I had completely stopped looking at what was going on with me, as everything around me seemed to need repair. Those 10 months of full dedication had actually prepared me in a why for this pandemic. Those of least risk against the virus are the younger, healthier group, in the majority of cases. I can’t do much about my age category, but I did work hard at getting as close to perfectly healthy as possible. But, during the last 4 months, I’d let it all go to naught. Working more intensely than I had in a long time, my stress levels were off the charts and I was eating “whatever” instead of sticking to my health plan. I had also decided to stop taking the vitamin supplements to lower our household costs. Getting out of bed in the mornings got harder and harder; was it just a lack of energy or was it something more? And then I stepped on the scale only to reveal that I had gained 20 pounds in these 4 months. I think that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The good thing is that as ruthless as my good Queen Sayira can be at times, she truly is heaven-sent. This weekend, she laid out my entire new plan and simply said, “You need to get your act together, bud.”
So, the verdict was in. I just needed to recreate the routine that I once had and “get my act together”. Nothing is easy, but I also don’t have it that bad. There’s inspiration in some of the strangest places. Alberto, his wife and his kids were silent for months and suffering on their own with nowhere to turn. I at least had options (and now he does too). Sometimes getting out of a slump is just as easy as saying you’re going to do it and you do it.
So yesterday, I had session number one with master trainer Alejandro Castroverde. Doing squats has never been more difficult in my entire life (that’s not including May 2019 to March 2020). And then today, in the middle of session number two, I get the news…
Pause – I need to take a step back a bit, for the sake of perspective. This weekend, as I was planning out my routines, calling my nutritionist and basically psyching myself up towards getting my butt into shape. Sayira was insanely happy and even called delivery service to order some healthier foods than what I’d been accustomed to. Of course, just about anything is healthier than Doritos for breakfast… at the same time, hints of change in the Panamanian governments COVID attack plan started to brew.
We had already heard about possible long-term quarantine (minimal 15 days), there were ridiculous notions of logistically impossible cleanups and sanitizations, etc. Then on Sunday, President Cortizo came out saying that sometime this week they would announce a plan to get Panama out of the “Rona Rut” that it was in. I guessed that it would happen on Wednesday, but nope, I was wrong, it would happen on day 2 of my return work out regime.
Tuesday night we were given the big news and the mega plan on who Panama is going to get out of this wretched scenario. “Panama would be on full quarantine from Friday evening at 7PM until Monday morning 5AM.”
Really? REALLY!? That’s it? I think I actually stopped my routine, probably because I couldn’t move my arms anymore from bench presses and pushups, but also because I couldn’t believe how petty this action was. Does the government not realize that since July 7, the daily new case count has been steadily increasing day by day 957, 960, 965, 1,040, 1,075, 1,301 and then to 1,540? What do they actually think they can accomplish by adding just one day of quarantine to the mix? How, will that put an end to an ever-populating virus? This is absurd. I’m honestly, slowly losing faith in the decisions being made here. I love this country. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here, but this is not going to make any difference. Right now, the country needs to make some tough-love decisions and they need to do it quickly. Panama has played their cards very “middle-of-the-road” and all it has done is to delay the inevitable.
Coincidentally, I made a video of the traffic in the city for those who haven’t had to deal with it. I know that there are several readers who live in the country and are quite simply dumbfounded as to why this virus continues to propagate. How is it possible when we’re all on quarantine? Right? I mean, we’re all in our houses, obeying the very commands that are given and ensuring the health and safety of the rest of the people and the country we live in. The video shows how the streets are practically “business as usual”. The shops that are authorized to be open are packed to their maximum capacity all the time. Step up your game government, if I can do it, you can do it!!
TOP NEWS and TIDBITS
Yoli’s Summary
The Authority for Consumer Protection and Defense of Competition (Acodeco) reported on Tuesday about the different prices of the COVID-19 tests that are carried out in the main private laboratories in the metropolitan area.
The list presented by Acodeco is made up of 12 laboratories, with prices for swab and serological tests that range between $ 16 and $ 170.
The cheapest swab test can be found by the consumer at the Santa Fé hospital, at a cost of $ 16.
While in the serological test, also identified as a rapid test, the cheapest price is $ 29, both at the San Fernando hospital and The Panama Clinic.
To collect the nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swab specimen to detect the coronavirus, the patient is asked to tilt the head back slightly (approximately 45 degrees and immobilize in this position).
In the oropharyngeal specimen, the posterior wall of the throat is rubbed firmly with a sterile swab, this with the help of a tongue depressor.
Meanwhile, the nasopharyngeal consists of introducing a flexible sterile nylon swab into one of the nostrils, so that the path is through the lower wall of the nasal cavity until it reaches the posterior wall of the nasopharynx.
Upon reaching the nasopharynx, a brushing (rubbing) is performed by turning the swab from side to side to collect cells and desquamation of the nasopharyngeal mucosa.
According to the experts, the examination of this test takes hours, because it is a process that is carried out in a laboratory with specialized equipment.
In the end this is the most reliable test to confirm or rule out the disease.
The other screening sample for COVID-19 is serological, which is similar to a blood test.
This test does not detect the virus directly, but rather identifies IgM and IgG antibodies present in the blood or plasma when a person is infected with COVID-19.
If the sample reveals a high amount of antibodies, the test is positive. This means that a person has or had the disease recently.
This test is identified as fast, because the result takes about 15 minutes and does not require complex laboratory equipment.
TOTAL QUARANTINE SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS; STAGGERED ENTRIES ARE ESTABLISHED IN THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS
The Minister of Health, Luis Francisco Sucre, announced that a total quarantine begins on July 18 in the provinces of Panama and Panama West on Saturday and Sunday.
Sucre explained that it will also be established from 7:00 p.m. from this Friday, July 17 to Monday, July 19 at 5:00 a.m. a curfew in the country.
He added that the population should continue with measures to prevent Covid-19 disease, such as avoiding family reunions, employing physical distancing, use of masks and washing hands.
At the press conference Sucre also announced that the members of the Rotary and Lions civic clubs will join the fight against the new coronavirus.
For his part, the general director of the Social Security Fund, Enrique Lau Cortés, revealed that a joint purchasing agreement was established between the entity he directs and the Ministry of Health.
Lau Cortés indicated that the CSS will also stop printing the safe-conducts and insurance sheets.
42.9%, POSITIVITY RECORD OF COVID-19 TESTS IN PANAMA
Panama reached 42.9% positivity of Covid-19 cases yesterday, the highest percentage reported to date, based on the 3,590 diagnostic tests carried out in the last 24 hours.
This was reflected in the epidemiological report of the Ministry of Health (Minsa), according to which the highest percentage registered was reached on June 1 (41.3%), but at that time only 905 diagnostic tests were carried out.
Ideally, this epidemiological indicator should be below 10%, that is, it should be that for each positive test there are 10 negative. However, positivity is three times higher (42.9%).
The report also establishes that there are six consecutive days with more than 1,000 new cases. Yesterday there were 1,540, and 23 deaths. Last Sunday the new infections totaled 1,301, and the deaths 16.
The country has 47,173 accumulated cases of the disease, of which 932 correspond to deceased persons, 23,919 to recovered patients, 21,158 to persons in home isolation and 1,164 to hospitalized persons (1,005 in the ward and 159 in intensive care units.
Indicators showing a control of the epidemic, such as positive tests, number of new cases, average value of virus transmission, patients hospitalized in wards and intensive care units have been deteriorating for several weeks.
Complex week in the fight against the virus
Panama faces a difficult week in controlling the Covid-19 epidemic, given the daily growth of cases.
Epidemiological data from the Ministry of Health (Minsa) allow us to establish that this week between 1,207 and 1,249 new daily cases of the disease are expected.
This was stated by the epidemiologist and Public Health researcher academically affiliated with Florida State University, Arturo Rebollón, who added that for the epidemiological week that runs from July 12 to 18, between 8,541 and 8,745 new cases are projected; and deaths are estimated between 223 and 261.
Rebollón recalled that last epidemiological week the new cases crossed the 7,000 line.
Given the growth of cases, the Panamanian Society of Internal Medicine recommended to the Government to establish a total and mandatory quarantine in the provinces of Panama, West Panama and Chiriquí for at least 15 days.
On this, Rebollón indicated that quarantine is a useful tool, and that the latest review shows that quarantine for less efficient Covid-19 dropped 30% of expected cases.
For Rebollón, a stricter quarantine would have a better effect if it is connected with compliance factors, such as economic support so that people do not have to leave their home, isolating people in places in their community such as gyms, communal houses and schools, and improve the communication of the authorities, since this generates trust. “It is not just saying that it is necessary to do but saying how you came to that conclusion and how you are going to do it,” Rebollón argued.
In fact, the week of July 5 to 11 there were 7,349, and 173 deaths, and the week of June 28 to July 4, 6,325 cases and 128 deaths.
Meanwhile, the former director of the Gorgas Commemorative Institute for Health Studies and former national secretary of Science, Technology and Innovation, Jorge Motta, stated that a total quarantine is a setback in the normalization of the life of Panamanians, and would generate a high probability of be unfulfilled by those who need to earn a living on a daily basis.
Motta said that if the other measures, such as testing and traceability – something that should have been done during the first 2 months – were not significantly reinforced, at the end of those two weeks the cases will rise again.
“We must continue and reinforce measures, not advance in the blocks that we have in Panama and West Panama, and apply all the measures that we know work like masks, physical distancing and hand and surface hygiene,” he said.
With regard to the situation in the hospitals, Motta expressed “that the overflow situation in the hospitals and the exhaustion of the health team is something critical and very disturbing that it must receive daily attention and unrestricted support. We must not look back, we must be purposeful and maintain a rational and open dialogue to get out of this. “
Jorge Luis Prosperi, former representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) shares Motta’s views that an absolute quarantine is not the solution.
Prosperi added that the country is still in time to stop the escalation of cases and deaths, as long as everyone stays focused and each one responsibly does his part. For example, he listed, we must continue striving to reach 4,000 tests a day; add more people to the tracking of cases and contacts; guarantee (compel) the isolation in hotels of all those who do not have the conditions at home; enable at least 1,000 additional beds.
In addition, he stated that the time has come to hire the professionals that are needed, taking advantage of the international offer with training and proven experience available, since there are not enough doctors and nurses and those who are working are on the verge of collapse due to exhaustion and are not going to withstand the sustained increase in cases that is taking place and that will continue.
“And no less important is that the government guarantee the additional hiring of national general practitioners to support care at the first level, in hotel-hospitals and the process of tracking and isolating cases and contacts,” he said.
The topic of the next measures to adopt was discussed yesterday between the President of the Republic, LaurentinoCortizo, representatives of the country’s business unions, ministers of Health, Economy and Finance, Social Development, Labor and Labor Development, and Commerce and Industries and doctors. of the Advisory Health Council.
ABOUT 42 PEOPLE HAVE DIED BY COVID-19 WHILE IN THEIR RESIDENCES
Some 42 people have died in their homes because of COVID-19, confirmed the director of the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences of Panama (Imelcf), José Pachar.
Until this Monday, the total number of deaths due to the virus was 932, of that total, less than 5% (42 deaths) are considered legal doctors. “These are people who die at home and there is no doctor who certifies their death, whether sudden or sudden,” he explained.
According to Pachar, the statistics indicate that 80% of these cases were men over the age of 50, and almost 40% of them were from San Miguelito.
He explained that these were patients who were in isolation, either at home or in hotels, due to the circumstances of the hospitals. Furthermore, they had comorbidities.
“You have to remember the socioeconomic conditions. There are patients who cannot follow up on their treatments, to this we add the difficulty of dyspnea and everything happens so fast that when a doctor arrives it is already late,” said Pachar.
He explained that death is sudden when there is a previous condition, and it is sudden when there is no pre-existing condition and the virus attacks very quickly.
To date, Panama adds 932 deaths from COVID-19 and accumulates more than 47 thousand infections. In the last 24 hours 1,500 cases were reported. Given the numbers of patients with coronavirus, the health system is at its maximum capacity.
QUARANTINE DOESN’T WORK ALONE, BUT IT IS ESSENTIAL, SAYS AN EPIDEMIOLOGIST
The next decisions that the Executive takes will be in the middle of a crossroads. On the one hand, doctors are asking for an absolute quarantine to be declared for 14 days.
While the business sector insists on a gradual economic revival. Epidemiologist and Public Health specialist Claude Betts is of the opinion that the volume of people currently infected makes it essential to return to quarantine.
“What it does is it reduces the magnitude of the transmission, but it doesn’t eliminate it. To eliminate it, we have to combine the quarantine that reduces that number of people.
Above all, the number of people who are forced to use public transport, and in our public transport there is no air exchange.
These public transports become coronavirus transmission chambers, ”said Betts.
Despite the fact that the Ministry of Health (Minsa) reported on Sunday the highest number of infections registered in a day, the businessmen insist on a gradual and safe reactivation.
“You have to do things in a balanced way too, because on the one hand there is the issue of health, and on the other hand there is the economic issue that allows you to put the” paila”and if you do not have how to do it, there is also a serious risk of that people take to the streets to see what they are looking for and how they survive, ”said Juan Antonio Ledezma, member of the National Council of Private Enterprise (Conep).
On the contrary, the Panamanian Society of Internal Medicine requests a quarantine for at least 14 days in the provinces of Panama and Panama West.
“There comes a time when you cannot do adequate supervision and proper treatment of all patients because the demand for patients is very high.
We need to stop transmission in the community, take the necessary measures to stop transmission in the community, “said Nubia Batista, Panamanian Society of Internal Medicine.
Epidemiologist Claude Betts reiterates that quarantine does not work alone, but accompanied by other strategies.
“Transmission is controlled fundamentally by two things. With quarantine that reduces the number of infections in general terms, and accompanied by an aggressive detection plan with tests that are carried out not only on the symptomatic and asymptomatic, to identify the largest number of cases of those infected and then ensuring traceability. of those contacts and the effective isolation of those cases and their contacts, “said Betts. The Public Health specialist suggests that both strategies be combined and that people be guaranteed their livelihood, and that is where adequate support comes in with resources enough so that people don’t have to go out.
TRACEABILITY, AN ACTION THAT MUST HELP TO DOWNLOAD POSITIVE CASES
The sustained increase in new cases of Covid-19 led the authorities of the Ministry of Health (Minsa) to put together strategies to try to significantly reduce infections.
One of these maneuvers is the activation of some nine operations centers for community control and traceability, which are located in areas with a high number of people infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
In health regions such as the Metropolitan and those of San Miguelito, Panama East, Panama West, Panama North, Veraguas, Azuero, these centers for the search and care of those infected have already been activated.
The Minister of Health, Luis Francisco Sucre, who until now leads the activation tasks of the operations centers, explained that they help care for the infected and their direct contacts in order to prevent the spread of the pathology.
Francisco Sánchez Cárdenas, member of the Advisory Health Council, explained that the operations centers for traceability control in the communities need more resources to start looking for and detecting cases of Covid-19, because this is the “Achilles heel” .
Sánchez Cárdenas said that tracing the cases is a “huge and comprehensive job” in which some four or five state entities participate, and that they must continue to strive to reach 4,000 tests a day. In addition, he said, it is necessary to add “many more people” to the tracking of cases and contacts and to buy appropriate protective equipment so that they do not become contaminated.
You have to be prepared to separate the positives from the negatives – the doctor pointed out – for which you must have enough beds in hospitals, in hostels, in hotels and convention palaces, as well as the staff to attend to them.
Sánchez Cárdenas reported that they are already working on the appointment of the people they need, among these about 500 doctors.
DGI ANNOUNCES CHANGE OF SCHEDULE FOR ATTENTION TO THE PUBLIC FROM THIS WEDNESDAY
The General Directorate of Revenue (DGI) of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) announced its new opening hours to the public in person, starting this Wednesday, July 15.
This, with a view to making the service more agile due to complications from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new schedule from this Wednesday will be adults 60 years and older can attend the DGI facilities on Mondays and Tuesdays from 8:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. and the attention to the rest of the population will be on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 8:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
They request that taxpayers minimize their physical attendance at the DGI facilities in Panama to the extent possible, since the institution maintains its online service from 8:30 a.m. at 4:30 p.m.
“All the services offered by the institution are available to taxpayers on the website where the contact center has been advanced and strengthened, which has gone from attending 66 procedures to 120 online procedures so that everyone can comfortably of their houses or offices can through the DGI App request an appointment if they need it and thus receive care more quickly and easily without queues or delays, “said a statement from the entity.
For any questions you can enter the website https://dgi.mef.gob.pa/
RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION PRESENTS ITS HEALTH AND SAFETY PROTOCOLS
Leaders of the Panama Restaurant Association presented to the Deputy Minister of Labor and Labor Development, Roger Tejada, the health and safety protocols that they prepared for the establishments that are members of his organization.
This, with the aim of passing the entity’s technical verification, in coordination with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Commerce and Industries.
Domingo De Obaldía, president of the association, indicated that the approach seeks to obtain the approval of the protocols and create a base model to serve as a guide for the other establishments.
“The idea is that we have a guide for businesses to prepare in advance,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister of Labor stated that “a healthy and healthy return will allow many workers to reactivate, that is important for our economy, but safeguarding the life and health of each one of them.”
The Mitradel reported that companies interested in presenting their health and safety protocols, together with the registration of health and safety committees, can do so virtually from the Panama Digital platform, with access from www.mitradel.gob.pa.
THE RETURN TO THE BEACHES WILL REQUIRE GOOD PRACTICES IN THE NEW STANDARD
Panama is a country with coasts on two oceans, the Atlantic and the Pacific, hence the beaches are one of the ideal places at any time of the year, both for nationals and foreigners.
However, the situation facing the country due to the health crisis of COVID-19, forces the authorities to exercise control to prevent the advance of the deadly virus, so it is not possible to go to these sites anywhere in the geography. national.
Last week, the Panama Tourism Authority (ATP), the Ministry of Labor and Labor Development (Mitradel) and the Ministry of Health (Minsa), delivered the biosecurity protocol for tourism, which includes a series of measures, divided in areas such as: sports, tourist activities in open spaces, agrotourism, convention center, golf courses, tour operators, tour guides, public tourist accommodation services, beaches, hot springs and the like, marinas, docks and ports.
These protocols will help companies offering services in these areas to be ready when block 4 opens, which includes air transport, hotels, hostels, restaurants and other businesses.
Workers who serve the public at these sites must wear masks and comply with physical distance. There may also be no handshakes and any other contact with customers.
In the service areas there will be alcohol gel dispensers, clients must be attended with a minimum of two meters away. The waiting rooms must be cleaned at least three times a day.
According to the protocol, payments to the different services will be by online banking or some method of electronic transfer.
Employers will have to comply with the measures indicated by the Minsa, Mitradel, Presidency, municipalities and any other regulatory entity. In addition, companies that provide services in these areas must organize their security committee.
They will even ensure the monitoring of symptoms among collaborators and clients, in addition to managing work stress.
Beach operators and sanitary contingencies
The person in charge of each module and the members of the operating teams must use masks, gloves and hygiene and disinfection articles.
Half an hour before opening hours, there should be a log with name and time recording who disinfected / cleaned the items and the common area.
The used protection materials will have to be disposed of in an appropriate way, in a container or container destined exclusively for the disposal of these elements and disposed of in a plastic bag and in a second bag, closing the first one correctly to be collected by the cleaning staff. .
They will even have updated emergency numbers and it will be necessary to identify the separation areas, bathrooms and dressing rooms. In addition, it is recommended that the hours of access to beaches and common areas can be staggered.
Recommendations for beach users
Before going to a beach, it will be important to take a shower, plan the visit in advance, inform yourself beforehand to avoid more crowded hours, take extreme hygiene measures, clean clothes and bathroom accessories, use of appropriate footwear, bring a towel per person, constant hygiene hands, avoid touching hands, nose and mouth, clean areas used for rest and properly dispose of protective materials.
When arriving at the beach, people must use masks, always keep the right when circulating in the area, avoid contact with elements, objects or other common use, do not share game items with other families or groups, no share the towel, pay attention to the informative posters, maintain physical distance between family groups or friends and comply with measures related to the practice of aquatic activities.
At the end of the visit, people should avoid taking sediment from the beach, they will collect their garbage, they will not leave debris or belongings in areas of public use, wash their hands or use gel alcohol, the protection materials will be disposed of properly.
US POSTAL SERVICE SUSPENDS RECEIPT OF PACKAGES FROM SEVERAL COUNTRIES INCLUDING PANAMA
The United States Postal Service issued an alert to temporarily suspend the acceptance of international mail from at least 14 countries, including Panama, due to the impacts of the service by COVID-19.
Among the countries to which the acceptance of packages is suspended are: Boliva, Honduras, Malawi, South Africa, Rwanda, Peru, Chad, the Dominican Republic, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Ecuador, Libya, Madagascar and Panama.
The alert asks customers in these countries to refrain from shipping items until further notice.
These service interruptions affect Priority Mail Express International (PMEI), Priority Mail International (PMI), First-Class Mail International (FCMI), First-Class Package International Service (FCPIS), International Priority Airmail (IPA), International Surface Air Lift (ISAL) and M-Bag items.
It was clarified in the alert that, “unless otherwise indicated, suspensions of service to a particular country do not affect the delivery of diplomatic and military mail.”
Items already deposited, other than GXG, will be suspended and returned to the sender; While for any returned item that has a customs form, upon request, the Postal Service will reimburse the shipping costs and fees for mail returned due to suspension of service.
For all other returned items that do not have a customs declaration form, the Postal Service, upon request, will refund shipping charges and fees for mail returned due to service suspension, or the sender may resend them with postage existing once the service has been restored.
MASKS PREVENTED A CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK IN A HAIR SALON, STUDY SAYS
Two US hairdressers who wore face masks while infected with COVID-19 did not spread the disease to the nearly 140 clients they saw over the course of several days, a study said Tuesday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which published the report, said the findings reinforce the relevance of the universal policy of covering the face as a means of halting the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
On May 12, a hairdresser (Hairdresser A) developed respiratory symptoms in a salon in Springfield, Missouri, and continued to work with clients until May 20, when she received a positive coronavirus test result.
Hairdresser A ignored medical advice to isolate herself after her test on May 18. A second hairdresser (hairdresser B), who had been exposed to her partner, developed symptoms on May 15 and also continued to work until May 20, when hairdresser A obtained her result.
Hairdresser B tested positive two days later. The salon then closed for three days for disinfection, while Greene County health officials tracked contacts, identifying a total of 139 clients served by the two infected hairdressers.
The rest of the hairdressing staff was also quarantined for two weeks. During their interactions with clients, both women worked with their faces covered: Hairdresser A wore a double-layer cotton mask, while Hairdresser B used both a double-layer cotton and surgical mask.
But even when Hairdresser A had symptoms, they both interacted with each other without wearing face protection at intervals between clients.
The 139 clients were monitored for symptoms over the next two weeks, and the test was offered to all of them, to be performed five days after their exposure.
None of the 67 clients tested were positive, and none of those who declined to test reported symptoms for the next 14 days when they responded to daily text messages asking about their health.
The gender of the clients was divided almost equally between men and women and their ages ranged from 21 to 93, an average of 52.
The overwhelming majority wore face masks for the entire duration of their appointments, ranging from 15 minutes to 45 minutes.
A majority of clients wore cloth or surgical masks, while about 5% of them wore N95.
Scientists believe that although the large droplets expelled by people when coughing or sneezing are primarily responsible for the spread of covid-19, the droplets released during common speech are also potentially dangerous.
This is particularly important because people can unknowingly spread the virus in the two to three days prior to developing symptoms, and even a carrier may not develop symptoms at all.
The authors of the CDC report concluded: “The widespread adoption of policies requiring facial coverage in public settings should be considered to reduce the impact and magnitude of additional waves of covid-19.”
STATUS UPDATE
PANAMA ACCUMULATES A TOTAL OF 48,096 DETECTED CASES OF INFECTION AND 960 DEATHS BY COVID-19
- 48,096 positive cases
- 923 new cases
- 960 deaths
- 20,639 home isolation (658 hospital hotels)
- 1,172 are hospitalized (1,015 in ward / 157 intensive care)
- 24,667 clinically recovered
Coronavirus statistics from Day 1
Daily COVID-19 Cases
This is a list of the number of cases per day since the first case was discovered in PanamaThis table is not visible in the emailed post
END NOTES
I have no other way of saying this except that this is going to offend some people. How do I know? I asked my buddy John Dovey, “Hey, mate, is this over the top?”. And he answered, “I’d put it in, but you run the risk of offending people for no real reason.” So, seeing as my life plan is doing just about everything for no real reason, I’m moving ahead with it.
So, what is this emotion-tugging masterpiece? Quite simply it’s a song made by a group of Aussies. Yep, some Aussie rock bands and lewd comedians came together and created this heart-warming melody on what they suggest you should do, to help dampen the tendencies of the Corona Virus.
I think most know what’s in store for them by just knowing that it was created by a few Aussies. Don’t get me wrong, I love every single one of you witchetty grub-eating son-of-a-guns and appreciate your raw talent for offensive humor. This was sent to me by the stupefyingly amazing and widely recognized international Investigator, David MacLeod direct from “down undah”.
Finally, I’m dedicating this End Notes bit to my good buddy Frank Stroembo who needs a good pick-me-up. Being the monstrous Dane that he is, I doubt that this will offend him.
Seriously… I love you all and hope it doesn’t offend too much. You’ve been warned. (Spoiler alert, they say the “F Word” quite a bit. If you can stomach that, it’s pretty funny.)
Stay safe… Stay healthy… And by all means (unless you’re out helping someone put food on their table) STAY THE “F” AT HOME!!…