When I look at COVID-19 data, I see very large disparities in the volume of cases and deaths between various countries as well as between states within the U.S. Many factors, including time of the testing ratio, time since outbreak, weather, population density, age of the population, health of the population, government decisions, and personal
First U.S. COVID-19 Case Earlier Than Previously Thought
Two coronavirus-infected people died in Santa Clara County in California on Feb. 6 and Feb. 17, making them the first documented COVID-19 fatalities in the United States. Until now, the first fatality was believed to have occurred in Kirkland, Washington on Feb. 29. Across the country, there has been a growing concern that COVID-19 has been
COVID-19 Outbreak Much Larger Than Confirmed Cases
The University of Southern California and the LA Department of Public Health released preliminary study results that found approximately 4.1% of Los Angeles County’s adult population has antibodies to the coronavirus, estimating that between 221,000 adults to 442,000 adults in the county have had the infection. This new estimate is 28 to 55 times higher
COVID-19 – Impact on Supply Chains & Greater Economy
Across the globe, stay-at-home measures intended to slow the spread of COVID-19 are doing far more than impacting citizens’ health. They are creating unprecedented disruptions to food supply chains that will impact populations worldwide in both the near and distant future. With migrant farmworkers unable or unwilling to travel, many European nations lack the labor
COVID-19 – Treatment Updates
I wanted to give some updates on the various treatments that are showing promising outcomes. With hundreds of ongoing initiatives, it’s near impossible to be aware of them all. The ones I outline below I’ve categorized into anti-viral medicines and antibodies. Anti-viral: An agent that kills a virus or that suppresses its ability to replicate,
COVID-19 Impact on Workers’ Compensation and Auto Markets
Predicting COVID-19’s impact on the workers’ compensation and auto markets is a fluid exercise, as the impact felt will vary by company. However, much will be based on when and how we as a nation resume life post-pandemic. Here are the trends I’m currently observing: Unemployment is skyrocketing: US unemployment claims soared to 6.648 million
Types of Coronavirus
I thought a brief overview of the coronaviruses strains would be helpful. Coronavirus: Any of a family (Coronaviridae) of single-stranded RNA viruses that have a lipid envelope studded with club-shaped projections, infect birds and many mammals including humans, and include the causative agents of MERS, SARS, and COVID-19. There are more than 200 types of