NASA Rover Releases First Photos From the Surface of Mars

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Just minutes after touchdown was confirmed, NASA's Perseverance rover sent back two low-resolution images of the surface of Mars.

What a View

It’s a historic day for the team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The agency pulled off the nerve-wracking descent, landing its fifth robotically operated rover, Perseverance, on the surface of Mars.

Mission control confirmed touchdown of the car-sized rover around 3:56pm EST. Minutes later, the world got its first glimpse of what Perseverance saw when its six wheels touched the rocky surface for the first time.

Courtesy of the rover’s hazard cameras, the system the rover uses to safely navigate the Red Planet, we got not just one but two low-resolution images in black and white. One was taken of the rocky surface in front of the rover and another showed the view from behind.

And another look behind me. Welcome to Jezero Crater. #CountdownToMars pic.twitter.com/dbU3dhm6VZ

— NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) February 18, 2021

Forever Home

The images were taken close to the ground. The haze seen in both was caused by the dust, which still hasn’t settled after the rover touched down seconds before snapping the photos.

The rear image shows one of the rover’s wheels safely making contact with the ground. The front image shows off the rover’s shadow as it basks in the sunlight following its seven month journey.

NASA will soon follow these up with higher resolution color images of Perseverance’s stunning surroundings. The rover landed in the Jezero Crater, region believed to be an ancient dried up river delta.

The mission will be one to watch. NASA believes the site will give us the best shot to date to find evidence for ancient life on Mars.

More on the landing: BREAKING: NASA Successfully Lands Perseverance Rover On Mars

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NASA Rover Releases First Photos From the Surface of Mars

The US Military Is Getting 3D Printing “Factories” Inside Shipping Containers

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The US Department of Defense is working to develop a full, portable 3D printing lab that can fit inside a shipping container.

Portable Factory

The United States Department of Defense just awarded a contract to additive manufacturing company ExOne to develop 3D printing mini-factories that could be deployed into the field during a military operation.

The factories are essentially complete 3D printing labs that can be housed entirely within a shipping container, according to Interesting Engineering. It’s an intriguing — though not unprecedented — idea that the Defense Department says will help improve military logistics and allow for parts and tools to be replaced as needed on the spot.

Full Loadout

The 40-foot containers will contain all of the necessary equipment to scan, model, and manufacture parts out of metals, ceramics and other composite materials, according to Interesting Engineering. The idea is to make the process as straightforward as possible so that soldiers or technicians in the field can replace parts and tools with a powder-based 3D printing process called binder jetting — without needing a great deal of technical knowledge.

“Binder jet 3D printing is a critical manufacturing technology for military use because of its speed, flexibility of materials, and ease of use,” ExOne CEO John Hartner said in a press release.

Arms Race

The new Defense Department project won’t be the first portable military 3D printer, according to Interesting Engineering. Though the Army has been talking about the concept for years, the Marines used a similar but smaller printer in 2018. The Dutch Navy also has a collapsible printer for spare parts.

But the new contract seems to be for a more comprehensive facility than any before it, making it an interesting project to watch as we see how portable printing technology develops in the field.

READ MORE: US Military to Have 3D-Printing Factories in Shipping Containers [Interesting Engineering]

More on 3D printing: First 3D Printed House Goes on Sale in United States

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Texans Are Sleeping In Their Teslas to Survive Freezing Cold

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Amid rolling blackouts, Texans are having to get creative to stay warm. Some are sleeping in their Tesla vehicles overnight.

Heat Seeker

Texas was gripped by a deep freeze this week, bringing the second largest state in the United States to its knees. Millions are still without power, while many more continue to lack access to clean water or even water at all.

Amid rolling blackouts, Texans are having to get creative to stay warm, as homes predominantly use electricity as a heat source in the state.

But Tesla owners had an ace up their sleeve. Thanks to their vehicles’ hefty batteries, some opted to sleep in their cars with the heater running — without running the risk of dying from carbon monoxide poisoning, as The New York Post reports.

Catching Zs

“So my wife my dog and my newborn daughter slept in the garage in our Model 3 all nice and cozy,” one user on the subreddit TeslaMotors wrote, as quoted by the Post. “If I didn’t have this car, it would have been a very rough night.”

Thanks to a two-way vehicle-to-grid feature included in Tesla’s PowerWall, the company’s home battery solution, some users were able to power their homes using the batteries in their Tesla vehicles, VICE reports.

$TSLA power walls saving the day in Houston.@WholeMarsBlog pic.twitter.com/YCL6rzu93s

— dayyanl (@dayyanl) February 16, 2021

Power Backup

Others were able to weather the storm by drawing backup power from their PowerWalls. Some who opted to install solar panels on their roofs were also able to store enough energy in their PowerWall systems to use during blackouts.

Using electric vehicles as a form of survival isn’t exactly a long term solution to Texas’ power grid woes — but at least it can offer a hand while political leaders face off with electric grid operators to get the state back on its feet.

READ MORE: Elon Musk slams Texas power grid operator for being unreliable [New York Post]

More on Texas: Elon Musk, Who Moved to TX For Less Regulation, Is Furious That the Power Went Down

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Florida Women Caught Wearing Elderly Disguises to Get Vaccine Early

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Two Florida women in their 20s reportedly dressed up as

Two Florida women in their 30s reportedly dressed up as “grannies” to get the COVID-19 vaccine early, according to local Orlando news station WFTV.

“OMG,” WFTV reporter Lauren Seabrook wrote in a Thursday tweet. Director of the Florida Department of Health Raul Pino “just said two young girls in their 20s dressed up as grandmas with ‘bonnets and gloves’ and went through the line to try and get Covid-19 vaccines yesterday.”

It later emerged that the women were actually in their mid-30s, the Guardian reported — but still decades younger than their disguises.

Seabrook also reported that “the situation was turned over to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. We are working to find out if these girls are facing any fraud charges.”

“I don’t know how they escaped [detection] for the first time, but they came with the gloves, the glasses, the whole thing, and they are probably in their 20s,” Pino said in a statement, as quoted by WFTV.

The two women had valid vaccine cards from their first shot. But due to issues with their IDs, they were denied their second doses, according to the news station.

It’s likely not an isolated incident. Pino said that there were a surprising number of people attempting to falsify their identities to get their injection.

The takeaway, clearly, is that the COVID vaccine is one of the hottest commodities in the world right now — and that people will go to comical lengths to get access to it early.

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Scientists Communicate With Lucid Dreamers During Sleep

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Scienists managed to open a two-way line of real-time communication with people who were having lucid dreams, some of whom were able to solve math problems.

Hello There

For the first time, scientists managed to open a line of two-way, real-time communication with sleeping volunteers who were in the midst of a lucid dream.

Scientists from Northwestern University and various European institutions were able to chat with lucid dreamers and ask them questions, receiving answers in real-time in the form of specific eye movements, Motherboard reports. It’s an unusual development, but it’s one that could help scientists gain a new level of insight into the content and structure of sleep — not to mention opening up new frontiers for the technology, entertainment and even commercialization of dreams.

Blink Twice

Lucid dreaming, or the ability to become self-aware while asleep akin to the characters in “Inception” or “The Matrix,” is a psychological oddity that’s long piqued scientists’ interests.

“There are studies of lucid dreamers communicating out of dreams, and also remembering to do tasks,” lead author and Northwestern researcher Karen Konkoly told Motherboard. “But there’s a fairly limited amount of research on the stimuli going into lucid dreams.”

Experienced lucid dreamers communicated with scientists by moving their real-world eyes left and right, responding to questions and even math problems in real-time, according to research published Thursday in the journal Current Biology.

Holy Mountain

The dreamers reported hearing the researchers’ voices as a sort of intangible narrator, clearly identifying it as something coming from outside their dream, according to Motherboard. Scientists were able to accurately communicate with the dreamers about 18 percent of the time — but another 20 percent yielded incorrect or incoherent responses, suggesting that there was at least some form of communication going on.

For now, the researchers are thrilled just to have established some sort of communication.

“It’s amazing to sit in the lab and ask a bunch of questions, and then somebody might actually answer one,” Konkoly told Motherboard. “It’s such an immediately rewarding type of experiment to do. You don’t have to wait to analyze your data or anything like that. You can see it right there while they’re still sleeping.”

READ MORE: Scientists Achieve Real-Time Communication With Lucid Dreamers In Breakthrough [Motherboard]

More on lucid dreaming: MIT Scientists Are Building Devices to Hack Your Dreams

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Elon Musk, Who Moved to TX For Less Regulation, Is Furious That the Power Went Down

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When Tesla CEO Elon Musk moved to Austin, Texas earlier this year, he likely couldn't have predicted a cold snap that brought the state to its knees.

When Tesla CEO Elon Musk moved to Texas earlier this year to escape stiff regulations and high taxes, he couldn’t have predicted a cold snap that brought the state’s infrastructure to its knees.

In a tweet this week, Musk lashed out at the state’s energy agency, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), quipping that the body is “not earning that R.”

The historic deep freeze caused several persistent blackouts, plunging roughly four million Texans into darkness. ERCOT is now being investigated by Texas governor Greg Abbott, who called the company “anything but reliable” in a Tuesday announcement on Twitter.

All told, it was a textbook case of infrastructure collapse. Uninsulated pipes started buckling under the pressure, grocery store shelves stood empty — and right wing political pundits attempted to shift the blame on renewable energy while racing off on holiday to a balmy Cancun.

Compounding the trouble, Texas had previously shut itself off from the rest of the country’s electricity grid, meaning that it wasn’t able to import power from neighboring states to keep its inhabitants from freezing to death.

That also means Texas isn’t beholden to federal regulations — one of the qualities that drew Musk to the Lone Star state in the first place. A whole decade ago, grid regulations warned Texas that its power plants wouldn’t be able to survive plunging temperatures, as Bloomberg reports. Recommendations to insulate and heat pipes fell on deaf ears, leading to households flooding across the state this week.

During a February 2011 deep freeze, power plants failed and blackouts rolled the state. Sound familiar? Even then, regulators warned that previous winter weather events wreaked havoc with unprotected power equipment, according to Bloomberg.

While political pundits raced to blame green energy on the infrastructure collapse, frozen over wind turbines were the least of the state’s crumbling infrastructure’s problem.

In fact, Musk has a vested interest in bringing 21st century energy storage to Texas in the form of large-scale Tesla battery pack farms, such as the one that brought New South Wales’ power grid back from the brink several times already in eastern Australia since being installed in 2017.

It’s unclear if such a battery pack would float enough electricity in case Texas ever ends up freezing over again. But it could present at least a partial solution to a political entity steadfast in its support of the oil and gas industry.

And besides, the offer of help would be coming from Elon Musk, a poster child of the American Dream — not big government.

READ MORE: Elon Musk slams Texas power grid operator for being unreliable [New York Post]

More on Texas: TEXAS SNAP FREEZE CAUSES ELECTRICITY PRICES TO SOAR 10,000 PERCENT

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Incredible Photo Shows NASA Mars Rover Hanging Below “Sky Crane”

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NASA has released the next photo sent to us all the way from Mars courtesy of its Perseverance mission, which successfully landed on Thursday.

Jetpack Snapshot

NASA has released a new photo sent to us all the way from Mars courtesy of its Perseverance rover, which successfully landed on the Red Planet on Thursday.

The incredible image shows the rover hanging below the probe’s “sky crane,” a rocket-powered device that lowered Perseverance from an altitude of about 70 feet down to the surface below. A similarly designed crane also was used to lower NASA’s Curiosity rover during its 2012 landing.

The moment that my team dreamed of for years, now a reality. Dare mighty things. #CountdownToMars pic.twitter.com/8SgV53S9KG

— NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) February 19, 2021

The image shows a stunning amount of detail, capturing not only the entire top side of the rover itself, but also the craggy Martian surface below.

“This shot from a camera on my ‘jetpack’ captures me in midair, just before my wheels touched down,” the rover’s official Twitter account wrote.

“This is something we’ve never seen before,” Aaron Stehura, a systems engineer at JPL, said of the jetpack image during today’s live stream. “It was stunning and the team was awe struck.”

Mars in Color

NASA also released a full color resolution version of the surrounding Jezero Crater, as taken by the rover’s hazard camera it uses to safely navigate the surface.

An additional image shows one of the rover’s wheels close up.

Doing Well

During a Friday briefing, the team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory noted that Perseverance is doing well. The rover “continues to be highly functional and awesome and I’m exhilarated,” an excited Pauline Hwang, mission operations system manager for the Perseverance Mars rover at JPL, said during today’s press conference.

Perseverance will now transition to using surface software to check its various instruments and eventually begin its journey across the Martian surface.

READ MORE: NASA Live: Official Stream of NASA TV [NASA]

More on Perseverance: BREAKING: NASA Successfully Lands Perseverance Rover on Mars

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For the First Time, Scientists Clone Endangered Species

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Scientists cloned an endangered species for the first time with the successful birth of Elizabeth Ann, a black-footed ferret.

It’s Alive!

For the first time, scientists cloned an organism on the United States’ list of endangered species: a black-footed ferret that they’ve named Elizabeth Ann.

Elizabeth Ann was born on December 10 and, as far as the Fish and Wildlife Service scientists raising her can tell, is a perfectly healthy and lively young critter, The Associated Press reports. The tentative success story, a first for conservationists, suggests that cloning could serve as a way to help breathe life into species that are on the brink of total extinction.

JUST IN: Scientists have cloned the first U.S. endangered species, a black-footed ferret duplicated from the genes of an animal that died over 30 years ago. https://t.co/xmkAAP7Yiw

— NBC News (@NBCNews) February 19, 2021

New Tools

Cloning technology isn’t new by any means, but recent advances are making it a viable tool for conservationists rather than a scientific oddity.

In this case, scientists at the Fish and Wildlife Service as well as the conservation organization Revive & Restore used the genes from a ferret that died 30 years ago to clone Elizabeth Ann, according to the AP. And while the ferret’s mother is tame, Elizabeth Ann behaves like a wild animal, making it possible for her to survive outside of a lab.

“How can we actually apply some of those advances in science for conservation? Because conservation needs more tools in the toolbox,” Ryan Phelan, co-founder and executive director of Revive & Restore told the AP. “That’s our whole motivation. Cloning is just one of the tools.”

Family Planning

Elizabeth Ann’s birth was the result of a seven-year effort, according to the AP. Her birth and survival offer a new opportunity to revive a species that was actually thought to be entirely extinct due to loss of habitat until the early 1980s.

But cloning won’t be without its challenges. All black-footed ferrets alive today come from just seven ancestors, and their genetic similarity makes them prone to disease. Unfortunately, cloning technology can replicate those ferrets, but it can’t yet introduce the sort of variability that will give them a better shot in the wild.

READ MORE: Scientists clone the first U.S. endangered species [The Associated Press]

More on cloning: Chinese Scientists Cloned Gene-Edited Monkeys With Horrifying Results

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Artificial Intelligence-Worshipping Church Officially Shuts Down

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Anthony Levandowski decided to shut down the artificial intelligence-focused church he started and donated its funds to the NAACP.

Closed Doors

Remember that artificial intelligence-worshipping church, the Way of the Future?

Well, first of all: Yes, that existed. But secondly, founder Anthony Levandowski told TechCrunch this week that he has now decided to dissolve the church and donate all of its funds — just over $175,000 — to the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. Levandowski still supports the church’s mission to responsibly develop and support artificial general intelligence, but he said he was inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement to do something with a more immediate impact.

“I wanted to donate to the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund because it’s doing really important work in criminal justice reform and I know the money will be put to good use,” Levandowski told TechCrunch.

Wild Ride

Aside from his bizarre church, which never had a physical location, rituals, or gatherings, you may remember Levandowski from his legal battles over stolen trade secrets within the self-driving car industry.

Levandowski founded the Way of the Future when he was working at Google. He later left to form his own startup, which got bought by Uber — only to be sued by Google’s self-driving vehicle offshoot Waymo over stolen trade secrets. He ended up facing an 18-month prison sentence and a massive fine that prompted him to file for bankruptcy, but was pardoned by former President Donald Trump.

True Disciple

Even though the Way of the Future is gone, Levandowski still believes in its founding principles, he told TechCrunch.

He believes that genuinely intelligent and perhaps even conscious artificial intelligence will be a net positive for society, as long as it’s crafted with the right considerations in mind. Church or no church, Levandowski told TechCrunch that he wants to make sure that still happens.

READ MORE: Anthony Levandowski closes his Church of AI [TechCrunch]

More on Levandowski: Way of the Future: A New Church Worships an AI God

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Artificial Intelligence-Worshipping Church Officially Shuts Down

Another Earthquake Nails the Crumbling Fukushima Power Plant

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Another earthquake hit the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on Saturday, further complicating the effort to manage and decommission it.

Not Again

A powerful earthquake struck the site of Japan’s already-crumbling Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant last weekend, further damaging the facility that experts and authorities have spent years trying to safely maintain.

The power plant’s operators found that cooling water levels had dropped in two of the plant’s reactors, indicating that the earthquake caused them to spring new leaks, The Associated Press reports. The development will make it far more difficult and complicated to continue decommissioning the plant, which has been an ongoing effort since it was mostly destroyed in a 2011 tsunami.

Silver Lining

Thankfully, the leaking water seems to be contained entirely within the reactor buildings, and Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) spokesman Keisuke Matsuo told the AP that there’s no sign of any impact or radiation leakage outside of the facility itself.

But the worsened leaks mean that more water will need to be pumped in to replace it, increasing the amount of irradiated water that then needs to be managed. Unfortunately, the authorities’ current plan is to dump it into the sea. Environmental groups were already concerned about that idea, so it’s unfortunate that the dump will now likely be larger than anyone predicted.

Overdue Accountability

Meanwhile, just one day before the new earthquake, the Tokyo High Court reversed a previous ruling to declare that the government and TEPCO could be held accountable for the devastation, especially because so many residents had to flee the area after the initial nuclear disaster, the AP reports. The ruling may alter how the government continues to respond to the issues facing the power plant, now that it might face consequences for its actions.

“The case raises the question of whether we should tolerate a society that prioritizes economic activities over people’s lives and health,” Izutaro Mangi, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, told the AP.

READ MORE: Water leaks indicate new damage at Fukushima nuclear plant [The Associated Press]

More on Fukushima: Fukushima Plans to Power Region With 100% Renewable Energy

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US Formally Rejoins Paris Climate Agreement

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The United States has formally reentered the Paris Climate Agreement today. 2030 carbon goals will be set by Earth Day in April.

After US president Joe Biden signed an executive order almost a month ago to move the United States toward rejoining the Paris climate agreement, the country formally reentered the international pact today, as Scientific American reports.

The reentry signals the start of a lengthy process of drafting new emissions pledges. Biden called for an international climate summit on April 22, which falls on Earth Day, so the pressure is on to come up with 2030 carbon goals.

The Paris Agreement is a United Nations framework established in 2016 that requires member countries around the world to do their best to keep the increase in global temperatures to below two degrees Celsius throughout the 21st century.

The reentering marks a significant U-turn in the country’s approach to climate accountability. Former US president Donald Trump made the decision in 2017 to have the US withdraw from the agreement, a three-year process that officially came into effect in November 2020, the same month Biden was voted president.

“From a political symbolism perspective, whether it’s 100 days or four years, it is basically the same thing,” Christiana Figueres, the former UN climate chief, told The Guardian. “It’s not about how many days. It’s the political symbolism that the largest economy refuses to see the opportunity of addressing climate change. We’ve lost too much time.”

Experts believe the Biden administration’s renewed commitment to the agreement could mark a new chapter in the fight against climate change, as Scientific American reports.

Biden’s carbon goals, to be announced in April, will be based on data collected by non-federal analysts and think tanks, according to SciAm. Experts believe the goals may end up being more sweeping than the Obama administration’s pledge to cut greenhouses gases between 26 and 28 percent by 2025, a goal set in 2015.

The US has fallen behind considerably in the fight against climate change. Countries have turned towards other world powers for leadership throughout Trump’s presidency, with China making significant promises of late, including a pledge to become carbon neutral by 2060.

The Biden administration now has the uncomfortable task of convincing other world leaders that the US is indeed committed to keeping global warming to a minimum.

But late is better than never — the US remains the second largest polluter in the world. According to a recent report by the Union of Concerned Scientists, the US contributed 15 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions in 2018, the second highest contributor after China.

READ MORE: U.S. Officially Rejoins Paris Climate Agreement [Scientific American]

More on the Paris agreement: BIDEN MOVES TO REJOIN PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT

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Behold This Sky Map of 25,000 Supermassive Black Holes

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Scientists just released a map that shows over 25,000 different supermassive black holes in a tiny portion of the night sky.

Nightlight

Scientists just published a massive map of the night sky speckled with twinkling white lights.

But instead of distant stars and constellations, the map actually shows the locations of more than 25,000 supermassive black holes, according to research accepted for publication in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. Each one is surrounded by its own galaxy, illuminated by the radio emissions of matter getting gobbled up and ejected.

LOFAR/LOL Survey

Tiny Slice

The project involved 256 hours of observations — followed by years of analysis — conducted by an army of scientists working at 52 facilities spanning nine European countries, according to a Leiden University press release. And after all that, the gigantic map spans just four percent of the northern half of the sky.

“This is the result of many years of work on incredibly difficult data,” research leader and former Leiden scientist Francesco de Gasperin said in the press release. “We had to invent new methods to convert the radio signals into images of the sky.”

Zooming Out

Most of the work to make the map came from finding a way to convert those radio emissions into visible light. The problem was that the Earth’s atmosphere and ionosphere kept distorting the signal, so the team had to develop sophisticated algorithms to fix it.

“After many years of software development, it is so wonderful to see that this has now really worked out,” Leiden Observatory’s scientific director Huub Röttgering, said in the press release.

With that sorted out, the team plans to rapidly map out the rest of the supermassive black holes in the northern sky, reusing their algorithm to make sure they have a clear view along the way.

READ MORE: Astronomers publish map showing 25,000 supermassive black holes [Leiden University]

More on sky maps: This X-Ray Map of the Entire Sky Is a Psychedelic Dreamworld

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COVID-19 City of Prescott

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COVID-19

The City ofPrescott is working closely with officials from Yavapai County Community HealthServices, and monitoring information from the Arizona Department of HealthServices (ADHS) to keep up to date on COVID-19 around the State.

This information is intended to help citizens stay informed with the latest updates at the Federal, State and County Level.

Mayor Mengarelli provides video updates twice per week- on Mondays and Thursdays, on the City of Prescott Facebook page. You can view these on this link, even if you do not have a Facebook account.

Vaccination Station CANCELLED Tomorrow January 26, 2021

No clinics are planned for Prescott Gateway Mall for Monday, January 25ththrough Wednesday, January 27thto give our teams time to support second vaccination clinics for members of Priority Group 1A who are already scheduled.

Appointments have opened for Thursday, January 28ththrough Sunday, January 31st, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, at Prescott Gateway Mall. The clinics are being held in the Sears Building, East Entrance, at 3400 Gateway Blvd., in Prescott.

Vaccinations are available by appointment only.Appointments can be scheduled via the Yavapai County Community Health Services website located at:https://www.yavapai.us/chs/Home/COVID-19/Vaccine

Greetings,

COVID-19 vaccination clinics are beginning to open around the community. Dignity Health, Yavapai Regional Medical Center will conduct clinics at the Prescott Gateway Mall beginning on Thursday, January 21st through Sunday, January 24th for priority groups 1A and 1B. The schedule is currently full for all four days and additional dates are planned. We expect to announce the new dates soon.

Spectrum Health is planning to conduct COVID-19 clinics at the Findlay Toyota Center beginning Monday, January 25th.

We also expect other sites to open in the community soon.

Yavapai County Community Health Services has launched a scheduling portal on their website, located at:https://www.yavapai.us/chs/Home/COVID-19/Vaccine. This website includes scheduling links for both the YRMC and Spectrum Health clinics. Scheduling links for other clinics will be added when the clinics open.

When you visit the YCCHS website, you will find a graph that lists the priority groups. You will need to click on the graph to open an interactive PDF. Once the PDF is open, click on the group you are part of for the scheduling links.

Yavapai County Community Health Services is operating a COVID-19 Hotline for anyone that has questions about the vaccination process. The number is (928) 442-5103.

The focus is currently on Priority Group 1A and Priority Group 1B, which include:

Priority Group 1A:

Healthcare Workers and Healthcare Support Occupations

Emergency Medical Services Workers

Long-Term Care Facility Staff and Residents

Priority Group 1B:

Education and Childcare Workers

Protective Service Occupations

Adults 65 Years of Age and Older

Essential Services/Critical Industry Workers

Adults with High Risk Conditions in Congregate Settings

Thank you.

YRMC Community Outreach

Rental Eviction Prevention Assistance

ADHS Vaccine Finder

City Managers Facebook Live Videos

Responsible Recreation:AOT has collaborated with outdoor recreation management agencies at the federal, state and local levels to createResponsible Recreation Across Arizona, a one-stop resource with guidelines on enjoying spectacular Arizona landscapes while adhering to COVID-19 physical distancing guidelines.

The latest responsible recreation updates includestatewide fire safetyand restriction information plus guidance onsummer recreationin the states deserts. With so many Arizonans turning to the outdoors as a great escape, its critical to approach these activities with a protective mindset, as these agencies remain committed to keeping all public lands open and accessible while protecting staff and visitors. This resource is updated regularly and can be shared with Arizonans and visitors alike.

The IRS has established a special phone line for taxpayers with questions about their Economic Impact Payments (EIP) 1-800-919-9835.

Consider other lending source options:

If you are not sure about your funding status with your lender, consider other alternate lender sources including online lending options which might provide easier access to the PPP loans.Some options to explore include Paypal, Square, Quickbooks/Intuit, Lendio, On-Deck, Blue Vine, and Kabbage, and others.Status and availability can change on a daily basis.

As you know, the Governor has made an executive order, closing public access to Bars, Restaurants, Movie Theaters and Gyms. In counties where a confirmed case of COVID-19 is reported.

As of March 21, 2020, these businesses should be closed in Yavapai County. Restaurants can serve food via carry out, curbside or delivery. The City will provide free 15 minute parking signs for any restaurant who wants one. Call 928-777-1126 for a sign.

Bar owners, who are unsure of whether they are allowed to serve alcohol to go, I suggest you go to AZGovernor.gov and search for Executive Order 2020-09

Virtual Town Hall for Faith Based and Mental Health Resources 4-17-20

Virtual Town Hall for Businesses 4-3-20

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COVID-19 City of Prescott

Coronavirus disease 2019 – Wikipedia

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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease has since spread worldwide, leading to an ongoing pandemic.

Symptoms of COVID-19 are variable, but often include fever, cough, fatigue, breathing difficulties, and loss of smell and taste. Symptoms begin one to fourteen days after exposure to the virus. Of those people who develop noticeable symptoms, most (81%) develop mild to moderate symptoms (up to mild pneumonia), while 14% develop severe symptoms (dyspnea, hypoxia, or more than 50% lung involvement on imaging), and 5% suffer critical symptoms (respiratory failure, shock, or multiorgan dysfunction).[6] At least a third of the people who are infected with the virus remain asymptomatic and do not develop noticeable symptoms at any point in time, but they still can spread the disease.[7][8] Some people continue to experience a range of effectsknown as long COVIDfor months after recovery, and damage to organs has been observed.[9] Multi-year studies are underway to further investigate the long-term effects of the disease.[9]

The virus that causes COVID-19 spreads mainly when an infected person is in close contact[a] with another person.[13][14] Small droplets and aerosols containing the virus can spread from an infected person's nose and mouth as they breathe, cough, sneeze, sing, or speak. Other people are infected if the virus gets into their mouth, nose or eyes. The virus may also spread via contaminated surfaces, although this is not thought to be the main route of transmission.[14] The exact route of transmission is rarely proven conclusively,[15] but infection mainly happens when people are near each other for long enough. People who are infected can transmit the virus to another person up to two days before they themselves show symptoms, as can people who do not experience symptoms. People remain infectious for up to ten days after the onset of symptoms in moderate cases and up to 20 days in severe cases.[16]Several testing methods have been developed to diagnose the disease. The standard diagnostic method is by detection of the virus' nucleic acid by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR), transcription-mediated amplification (TMA), or by loop-mediated isothermal amplification from a nasopharyngeal swab.

Preventive measures include physical or social distancing, quarantining, ventilation of indoor spaces, covering coughs and sneezes, hand washing, and keeping unwashed hands away from the face. The use of face masks or coverings has been recommended in public settings to minimise the risk of transmissions. Several vaccines have been developed and several countries have initiated mass vaccination campaigns.

Although work is underway to develop drugs that inhibit the virus, the primary treatment is currently symptomatic. Management involves the treatment of symptoms, supportive care, isolation, and experimental measures.

Symptoms of COVID-19 are variable, ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness.[17][18] Common symptoms include headache, loss of smell and taste, nasal congestion and rhinorrhea, cough, muscle pain, sore throat, fever, diarrhea, and breathing difficulties.[19] People with the same infection may have different symptoms, and their symptoms may change over time. In people without prior ears, nose, and throat disorders, loss of taste combined with loss of smell is associated with COVID-19.[20]

Most people (81%) develop mild to moderate symptoms (up to mild pneumonia), while 14% develop severe symptoms (dyspnea, hypoxia, or more than 50% lung involvement on imaging) and 5% of patients suffer critical symptoms (respiratory failure, shock, or multiorgan dysfunction).[21] At least a third of the people who are infected with the virus do not develop noticeable symptoms at any point in time.[22][23][24][25] These asymptomatic carriers tend not to get tested and can spread the disease.[25][26][27][28] Other infected people will develop symptoms later, called "pre-symptomatic", or have very mild symptoms and can also spread the virus.[29]

As is common with infections, there is a delay between the moment a person first becomes infected and the appearance of the first symptoms. The median delay for COVID-19 is four to five days.[30] Most symptomatic people experience symptoms within two to seven days after exposure, and almost all will experience at least one symptom within 12 days.[30][31]

COVID-19 is caused by infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus strain.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spreads from person to person mainly through the respiratory route after an infected person coughs, sneezes, sings, talks or breathes.[33][34] A new infection occurs when virus-containing particles exhaled by an infected person, either respiratory droplets or aerosols, get into the mouth, nose, or eyes of other people who are in close contact with the infected person.[35] During human-to-human transmission, an average 1000 infectious SARS-CoV-2 virions are thought to initiate a new infection.[36][37]

The closer people interact, and the longer they interact, the more likely they are to transmit COVID-19. Closer distances can involve larger droplets (which fall to the ground) and aerosols, whereas longer distances only involve aerosols.[35] Larger droplets can also turn into aerosols (known as droplet nuclei) through evaporation.[38] The relative importance of the larger droplets and the aerosols is not clear as of November 2020; however, the virus is not known to spread between rooms over long distances such as through air ducts.[39] Airborne transmission is able to particularly occur indoors, in high risk locations[39] such as restaurants, choirs, gyms, nightclubs, offices, and religious venues, often when they are crowded or less ventilated.[38] It also occurs in healthcare settings, often when aerosol-generating medical procedures are performed on COVID-19 patients.[40]

Although it is considered possible there is no direct evidence of the virus being transmitted by skin to skin contact.[41] A person could get COVID-19 indirectly by touching a contaminated surface or object before touching their own mouth, nose, or eyes, though this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads, and there is no direct evidence of this method either.[41] The virus is not known to spread through feces, urine, breast milk, food, wastewater, drinking water, or via animal disease vectors (although some animals can contract the virus from humans). It very rarely transmits from mother to baby during pregnancy.[41]

Social distancing and the wearing of cloth face masks, surgical masks, respirators, or other face coverings are controls for droplet transmission. Transmission may be decreased indoors with well maintained heating and ventilation systems to maintain good air circulation and increase the use of outdoor air.[42]

The number of people generally infected by one infected person varies.[41] Coronavirus_disease 2019 is more infectious than influenza, but less so than measles. It often spreads in clusters, where infections can be traced back to an index case or geographical location.[43] There is a major role of "super-spreading events", where many people are infected by one person.[41][44]

A person who is infected can transmit the virus to others up to two days before they themselves show symptoms, and even if symptoms never appear.[45] People remain infectious in moderate cases for 712 days, and up to two weeks in severe cases.[45] In October 2020, medical scientists reported evidence of reinfection in one person.[46][47]

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus. It was first isolated from three people with pneumonia connected to the cluster of acute respiratory illness cases in Wuhan.[48] All structural features of the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus particle occur in related coronaviruses in nature.[49]

Outside the human body, the virus is destroyed by household soap, which bursts its protective bubble.[50]

SARS-CoV-2 is closely related to the original SARS-CoV.[51] It is thought to have an animal (zoonotic) origin. Genetic analysis has revealed that the coronavirus genetically clusters with the genus Betacoronavirus, in subgenus Sarbecovirus (lineage B) together with two bat-derived strains. It is 96% identical at the whole genome level to other bat coronavirus samples (BatCov RaTG13).[52][53] The structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2 include membrane glycoprotein (M), envelope protein (E), nucleocapsid protein (N), and the spike protein (S). The M protein of SARS-CoV-2 is about 98% similar to the M protein of bat SARS-CoV, maintains around 98% homology with pangolin SARS-CoV, and has 90% homology with the M protein of SARS-CoV; whereas, the similarity is only around 38% with the M protein of MERS-CoV.[54][55]

The many thousands of SARS-CoV-2 variants are grouped into clades.[56] Several different clade nomenclatures have been proposed. Nextstrain divides the variants into five clades (19A, 19B, 20A, 20B, and 20C), while GISAID divides them into seven (L, O, V, S, G, GH, and GR).[57]

Several notable variants of SARS-CoV-2 emerged in late 2020. Cluster 5 emerged among minks and mink farmers in Denmark. After strict quarantines and a mink euthanasia campaign, it is believed to have been eradicated. The Variant of Concern 202012/01 (VOC 202012/01) is believed to have emerged in the United Kingdom in September. The 501Y.V2 Variant, which has the same N501Y mutation, arose independently in South Africa.[58][59]

Three known variants of COVID-19 are currently spreading among global populations as of January 2021 including the UK Variant (referred to as B.1.1.7) first found in London and Kent, a variant discovered in South Africa (referred to as 1.351), and a variant discovered in Brazil (referred to as P.1).[60]

Using Whole Genome Sequencing, epidemiology and modelling suggest the new UK variant VUI 202012/01 (the first Variant Under Investigation in December 2020) transmits more easily than other strains.[61]

COVID-19 can affect the upper respiratory tract (sinuses, nose, and throat) and the lower respiratory tract (windpipe and lungs).[62] The lungs are the organs most affected by COVID-19 because the virus accesses host cells via the enzyme angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which is most abundant in type II alveolar cells of the lungs.[63] The virus uses a special surface glycoprotein called a "spike" (peplomer) to connect to ACE2 and enter the host cell.[64] The density of ACE2 in each tissue correlates with the severity of the disease in that tissue and decreasing ACE2 activity might be protective,[65] though another view is that increasing ACE2 using angiotensin II receptor blocker medications could be protective.[66] As the alveolar disease progresses, respiratory failure might develop and death may follow.[67]

Whether SARS-CoV-2 is able to invade the nervous system remains unknown. The virus is not detected in the CNS of the majority of COVID-19 people with neurological issues. However, SARS-CoV-2 has been detected at low levels in the brains of those who have died from COVID-19, but these results need to be confirmed.[68] SARS-CoV-2 may cause respiratory failure through affecting the brain stem as other coronaviruses have been found to invade the CNS. While virus has been detected in cerebrospinal fluid of autopsies, the exact mechanism by which it invades the CNS remains unclear and may first involve invasion of peripheral nerves given the low levels of ACE2 in the brain.[69][70][71] The virus may also enter the bloodstream from the lungs and cross the blood-brain barrier to gain access to the CNS, possibly within an infected white blood cell.[68]

The virus also affects gastrointestinal organs as ACE2 is abundantly expressed in the glandular cells of gastric, duodenal and rectal epithelium[72] as well as endothelial cells and enterocytes of the small intestine.[73]

The virus can cause acute myocardial injury and chronic damage to the cardiovascular system.[74] An acute cardiac injury was found in 12% of infected people admitted to the hospital in Wuhan, China,[75] and is more frequent in severe disease.[76] Rates of cardiovascular symptoms are high, owing to the systemic inflammatory response and immune system disorders during disease progression, but acute myocardial injuries may also be related to ACE2 receptors in the heart.[74] ACE2 receptors are highly expressed in the heart and are involved in heart function.[74][77] A high incidence of thrombosis and venous thromboembolism have been found people transferred to intensive care unit (ICU) with COVID-19 infections, and may be related to poor prognosis.[78] Blood vessel dysfunction and clot formation (as suggested by high D-dimer levels caused by blood clots) are thought to play a significant role in mortality, incidences of clots leading to pulmonary embolisms, and ischaemic events within the brain have been noted as complications leading to death in people infected with SARS-CoV-2. Infection appears to set off a chain of vasoconstrictive responses within the body, constriction of blood vessels within the pulmonary circulation has also been posited as a mechanism in which oxygenation decreases alongside the presentation of viral pneumonia.[79] Furthermore, microvascular blood vessel damage has been reported in a small number of tissue samples of the brains without detected SARS-CoV-2 and the olfactory bulbs from those who have died from COVID-19.[80][81][82]

Another common cause of death is complications related to the kidneys.[79] Early reports show that up to 30% of hospitalized patients both in China and in New York have experienced some injury to their kidneys, including some persons with no previous kidney problems.[83]

Autopsies of people who died of COVID-19 have found diffuse alveolar damage, and lymphocyte-containing inflammatory infiltrates within the lung.[84]

Although SARS-CoV-2 has a tropism for ACE2-expressing epithelial cells of the respiratory tract, people with severe COVID-19 have symptoms of systemic hyperinflammation. Clinical laboratory findings of elevated IL-2, IL-7, IL-6, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interferon- inducible protein 10 (IP-10), monocyte chemoattractant protein1 (MCP-1), macrophage inflammatory protein 1- (MIP-1), and tumour necrosis factor- (TNF-) indicative of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) suggest an underlying immunopathology.[75]

Additionally, people with COVID-19 and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) have classical serum biomarkers of CRS, including elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), D-dimer, and ferritin.[85]

Systemic inflammation results in vasodilation, allowing inflammatory lymphocytic and monocytic infiltration of the lung and the heart. In particular, pathogenic GM-CSF-secreting T-cells were shown to correlate with the recruitment of inflammatory IL-6-secreting monocytes and severe lung pathology in people with COVID-19 .[86] Lymphocytic infiltrates have also been reported at autopsy.[84]

Multiple viral and host factors affect the pathogenesis of the virus. The S-protein, otherwise known as the spike protein, is the viral component that attaches to the host receptor via the ACE2 receptors. It includes two subunits: S1 and S2. S1 determines the virus host range and cellular tropism via the receptor binding domain. S2 mediates the membrane fusion of the virus to its potential cell host via the H1 and HR2, which are heptad repeat regions. Studies have shown that S1 domain induced IgG and IgA antibody levels at a much higher capacity. It is the focus spike proteins expression that are involved in many effective COVID-19 vaccines.[87]

The M protein is the viral protein responsible for the transmembrane transport of nutrients. It is the cause of the bud release and the formation of the viral envelope.[88] The N and E protein are accessory proteins that interfere with the host's immune response.[88]

Human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) is the host factor that SARS-COV2 virus targets causing COVID-19. Theoretically the usage of angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) and ACE inhibitors upregulating ACE2 expression might increase morbidity with COVID-19, though animal data suggest some potential protective effect of ARB. However no clinical studies have proven susceptibility or outcomes. Until further data is available, guidelines and recommendations for hypertensive patients remain.[89]

The virus' affect on ACE2 cell surfaces leads to leukocytic infiltration, increased blood vessel permeability, alveolar wall permeability, as well as decreased secretion of lung surfactants. These effects cause the majority of the respiratory symptoms. However, the aggravation of local inflammation causes a cytokine storm eventually leading to a systemic inflammatory response syndrome.[90]

The severity of the inflammation can be attributed to the severity of what is known as the cytokine storm.[91] Levels of interleukin 1B, interferon-gamma, interferon-inducible protein 10, and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 were all associated with COVID-19 disease severity. Treatment has been proposed to combat the cytokine storm as it remains to be one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in COVID-19 disease.[92]

A cytokine storm is due to an acute hyperinflammatory response that is responsible for clinical illness in an array of diseases but in COVID-19, it is related to worse prognosis and increased fatality. The storm causes the acute respiratory distress syndrome, blood clotting events such as strokes, myocardial infarction, encephalitis, acute kidney injury, and vasculitis. The production of IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, TNF-alpha, and interferon-gamma, all crucial components of normal immune responses, inadvertently become the causes of a cytokine storm. The cells of the central nervous system, the microglia, neurons, and astrocytes, are also be involved in the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines affecting the nervous system, and effects of cytokine storms toward the CNS are not uncommon.[93]

COVID-19 can provisionally be diagnosed on the basis of symptoms and confirmed using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or other nucleic acid testing of infected secretions.[94][95] Along with laboratory testing, chest CT scans may be helpful to diagnose COVID-19 in individuals with a high clinical suspicion of infection.[96] Detection of a past infection is possible with serological tests, which detect antibodies produced by the body in response to the infection.[94]

The standard methods of testing for presence of SARS-CoV-2 are nucleic acid tests,[94][97] which detects the presence of viral RNA fragments.[98] As these tests detect RNA but not infectious virus, its "ability to determine duration of infectivity of patients is limited."[99] The test is typically done on respiratory samples obtained by a nasopharyngeal swab; however, a nasal swab or sputum sample may also be used.[100][101] Results are generally available within hours.[94] The WHO has published several testing protocols for the disease.[102]

A number of laboratories and companies have developed serological tests, which detect antibodies produced by the body in response to infection. Several have been evaluated by Public Health England and approved for use in the UK.[103]

The University of Oxford's CEBM has pointed to mounting evidence[104][105] that "a good proportion of 'new' mild cases and people re-testing positives after quarantine or discharge from hospital are not infectious, but are simply clearing harmless virus particles which their immune system has efficiently dealt with" and have called for "an international effort to standardize and periodically calibrate testing"[106] On 7 September, the UK government issued "guidance for procedures to be implemented in laboratories to provide assurance of positive SARS-CoV-2 RNA results during periods of low prevalence, when there is a reduction in the predictive value of positive test results."[107]

Chest CT scans may be helpful to diagnose COVID-19 in individuals with a high clinical suspicion of infection but are not recommended for routine screening.[96][108] Bilateral multilobar ground-glass opacities with a peripheral, asymmetric, and posterior distribution are common in early infection.[96][109] Subpleural dominance, crazy paving (lobular septal thickening with variable alveolar filling), and consolidation may appear as the disease progresses.[96][110] Characteristic imaging features on chest radiographs and computed tomography (CT) of people who are symptomatic include asymmetric peripheral ground-glass opacities without pleural effusions.[111]

Many groups have created COVID-19 datasets that include imagery such as the Italian Radiological Society which has compiled an international online database of imaging findings for confirmed cases.[112] Due to overlap with other infections such as adenovirus, imaging without confirmation by rRT-PCR is of limited specificity in identifying COVID-19.[111] A large study in China compared chest CT results to PCR and demonstrated that though imaging is less specific for the infection, it is faster and more sensitive.[95]

In late 2019, the WHO assigned emergency ICD-10 disease codes U07.1 for deaths from lab-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and U07.2 for deaths from clinically or epidemiologically diagnosed COVID-19 without lab-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection.[113]

The main pathological findings at autopsy are:[84]

Preventive measures to reduce the chances of infection include staying at home, wearing a mask in public, avoiding crowded places, keeping distance from others, ventilating indoor spaces, washing hands with soap and water often and for at least 20 seconds, practising good respiratory hygiene, and avoiding touching the eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.[117][118]

Those diagnosed with COVID-19 or who believe they may be infected are advised by the CDC to stay home except to get medical care, call ahead before visiting a healthcare provider, wear a face mask before entering the healthcare provider's office and when in any room or vehicle with another person, cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, regularly wash hands with soap and water and avoid sharing personal household items.[119][120]

The first COVID-19 vaccine was granted regulatory approval on 2 December by the UK medicines regulator MHRA.[121] It was evaluated for emergency use authorization (EUA) status by the US FDA, and in several other countries.[122] Initially, the US National Institutes of Health guidelines do not recommend any medication for prevention of COVID-19, before or after exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, outside the setting of a clinical trial.[123][124] Without a vaccine, other prophylactic measures, or effective treatments, a key part of managing COVID-19 is trying to decrease and delay the epidemic peak, known as "flattening the curve".[125] This is done by slowing the infection rate to decrease the risk of health services being overwhelmed, allowing for better treatment of current cases, and delaying additional cases until effective treatments or a vaccine become available.[125][126]

A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV2), the virus causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19). Prior to the COVID19 pandemic, work to develop a vaccine against coronavirus diseases like severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) established knowledge about the structure and function of coronaviruses; this knowledge enabled accelerated development of various vaccine technologies during early 2020.[127]

As of February2021[update], 66 vaccine candidates are in clinical research, including 17 in Phase I trials, 23 in Phase III trials, 6 in Phase II trials, and 20 in Phase III trials.[128] Trials for four other candidates were terminated.[128] In Phase III trials, several COVID19 vaccines demonstrate efficacy as high as 95% in preventing symptomatic COVID19 infections. As of February2021[update], ten vaccines are authorized by at least one national regulatory authority for public use: two RNA vaccines (the PfizerBioNTech vaccine and the Moderna vaccine), three conventional inactivated vaccines (BBIBP-CorV, Covaxin, and CoronaVac), four viral vector vaccines (Sputnik V, the OxfordAstraZeneca vaccine, Convidicea, and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine), and one peptide vaccine (EpiVacCorona).[128]

Social distancing (also known as physical distancing) includes infection control actions intended to slow the spread of the disease by minimising close contact between individuals. Methods include quarantines; travel restrictions; and the closing of schools, workplaces, stadiums, theatres, or shopping centres. Individuals may apply social distancing methods by staying at home, limiting travel, avoiding crowded areas, using no-contact greetings, and physically distancing themselves from others.[134] Many governments are now mandating or recommending social distancing in regions affected by the outbreak.[135]

Outbreaks have occurred in prisons due to crowding and an inability to enforce adequate social distancing.[136][137] In the United States, the prisoner population is aging and many of them are at high risk for poor outcomes from COVID-19 due to high rates of coexisting heart and lung disease, and poor access to high-quality healthcare.[136]

Self-isolation at home has been recommended for those diagnosed with COVID-19 and those who suspect they have been infected. Health agencies have issued detailed instructions for proper self-isolation.[138] Many governments have mandated or recommended self-quarantine for entire populations. The strongest self-quarantine instructions have been issued to those in high-risk groups.[139] Those who may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 and those who have recently travelled to a country or region with the widespread transmission have been advised to self-quarantine for 14 days from the time of last possible exposure.[citation needed]

The WHO and the US CDC recommend individuals wear non-medical face coverings in public settings where there is an increased risk of transmission and where social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.[140][141] This recommendation is meant to reduce the spread of the disease by asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic individuals and is complementary to established preventive measures such as social distancing.[141][142] Face coverings limit the volume and travel distance of expiratory droplets dispersed when talking, breathing, and coughing.[141][142] A face covering without vents or holes will also filter out particles containing the virus from inhaled and exhaled air, reducing the chances of infection.[143] But, if the mask include an exhalation valve, a wearer that is infected (maybe without having noticed that, and asymptomatic) would transmit the virus outwards through it, despite any certification they can have. So the masks with exhalation valve are not for the infected wearers, and are not reliable to stop the pandemic in a large scale. Many countries and local jurisdictions encourage or mandate the use of face masks or cloth face coverings by members of the public to limit the spread of the virus.[144]

Masks are also strongly recommended for those who may have been infected and those taking care of someone who may have the disease.[145] When not wearing a mask, the CDC recommends covering the mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing and recommends using the inside of the elbow if no tissue is available. Proper hand hygiene after any cough or sneeze is encouraged. Healthcare professionals interacting directly with people who have COVID-19 are advised to use respirators at least as protective as NIOSH-certified N95 or equivalent, in addition to other personal protective equipment.[146]

Thorough hand hygiene after any cough or sneeze is required.[147] The WHO also recommends that individuals wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the toilet or when hands are visibly dirty, before eating and after blowing one's nose.[148] The CDC recommends using an alcohol-based hand sanitiser with at least 60% alcohol, but only when soap and water are not readily available.[147] For areas where commercial hand sanitisers are not readily available, the WHO provides two formulations for local production. In these formulations, the antimicrobial activity arises from ethanol or isopropanol. Hydrogen peroxide is used to help eliminate bacterial spores in the alcohol; it is "not an active substance for hand antisepsis". Glycerol is added as a humectant.[149]

Coronaviruses on surfaces die "within hours to days" depending on the type of surface, and factors such as temperature and humidity. On non-porous surfaces such as glass, plastic and stainless steel, the virus remains infective for 37 days.[150] On paper and cardboard, SARS-CoV-2 dies within hours to a few days.[151] Coronaviruses die faster when exposed to sunlight and warm temperatures.[152] Various jurisdictions have their own versions of deep clean procedure.

Surfaces may be decontaminated with a number of solutions (within one minute of exposure to the disinfectant for a stainless steel surface), including 6271 percent ethanol, 50100 percent isopropanol, 0.1 percent sodium hypochlorite, 0.5 percent hydrogen peroxide, and 0.27.5 percent povidone-iodine. Other solutions, such as benzalkonium chloride and chlorhexidine gluconate, are less effective. Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation may also be used.[153] The CDC recommends that if a COVID-19 case is suspected or confirmed at a facility such as an office or day care, all areas such as offices, bathrooms, common areas, shared electronic equipment like tablets, touch screens, keyboards, remote controls, and ATM machines used by the ill persons should be disinfected.[154] A datasheet comprising the authorised substances to disinfection in the food industry (including suspension or surface tested, kind of surface, use dilution, disinfectant and inocuylum volumes) can be seen in the supplementary material of.[155]

Disinfection of surfaces is key to control the spread of SARS-CoV-2, but entails also some drawbacks. Given the current evidence that the contact with inactivated surfaces is not the main driver of Covid-19,[156] several works have started to demand more optimised disinfection procedures to avoid major problems such as the increase of antimicrobial resistance.[155][157]

The WHO recommends ventilation and air filtration in public spaces to help clear out infectious aerosols.[153][158][159]

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health recommends a healthy diet, being physically active, managing psychological stress, and getting enough sleep.[160]

While there is no evidence that vitamin D is an effective treatment for COVID-19, there is limited evidence that vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of severe COVID-19 symptoms.[161] This has led to recommendations for individuals with vitamin D deficiency to take vitamin D supplements as a way of mitigating the risk of COVID-19 and other health issues associated with a possible increase in deficiency due to social distancing.[162]

There is no specific, effective treatment or cure for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.[163][164] Thus, the cornerstone of management of COVID-19 is supportive care, which includes treatment to relieve symptoms, fluid therapy, oxygen support and prone positioning as needed, and medications or devices to support other affected vital organs.[165][166][167]

Most cases of COVID-19 are mild. In these, supportive care includes medication such as paracetamol or NSAIDs to relieve symptoms (fever, body aches, cough), proper intake of fluids, rest, and nasal breathing.[168][164][169][170] Good personal hygiene and a healthy diet are also recommended.[171] The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that those who suspect they are carrying the virus isolate themselves at home and wear a face mask.[172]

People with more severe cases may need treatment in hospital. In those with low oxygen levels, use of the glucocorticoid dexamethasone is strongly recommended, as it can reduce the risk of death.[173][174][175] Noninvasive ventilation and, ultimately, admission to an intensive care unit for mechanical ventilation may be required to support breathing.[176] Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been used to address the issue of respiratory failure, but its benefits are still under consideration.[177][178]

The severity of COVID-19 varies. The disease may take a mild course with few or no symptoms, resembling other common upper respiratory diseases such as the common cold. In 3-4% of cases (7.4% for those over age 65) symptoms are severe enough to cause hospitalization.[183] Mild cases typically recover within two weeks, while those with severe or critical diseases may take three to six weeks to recover. Among those who have died, the time from symptom onset to death has ranged from two to eight weeks.[52] The Italian Istituto Superiore di Sanit reported that the median time between the onset of symptoms and death was twelve days, with seven being hospitalised. However, people transferred to an ICU had a median time of ten days between hospitalisation and death.[184] Prolonged prothrombin time and elevated C-reactive protein levels on admission to the hospital are associated with severe course of COVID-19 and with a transfer to ICU.[185][186]

Some early studies suggest 10% to 20% of people with COVID-19 will experience symptoms lasting longer than a month.[187][188] A majority of those who were admitted to hospital with severe disease report long-term problems including fatigue and shortness of breath.[189] On 30 October 2020 WHO chief Tedros Adhanom warned that "to a significant number of people, the COVID virus poses a range of serious long-term effects". He has described the vast spectrum of COVID-19 symptoms that fluctuate over time as "really concerning." They range from fatigue, a cough and shortness of breath, to inflammation and injury of major organs including the lungs and heart, and also neurological and psychologic effects. Symptoms often overlap and can affect any system in the body. Infected people have reported cyclical bouts of fatigue, headaches, months of complete exhaustion, mood swings, and other symptoms. Tedros has concluded that therefore herd immunity is "morally unconscionable and unfeasible".[190]

In terms of hospital readmissions about 9% of 106,000 individuals had to return for hospital treatment within 2 months of discharge. The average to readmit was 8 days since first hospital visit. There are several risk factors that have been identified as being a cause of multiple admissions to a hospital facility. Among these are advanced age (above 65 years of age) and presence of a chronic condition such as diabetes, COPD, heart failure or chronic kidney disease.[191][192]

According to scientific reviews smokers are more likely to require intensive care or die compared to non-smokers,[193][194] air pollution is similarly associated with risk factors,[194] and pre-existing heart and lung diseases[195] and also obesity contributes to an increased health risk of COVID-19.[194][196][197]

It is also assumed that those that are immunocompromised are at higher risk of getting severely sick from SARS-CoV-2.[198] One research that looked into the COVID-19 infections in hospitalized kidney transplant recipients found a mortality rate of 11%.[199]

Children make up a small proportion of reported cases, with about 1% of cases being under 10 years and 4% aged 1019 years.[45] They are likely to have milder symptoms and a lower chance of severe disease than adults. A European multinational study of hospitalized children published in The Lancet on 25 June 2020 found that about 8% of children admitted to a hospital needed intensive care. Four of those 582 children (0.7%) died, but the actual mortality rate could be "substantially lower" since milder cases that did not seek medical help were not included in the study.[200]

Genetics also plays an important role in the ability to fight off the disease. For instance, those that do not produce detectable type I interferons or produce auto-antibodies against these may get much sicker from COVID-19.[201][202] Genetic screening is able to detect interferon effector genes.[203]

Pregnant women may be at higher risk of severe COVID-19 infection based on data from other similar viruses, like SARS and MERS, but data for COVID-19 is lacking.[204][205]

Complications may include pneumonia, ARDS, multi-organ failure, septic shock, and death.[206]Cardiovascular complications may include heart failure, arrhythmias, heart inflammation, and blood clots.[207]

Approximately 2030% of people who present with COVID-19 have elevated liver enzymes reflecting liver injury.[124][208]

Neurologic manifestations include seizure, stroke, encephalitis, and GuillainBarr syndrome (which includes loss of motor functions).[209][210] Following the infection, children may develop paediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome, which has symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease, which can be fatal.[211][212] In very rare cases, acute encephalopathy can occur, and it can be considered in those who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and have an altered mental status.[213]

Some early studies[187][214] suggest between 1 in 5 and 1 in 10 people with COVID-19 will experience symptoms lasting longer than a month. A majority of those who were admitted to hospital with severe disease report long-term problems including fatigue and shortness of breath.[189]

By a variety of mechanisms, the lungs are the organs most affected in COVID-19.[215] The majority of CT scans performed show lung abnormalities in people tested after 28 days of illness.[216]People with advanced age, severe disease, prolonged ICU stays, or who smoke are more likely to have long lasting effects, including pulmonary fibrosis.[217] Overall, approximately one third of those investigated after 4 weeks will have findings of pulmonary fibrosis or reduced lung function as measured by DLCO, even in people who are asymptomatic, but with the suggestion of continuing improvement with the passing of more time.[215]

The immune response by humans to CoV-2 virus occurs as a combination of the cell-mediated immunity and antibody production,[218] just as with most other infections.[219] Since SARS-CoV-2 has been in the human population only since December 2019, it remains unknown if the immunity is long-lasting in people who recover from the disease.[220] The presence of neutralizing antibodies in blood strongly correlates with protection from infection, but the level of neutralizing antibody declines with time. Those with asymptomatic or mild disease had undetectable levels of neutralizing antibody two months after infection. In another study, the level of neutralizing antibody fell 4 fold 1 to 4 months after the onset of symptoms. However, the lack of antibody in the blood does not mean antibody will not be rapidly produced upon reexposure to SARS-CoV-2. Memory B cells specific for the spike and nucleocapsid proteins of SARS-CoV-2 last for at least 6 months after appearance of symptoms.[220] Nevertheless, 15 cases of reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 have been reported using stringent CDC criteria requiring identification of a different variant from the second infection. There are likely to be many more people who have been reinfected with the virus. Herd immunity will not eliminate the virus if reinfection is common.[220] Some other coronaviruses circulating in people are capable of reinfection after roughly a year.[221]

Several measures are commonly used to quantify mortality.[222] These numbers vary by region and over time and are influenced by the volume of testing, healthcare system quality, treatment options, time since the initial outbreak, and population characteristics such as age, sex, and overall health.[223] The mortality rate reflects the number of deaths within a specific demographic group divided by the population of that demographic group. Consequently, the mortality rate reflects the prevalence as well as the severity of the disease within a given population. Mortality rates are highly correlated to age, with relatively low rates for young people and relatively high rates among the elderly.[224][225][226]

The case fatality rate (CFR) reflects the number of deaths divided by the number of diagnosed cases within a given time interval. Based on Johns Hopkins University statistics, the global death-to-case ratio is 2.2% (2,451,695/110,709,173) as of 20 February 2021.[5] The number varies by region.[227][228] The CFR may not reflect the true severity of the disease, because some infected individuals remain asymptomatic or experience only mild symptoms, and hence such infections may not be included in official case reports. Moreover, the CFR may vary markedly over time and across locations due to the availability of live virus tests.

Total confirmed cases over time

Total confirmed cases of COVID-19 per million people[229]

Total confirmed deaths due to COVID-19 per million people[230]

A key metric in gauging the severity of COVID-19 is the infection fatality rate (IFR), also referred to as the infection fatality ratio or infection fatality risk.[231][232][233] This metric is calculated by dividing the total number of deaths from the disease by the total number of infected individuals; hence, in contrast to the CFR, the IFR incorporates asymptomatic and undiagnosed infections as well as reported cases.[234]

A recent (Dec 2020) systematic review and meta-analysis estimated that population IFR during the first wave of the pandemic was about 0.5% to 1% in many locations (including France, Netherlands, New Zealand, and Portugal), 1% to 2% in other locations (Australia, England, Lithuania, and Spain), and exceeded 2% in Italy.[235] That study also found that most of these differences in IFR reflected corresponding differences in the age composition of the population and age-specific infection rates; in particular, the metaregression estimate of IFR is very low for children and younger adults (e.g., 0.002% at age 10 and 0.01% at age 25) but increases progressively to 0.4% at age 55, 1.4% at age 65, 4.6% at age 75, and 15% at age 85.[235] These results were also highlighted in a December 2020 report issued by the WHO.[236]

At an early stage of the pandemic, the World Health Organization reported estimates of IFR between 0.3% and 1%.[237][238] On 2July, The WHO's chief scientist reported that the average IFR estimate presented at a two-day WHO expert forum was about 0.6%.[239][240] In August, the WHO found that studies incorporating data from broad serology testing in Europe showed IFR estimates converging at approximately 0.51%.[241] Firm lower limits of IFRs have been established in a number of locations such as New York City and Bergamo in Italy since the IFR cannot be less than the population fatality rate. As of 10July, in New York City, with a population of 8.4million, 23,377 individuals (18,758 confirmed and 4,619 probable) have died with COVID-19 (0.3% of the population).[242] Antibody testing in New York City suggested an IFR of ~0.9%,[243] and ~1.4%.[244] In Bergamo province, 0.6% of the population has died.[245] In September 2020 the U.S. Center for Disease Control & Prevention reported preliminary estimates of age-specific IFRs for public health planning purposes.[246]

Early reviews of epidemiologic data showed gendered impact of the pandemic and a higher mortality rate in men in China and Italy.[248][249][250] The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported the death rate was 2.8% for men and 1.7% for women.[251] Later reviews in June 2020 indicated that there is no significant difference in susceptibility or in CFR between genders.[252][253] One review acknowledges the different mortality rates in Chinese men, suggesting that it may be attributable to lifestyle choices such as smoking and drinking alcohol rather than genetic factors.[254] Sex-based immunological differences, lesser prevalence of smoking in women and men developing co-morbid conditions such as hypertension at a younger age than women could have contributed to the higher mortality in men.[255] In Europe, 57% of the infected people were men and 72% of those died with COVID-19 were men.[256] As of April 2020, the US government is not tracking sex-related data of COVID-19 infections.[257] Research has shown that viral illnesses like Ebola, HIV, influenza and SARS affect men and women differently.[257]

In the US, a greater proportion of deaths due to COVID-19 have occurred among African Americans and other minority groups.[258] Structural factors that prevent them from practicing social distancing include their concentration in crowded substandard housing and in "essential" occupations such as retail grocery workers, public transit employees, health-care workers and custodial staff. Greater prevalence of lacking health insurance and care and of underlying conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease also increase their risk of death.[259] Similar issues affect Native American and Latino communities.[258] According to a US health policy non-profit, 34% of American Indian and Alaska Native People (AIAN) non-elderly adults are at risk of serious illness compared to 21% of white non-elderly adults.[260] The source attributes it to disproportionately high rates of many health conditions that may put them at higher risk as well as living conditions like lack of access to clean water.[261] Leaders have called for efforts to research and address the disparities.[262] In the U.K., a greater proportion of deaths due to COVID-19 have occurred in those of a Black, Asian, and other ethnic minority background.[263][264][265] More severe impacts upon victims including the relative incidence of the necessity of hospitalization requirements, and vulnerability to the disease has been associated via DNA analysis to be expressed in genetic variants at chromosomal region 3, features that are associated with European Neanderthal heritage. That structure imposes greater risks that those affected will develop a more severe form of the disease.[266] The findings are from Professor Svante Pbo and researchers he leads at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and the Karolinska Institutet.[266] This admixture of modern human and Neanderthal genes is estimated to have occurred roughly between 50,000 and 60,000 years ago in Southern Europe.[266]

Most of those who die of COVID-19 have pre-existing (underlying) conditions, including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease.[267] According to March data from the United States, 89% of those hospitalised had preexisting conditions.[268] The Italian Istituto Superiore di Sanit reported that out of 8.8% of deaths where medical charts were available, 96.1% of people had at least one comorbidity with the average person having 3.4 diseases.[184] According to this report the most common comorbidities are hypertension (66% of deaths), type 2 diabetes (29.8% of deaths), ischemic heart disease (27.6% of deaths), atrial fibrillation (23.1% of deaths) and chronic renal failure (20.2% of deaths).

Most critical respiratory comorbidities according to the CDC, are: moderate or severe asthma, pre-existing COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis.[269] Evidence stemming from meta-analysis of several smaller research papers also suggests that smoking can be associated with worse outcomes.[270][271] When someone with existing respiratory problems is infected with COVID-19, they might be at greater risk for severe symptoms.[272] COVID-19 also poses a greater risk to people who misuse opioids and methamphetamines, insofar as their drug use may have caused lung damage.[273]

In August 2020 the CDC issued a caution that tuberculosis infections could increase the risk of severe illness or death. The WHO recommended that people with respiratory symptoms be screened for both diseases, as testing positive for COVID-19 couldn't rule out co-infections. Some projections have estimated that reduced TB detection due to the pandemic could result in 6.3million additional TB cases and 1.4million TB related deaths by 2025.[274]

During the initial outbreak in Wuhan, China, the virus and disease were commonly referred to as "coronavirus" and "Wuhan coronavirus",[275][276][277] with the disease sometimes called "Wuhan pneumonia".[278][279] In the past, many diseases have been named after geographical locations, such as the Spanish flu,[280] Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, and Zika virus.[281]

In January 2020, the WHO recommended 2019-nCov[282] and 2019-nCoV acute respiratory disease[283] as interim names for the virus and disease per 2015 guidance and international guidelines against using geographical locations (e.g. Wuhan, China), animal species, or groups of people in disease and virus names in part to prevent social stigma.[284][285][286]

The official names COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 were issued by the WHO on 11 February 2020.[287] Tedros Adhanom explained: CO for corona, VI for virus, Dfor disease and 19 for when the outbreak was first identified (31 December 2019).[288] The WHO additionally uses "the COVID-19 virus" and "the virus responsible for COVID-19" in public communications.[287]

The virus is thought to be natural and has an animal origin,[49] through spillover infection.[289] There are several theories about where the first case (the so-called patient zero) originated.[290] Phylogenetics estimates that SARS-CoV-2 arose in October or November 2019.[291][292][293] Evidence suggests that it descends from a coronavirus that infects wild bats and spread to humans through an intermediary wildlife host.[294]

The first known human infections were in Wuhan, Hubei, China. A study of the first 41 cases of confirmed COVID-19, published in January 2020 in The Lancet, reported the earliest date of onset of symptoms as 1December 2019.[295][296][297] Official publications from the WHO reported the earliest onset of symptoms as 8December 2019.[298] Human-to-human transmission was confirmed by the WHO and Chinese authorities by 20 January 2020.[299][300] According to official Chinese sources, these were mostly linked to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, which also sold live animals.[301] In May 2020, George Gao, the director of the CDC, said animal samples collected from the seafood market had tested negative for the virus, indicating that the market was the site of an early superspreading event, but it was not the site of the initial outbreak.[302] Traces of the virus have been found in wastewater that was collected from Milan and Turin, Italy, on 18 December 2019.[303]

By December 2019, the spread of infection was almost entirely driven by human-to-human transmission.[304][305] The number of coronavirus cases in Hubei gradually increased, reaching 60 by 20 December[306] and at least 266 by 31 December.[307] On 24 December, Wuhan Central Hospital sent a bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) sample from an unresolved clinical case to sequencing company Vision Medicals. On 27 and 28 December, Vision Medicals informed the Wuhan Central Hospital and the Chinese CDC of the results of the test, showing a new coronavirus.[308] A pneumonia cluster of unknown cause was observed on 26 December and treated by the doctor Zhang Jixian in Hubei Provincial Hospital, who informed the Wuhan Jianghan CDC on 27 December.[309] On 30 December, a test report addressed to Wuhan Central Hospital, from company CapitalBio Medlab, stated an erroneous positive result for SARS, causing a group of doctors at Wuhan Central Hospital to alert their colleagues and relevant hospital authorities of the result. That evening, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission issued a notice to various medical institutions on "the treatment of pneumonia of unknown cause".[310] Eight of these doctors, including Li Wenliang (punished on 3January),[311] were later admonished by the police for spreading false rumours, and another, Ai Fen, was reprimanded by her superiors for raising the alarm.[312]

The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission made the first public announcement of a pneumonia outbreak of unknown cause on 31 December, confirming 27 cases[313][314][315]enough to trigger an investigation.[316]

During the early stages of the outbreak, the number of cases doubled approximately every seven and a half days.[317] In early and mid-January 2020, the virus spread to other Chinese provinces, helped by the Chinese New Year migration and Wuhan being a transport hub and major rail interchange.[52] On 20 January, China reported nearly 140 new cases in one day, including two people in Beijing and one in Shenzhen.[318] Later official data shows 6,174 people had already developed symptoms by then,[319] and more may have been infected.[320] A report in The Lancet on 24 January indicated human transmission, strongly recommended personal protective equipment for health workers, and said testing for the virus was essential due to its "pandemic potential".[75][321] On 30 January, the WHO declared the coronavirus a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.[320] By this time, the outbreak spread by a factor of 100 to 200 times.[322]

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Coronavirus disease 2019 - Wikipedia

Prescott Valley, AZ Coronavirus Information – Safety Updates, News and Tips – The Weather Channel | Weather.com

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Powered by Watson:

Our COVID Q&A with Watson is an AI-powered chatbot that addresses consumers' questions and concerns about COVID-19. It's built on the IBM Watson Ads Builder platform, which utilizes Watson Natural Language Understanding, and proprietary, natural- language-generation technology. The chatbot utilizes approved content from the CDC and WHO. Incidents information is provided by USAFacts.org.

To populate our Interactive Incidents Map, Watson AI looks for the latest and most up-to- date information. To understand and extract the information necessary to feed the maps, we use Watson Natural Language Understandingfor extracting insights from natural language text and Watson Discovery for extracting insights from PDFs, HTML, tables, images and more.COVID Impact Survey, conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago for the Data Foundation

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COVID-19: Information for Veterinarians | Arizona Department of Agriculture

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There is no evidence that animals can spread COVID-19 or that infection would be serious for them. The virus spreads primarily from person to person. The health and safety of employees should be the focus of every veterinary practice both companion animal and large animal.

Wash your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water before eating, after using the bathroom, coughing or sneezing, and touching surfaces. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available and there is no visible dirt on your hands.

Frequently sanitize common areas with EPA registered antimicrobial products for use against COVID-19 that are safe to use in and around the animals and clinic.

Employees who are sick or show signs of respiratory illness should not work until they are symptom-free.

Work with other clinics to help cover workload as needed.

Veterinary services have been deemed essential functions under Healthcare and Public Health Operations in Arizona Governors Executive Order 2020-12.

In this context, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the World Veterinary Association (WVA) advocate for the specific activities of Veterinary Services to be considered as essential businesses. Maintaining the activities that are crucial to public health.

Veterinarians are an integral part of the global health community. Beyond the activities linked to the health and welfare of animals, they have a key role in disease prevention and management, including those transmissible to humans, and to ensure food safety for the populations.

In the current situation, it is crucial that, amongst their numerous activities, they can sustain those necessary to ensure that:

Below are some links to various informationon how to keep you and your staff safe during these changing times.

With respect to regulatory issues, currently no state or country is waiving import requirements for animals. Please check with states of destination for requirements to move animals into those states from Arizona. In most cases, this will require an examination, +/- testing or vaccination and a CVI.

We encourage veterinarians to evaluate on a case-by-case basis the public health importance of companion animal rabies vaccination relative to the need to amend their business operations because of COVID-19. If a veterinarian determines that it is necessary to postpone an individual animals rabies vaccination appointment due to business operation interruption, then we recommend prioritizing administration of the rabies vaccination once normal veterinary business operations resume. Veterinarians are reminded that companion animals that have never received a rabies vaccination pose the most significant public health threat.

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COVID-19: Information for Veterinarians | Arizona Department of Agriculture

Board presented findings from first COVID-19 audit – Multnomah County

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February 19, 2021

Focus areas included shelters, jails, adult care homes, and teleworking

Auditor Jennifer McGuirk presented the first in a series of reports on the Countys response to COVID-19 Thursday, Feb. 18, shedding light on County operations during the first year of the pandemic.

The Auditors Office surveyed more than 3,300 employees, held 70 interviews with County leaders and management, conducted site visits, and researched County, state and federal guidance. Focus areas included the Countys response in congregate settings and implementation of countywide guidance. The time period covered spanned from June 1, 2020 to Dec. 18, 2020.

Specifically we looked at conditions in shelters, jails, juvenile detention, and adult care homes, McGuirk said. People in these settings also tend to represent vulnerable communities in our county, including seniors, people who have disabilities, people who are experiencing houselessness, and people in adult or juvenile custody.

The report found that the County acted quickly in response to the significant challenges presented by the pandemic in accordance to public health guidance. The audit also found the County had to also ensure buildings are safe and ready for employees while reducing the risks associated with the high number of teleworkers.

This report provides us with an opportunity to reflect on our achievements and incorporate insights that will help us improve our ongoing efforts to address what may be the greatest challenge to the countys operations in its history, Chair Deborah Kafoury said.

Auditors reported almost 80 percent of surveyed staff agreed the County has taken appropriate action to reduce staff on site and installed sufficient signage promoting public health guidance.

The survey found generally good compliance with the Countys face covering policy, with 64 percent of respondents saying they always wear face coverings and 33 percent saying they sometimes wear them. Almost 80 percent agreed the County has taken appropriate action to reduce staff on site and installed sufficient signage promoting public health guidance.

Adherence to the face covering policy was lower among Sheriffs Office employees, with 42 percent of those surveyed saying they always wear face coverings. At Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention, that number was 50 percent.

Since Sheriffs Office employees work in jail facilities where people live together in close quarters, we want to see the mask wearing to be higher, said Nicole Dewees, a principal auditor. We found that there needed to be more mask wearing at detention facilities by people in custody and employees, particularly in light of recent outbreaks.

Sheriff Mike Reese and Erika Preuitt, who directs the Department of Community Justice, attended Thursdays meeting. In response to follow up questions from Commissioners Lori Stegmann and Jessica Vega Pederson, they affirmed that all staff, along with adults and youth in custody, are expected to wear face coverings. Failure to follow guidelines, they said, is subject to investigation and discipline.

I think early on we did have challenges with getting compliance with our face covering policy, which I take very seriously, Sheriff Reese said. Im certain that we have improved dramatically in our adherence to the guidelines and will continue to enforce my expectations that everyone wear a mask as appropriate and as per policy.

Its an expectation that our juvenile custody service specialists wear face coverings, Preuitt said. We, similarly to the Sheriffs Office, are going down progressive discipline if people are not wearing masks or not wearing their face coverings, also if theyre not following up with youth not wearing their face coverings.

The audit also examined the Countys response in other congregate settings, including shelters and adult care homes.

The Joint Office of Homeless Services successfully added additional shelter capacity to support physical distancing, along with clear safety guidance to providers, auditors found. Moving forward, they said, staffing and shelter supply challenges should be expected as the pandemic causes an increase in homelessness.

With about 600 adult care homes in Multnomah County, the report found the Countys Adult Care Home Program adjusted quickly to the pandemic. However, auditors also found the program could improve communication with adult care homes to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local health requirements for the safety of staff and residents.

The state has allowed us to do outside visits, so we encouraged outside visits for folks so their family can come and visit with them outside, said Irma Jimenez, who directs the Aging, Disability and Veterans Services Division. And just most recently, theres a little bit of flexibility for indoor visits, so another thing that were doing is providing that information to the providers when those restrictions get lifted or put in place, we make sure the providers know that.

In response to the pandemic, the County had to shift quickly to large numbers of employees teleworking to reduce workplace virus transmission. The audit also explored how the County can strengthen, clarify, and improve teleworking moving forward.

The Countys teleworking rules were originally designed as a mutual agreement when an employee is interested in teleworking under certain circumstances. The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed how the County can continue to serve people in productive, creative ways. It also exposed problems with accessing work equipment, technical difficulties, and access to human resources policies.

This pandemic gave us the opportunity in many places to see actually we can continue as agovernment functioning and in many places we can actually be even more productive, said Travis Graves, interim director of Department of County Assets and chief Human Resources Officer. So Im interested in looking to the future in terms of post-pandemic. What do we look like as an organization and what are the implications for that?

Commissioners thanked the Auditor for offering ways to improve the Countys response in congregate settings and facilities, while also honoring the employees who have worked in person throughout the pandemic.

This survey was about the employees going into work every single day who dont have the option of working from home like a lot of us are here, Commissioner Vega Pederson said, and doing their jobs and wearing masks for everyones safety and that is a lot that we ask of our employees. So Im really grateful for all the work that they do

Upon issuance of report, county Public Health officials should revise guidance on the public facing website for nonprofit shelter providers within county boundaries to improve clarity, in line with state requirements.

Joint Office of Homeless Services management should include clauses to follow Public Health guidelines in new contracts with shelter providers and in new amendments to contracts with shelter providers.

To be consistent with CDC guidelines, MCSO should begin exchanging the cloth masks of adults in custody on a daily basis if they are used upon issuance of this report.

With normal no-cost visiting options suspended because of COVID-19 precautions, MCSO should either expand the use of free-phone calls or modify lobby video visit operations to allow for safe use as soon as possible and no later than 90 days within issuance of this report.

Immediately upon the issuance of this report, we recommend that managers consistently enforce face covering policies with their staff.

The ACH Program should perform a review of all recent communication with each ACH and ensure that each ACH has received sufficient information and is aware of requirements and guidelines pertaining to the pandemic. A particular focus is needed in the areas of exposure, infection control, physical distancing and reporting. A review should be performed as soon as possible and no later than 30 days from issuance of this report. If contact is needed the contact should be made within at least 90 days from the issuance of this report.

As soon as possible, the OR OSHA COVID-19 temporary rule implementation committee should complete all new OSHA requirements:

Risk assessment, infection control plan, protocols for potential exposure, and employee training.

Note: management reports that substantial work toward this recommendation has been completed. This work occurred between the time the report was written and when it was issued. We acknowledge that work has been done, but we did not audit that work. We are leaving the recommendation in the report, so we can follow up on the recommendation thoroughly.

By March 2021, Central Human Resources should develop a method for employees to provide COVID-19 related feedback anonymously.

By March 2021, the Chair or her designee should provide employees with a point of contact for COVID-19 safety coordination.

Based on responses to our offices employee survey, it appears that applying policies is an ongoing challenge. Upon issuance of the report and periodically thereafter, the Chair or her designee should reiterate to managers and employees her expectations that safety policies and recommendations are followed, including the requirement that employees telework as much as possible.

Prior to adding in-person capacity at county locations, we recommend that FPM ensure that necessary building modifications, including the installation of partitions, and filter upgrades in HVAC systems have been completed.

Prior to adding in-person capacity at county locations, we recommend that FPM work with its janitorial contractors to ensure that each location has sufficient staffing capacity to ensure the enhanced cleaning recommended by the CDC.

We are told that the county is currently in the process of adding COVID-19 specific cleaning and disinfecting requirements into its contracts with janitorial providers. We recommend that FPM complete these contractual requirements prior to programs adding substantial in-person capacity at county locations.

By July 2021, department directors should provide county-owned computers to employees who frequently telework and should emphasize using county-owned computers for employees who occasionally telework. The county should also provide employees with any other equipment typically used by one person to telework effectively, such as computer mice, computer monitors, and headsets. These examples are meant to be descriptive, not exhaustive.

By February 2022, Central Human Resources should ensure the maintenance of telework information electronically, preferably in Workday to allow:

Accessibility to approved or denied telework agreements at the employee, supervisory, departmental and central levels.

Electronic approvals and updating for better efficiency.

Monitoring of teleworking performance and equity.

Documentation of specific details, such as computer ID numbers, of all county equipment used to telework.

To help ensure fairness among employees, by February 2022, Central Human Resources should indicate potential telework eligibility in county job descriptions.

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Board presented findings from first COVID-19 audit - Multnomah County

COVID-19 Daily Update 2-19-2021 – West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

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The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of February 19, 2021, there have been 2,099,685 total confirmatory laboratory results received for COVID-19, with 129,055 total cases and 2,248 total deaths.

DHHR has confirmed the deaths of a 51-year old male from Jefferson County, an 89-year old female from Mercer County, a 76-year old male from Kanawha County, a 92-year old male from Fayette County, an 87-year old male from Jackson County, an 85-year old male from Berkeley County, a 63-year old male from Wood County, an 88-year old male from Wayne County, a 91-year old female from Mercer County, a 92-year old female from Mercer County, an 87-year old male from Jackson County, and a 54-year old female from Marion County.

It is with great sadness that we announce more lives lost to this pandemic, said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary. Our sympathies and thoughts go out to these families, and we ask that all West Virginians do their part to prevent further spread of this virus.

CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (1,163), Berkeley (9,532), Boone (1,538), Braxton (769), Brooke (1,983), Cabell (7,646), Calhoun (218), Clay (370), Doddridge (460), Fayette (2,587), Gilmer (699), Grant (1,044), Greenbrier (2,371), Hampshire (1,491), Hancock (2,565), Hardy (1,257), Harrison (4,788), Jackson (1,638), Jefferson (3,560), Kanawha (11,795), Lewis (1,012), Lincoln (1,198), Logan (2,643), Marion (3,601), Marshall (2,967), Mason (1,746), McDowell (1,334), Mercer (4,138), Mineral (2,567), Mingo (2,082), Monongalia (7,716), Monroe (930), Morgan (909), Nicholas (1,154), Ohio (3,567), Pendleton (617), Pleasants (794), Pocahontas (580), Preston (2,499), Putnam (4,116), Raleigh (4,561), Randolph (2,356), Ritchie (604), Roane (488), Summers (696), Taylor (1,072), Tucker (495), Tyler (607), Upshur (1,640), Wayne (2,576), Webster (289), Wetzel (1,062), Wirt (341), Wood (6,908), Wyoming (1,716).

Delays may be experienced with the reporting of information from the local health department to DHHR. As case surveillance continues at the local health department level, it may reveal that those tested in a certain county may not be a resident of that county, or even the state as an individual in question may have crossed the state border to be tested. Such is the case of Cabell and Marshall counties in this report.

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COVID-19 Daily Update 2-19-2021 - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

APH Provides Update on COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination Sites – AustinTexas.gov

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Austin, Texas All Austin Public Health (APH) COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites will remain closed Friday, Feb. 19 due to inclement weather. The sites have been closed since Saturday, Feb. 12 for the same reason.

APH staff have and continue to diligently monitor the vaccine to ensure it is safe and secure during the winter weather event.

We know these are challenging times as our staff, their families, and our entire community are grappling with issues caused by the weather, said APH Director Stephanie Hayden-Howard. We assure you that as soon as we can safely give the vaccine again, we will notify the public.

People with current vaccination appointments will receive a cancellation email or text.It is not known when vaccine operations will be able to resume. Anyone who receives a cancellation will be contacted by APH to reschedule. However, APH will not send out new appointments until we are confident that we can safely restart operations.

We greatly appreciate the communitys patience as we work through these unprecedented times, said Dr. Mark Escott, Interim Austin-Travis County Health Authority. While there may be several days between the time your appointment is canceled and your new appointment information is sent, it is important to remember that there is flexibility allowed between doses without losing effectiveness.

Dr. Escott reiterated: Your body works with the vaccine to make the first dose strongerover time. The second dose is a booster and a delay will not diminish its efficacy.

Both first and second doses are provided by appointment only. Pleasedo notshow up at the vaccine sites without an appointment as that will interfere with the vaccine operations.

Vaccine Sites:

Testing Sites:

As testing sites remain closed, continue to checkwww.austintexas.gov/covid-testinfofor updates.If you are experiencingsymptoms of COVID-19and are unable to get a test, continue to self-isolate for at least 10 days since symptom onset and at least 1 day following the resolution of fever and improvement of other symptoms.

COVID-19 Hotel Facility:

For additional COVID-19 information and updates, visitwww.AustinTexas.gov/COVID19.

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APH Provides Update on COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination Sites - AustinTexas.gov

COVID-19 Deaths Near 500,000 In The US; Artists Discuss Future Memorials : Consider This from NPR – NPR

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Chris Duncan, whose 75-year-old mother Constance died from COVID-19 on her birthday, photographs a COVID-19 Memorial Project installation of 20,000 American flags on the National Mall as the United States crosses the 200,000 lives lost in the COVID-19 pandemic on Sept. 22, 2020 in Washington, D.C. The U.S. will likely cross the mark of half a million lives lost to COVID-19 in the coming days. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption

Chris Duncan, whose 75-year-old mother Constance died from COVID-19 on her birthday, photographs a COVID-19 Memorial Project installation of 20,000 American flags on the National Mall as the United States crosses the 200,000 lives lost in the COVID-19 pandemic on Sept. 22, 2020 in Washington, D.C. The U.S. will likely cross the mark of half a million lives lost to COVID-19 in the coming days.

The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 is on track to pass a number next week that once seemed unthinkable: Half a million people in this country dead from the coronavirus.

And while the pandemic isn't over yet, and the death toll keeps climbing, artists in every medium have already been thinking about how our country will pay tribute to those we lost.

Poets, muralists, and architects all have visions of what a COVID-19 memorial could be. Many of these ideas are about more than just honoring those we've lost to the pandemic. Artists are also thinking about the conditions in society that brought us here.

Tracy K. Smith, a former U.S. poet laureate, has already written one poem honoring transit workers in New York who died of the disease. Smith says she wants to see a COVID-19 memorial that has a broader mission and invites people to bridge a divide.

Paul Farber runs Monument Lab, an organization that works with cities and states that want to build new monuments. He says he wants to see a COVID-19 monument that is collective experience and evolves over time. He also wants it to serve as a bridge to understanding.

Farber's list describes one of the most powerful memorials in recent American history: the AIDS quilt. Mike Smith, co-founder of that memorial, says that one focus of the AIDS quilt project that he would like to see in a COVID-19 memorial is inspiring communities to come together and not to isolate in processing and remembering those who died.

In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

This episode was produced by Lee Hale, Noah Caldwell and Jonaki Mehta. It was edited by Sami Yenigun with help from Sarah Handel, Courtney Dorning and Wynne Davis. Our executive producer is Cara Tallo.

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COVID-19 Deaths Near 500,000 In The US; Artists Discuss Future Memorials : Consider This from NPR - NPR