Western NY - Uh-oh

[wnylib]

Hamburg, NY, just outside of Buffalo. A class and their teacher returned from trip to northern Italy. Teacher informed public health officials who recommended 2 week quarantine.

But the kids had already been in school for a week by then.

[lapfog_1]

1. Jebus. -n/t

[calimary]

2. Yikes!

[beachbumbob]

3. just the tip of the iceberg

[wnylib]

4. Too damn close to home for me.

Ready to hibernate soon.

[WePurrsevere]

5. Shoot! Hopefully no one has it to pass on...

I have family in that general area. One of the younger one goes to a state college not that far from us and bounces back and forth on breaks quite a bit.

[wnylib]

6. Which college? UB? Buff State?

The 300 SUNY kids being brought home from foreign studies programs in Italy, Iran, and Japan will be quarantined in western NY dorms for 2 weeks. I don't know exactly where but Brockport has been suggested.

EDIT to add that the school mentioned in the OP is a high school.

[WePurrsevere]

7. Family lives in 'that' area...

the young college student goes to a SUNY college around 30 minutes south of Seaway Valley's US/Canadian border (where we live). She drives back home quite a bit to visit family and friends down there, some of which are still in HS, and I think she was there last week/weekend. (So possibly before the teacher(s) reported to the health dept and quarantine began?)

The point I unfortunately wasn't clear making was that this is one of the ways that viruses 'jump' and spread.

Btw, if you have a link about this I'd like to read and share it with the cousins. Two of them work in medical related fields so they probably know about this but it won't hurt to give them a heads up JIC.

[wnylib]

9. No link. I heard it on Buffalo's NPR news

this morning. WBFO. Have not heard it mentioned after the initial report. You might also check the Buffalo News online to see if it is mentioned there.

You are absolutely right that this us how the virus jumps from one region to another. Just hope none of those high school kids were exposed, both for their sakes and everyone else.

[WePurrsevere]

10. Thanks! Here are just a couple of the sources I found...

https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/students-asked-to-stay-home-after-traveling-take-caution-with-coronavirus/71-8e3ebe66-6097-4f1c-81ad-b51032ffe2a1

https://www.ubspectrum.com/article/2020/03/ub-student-returns-to-campus-from-italy-without-covid-19-screening-or-quarantine-ub-taking-precautions-against-coronavirus

[wnylib]

13. Thanks for the links. The first one

Identifies the high school location as Amherst. That is a northern suburb of Buffalo. The report I heard this morning said Hamburg, which is south of Buffalo. So, did the reporter this morning get the wrong location, or are there 2 separate incidents? My guess iswthe reporter got it wrong because the other details in your link about Amherst match the report I heard.

An update on confirmed cases in NY since those links from Wednesday. Cuomo says there are 22 cases in NY, all in the general area of NYC.

[WePurrsevere]

14. Yes, 22 is what I read in Cuomo's tweet...

He's also ordered the tests to be covered by NY health insurers (incl Medicaid):
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2020-03-03/new-york-to-waive-coronavirus-testing-costs

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO announced Monday that New York health insurers must waive any cost sharing associated with novel coronavirus testing so that people are not financially deterred from visiting their doctor's office, urgent care or an emergency room.

According to the Democratic governor's office, residents covered by Medicaid also won't be expected to pay a co-pay for testing. The news came a day before New York confirmed its second case of the coronavirus.

"We have the best health-care system in the world, and we are leveraging that system including our state-of-the-art Wadsworth testing lab to help contain any potential spread of the novel coronavirus in New York," Governor Cuomo said. "Containing this virus depends on us having the facts about who has it - and these measures will break down any barriers that could prevent New Yorkers from getting tested."

Trump needs to pull his head out of his butt and stop spreading BS. We live in an older poorer rather red rural area of NY and way too many up here are buying his stupid bull and lies as it is, but buying it on the coronavirus is flat out dangerous, not just them but others around them.

[wnylib]

15. My area is pretty red, too, which is

why I listen to NPR and read the Buffalo News instead of the local paper.

I just checked the Buffalo News online and found that there are several people in and around Buffalo who are in quarantine but the county health dept will not say how many due to privacy rights. I do not see how revealing the number violates anybody's privacy.

But none confirmed - yet.

In the Q & A section of the article it says that the virus might be present already but undetected yet.

[dewsgirl]

8. There is a husband of a nurse that has been posting

like crazy about cases in Buffalo, of course I can't confirm that. I have watched all of his videos, I tend to believe him. The county fire department posted about the first cases a few weeks ago and then immediately deleted the post with no explanation.

[wnylib]

11. Cuomo has been pretty up front

about confirmed cases. Also is pushing testing. He has not mentioned confirmed cases in Buffalo.

There were 2 suspected cases in Buffalo who were quarantined until test results came back negative.

I have heard a lot about preparations being made by Buffalo area hospitals and first responders, but nothing about confirmed cases.

Could it be that the nurse is seeing flu cases and thinking they could be covid 19 without test confirmation?

Proximity to the Canadian border is a risk factor, especially with tourism from around the world at Niagara Falls. There are 22 confirmed cases in Ontario, mostly around Toronto, but at least one in Kitchner.

NYers and Canadians from Ontario cross the border routinely every day.

[dewsgirl]

12. I guess anything is possible, he seems pretty certain though.

[wnylib]

16. Buffalo update on quarantines.

County health dept says it will now report on the numbers of people who are under quarantine without revealing personal info.

So, at present, 116 in quarantine due to recent travel history. Since January there have been 143. No cases. After 2 weeks the people are free to go.