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Governor Hogan Provides Update on Maryland’s Response to Novel Coronavirus

No Confirmed Cases in Maryland To Date, Health Officials Mobilizing Aggressive Response

ANNAPOLIS, MD—At today’s Board of Public Works meeting, Governor Larry Hogan detailed the steps that Maryland officials are taking to respond to the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak in Asia. While there have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Maryland, one individual has met the criteria for testing by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The individual is in good condition and remains in isolation pending the results of CDC testing.

“This morning, I received a thorough briefing from state health officials regarding our coordinated response to the novel coronavirus outbreak, which has become a major public health crisis in China,” said Governor Hogan. “At my direction, the state is taking every precaution to prepare and mobilize whatever resources are necessary to address the coronavirus. Our state government team is in close communication with federal officials and will continue to remain so on an ongoing basis. Maryland is fortunate to have some of the top health research facilities in the world, and I am confident in our state’s ability to respond to any potential cases of the virus, and I expect that we will be a leader in developing treatments and perhaps even a vaccine. While there is no need for immediate concern, we are taking this issue very seriously, and we encourage Marylanders to stay informed.”

Visit health.maryland.gov/coronavirus for additional resources and information.

The State Emergency Operations Center’s activation level has been raised to “Enhanced” in support of a local incident and novel coronavirus response in Maryland. The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) has issued clinical guidance to the state’s 20,472 physicians, 2,786 nurse practitioners, 1,301 pharmacists, and local health departments. The department has held briefings for Maryland Strategic National Stockpile partners and public health and hospital emergency managers. In addition, the department has held an informational webinar for local health departments, and is scheduled to hold a preparedness webinar for healthcare facility infection leaders later today.

At the governor’s direction, MDH is coordinating with BWI Airport officials on protocols for incoming flights, as well as signage and notifications for travelers. The department has also worked with the CDC Quarantine Station to ensure a continued coordinated response for incoming travelers from China and other areas experiencing ongoing coronavirus transmission. MDH is coordinating with the University System of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University to address concerns with their respective student populations. Local health departments are working with local colleges.

“The Maryland Department of Health is closely monitoring the rapidly changing situation with 2019-nCoV, both in the U.S. and in China,” said MDH Deputy Secretary of Public Health Fran Phillips. “As we learn more, Marylanders are encouraged to practice everyday actions to promote good health and to protect themselves and their loved ones from respiratory viruses like the coronavirus — wash your hands thoroughly, cover your cough, and avoid close contact with people who are sick. Stay home from work or school if you’re not feeling well.”

MDH and its preparedness partners around the state, including the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), have a network of established communications and response protocols and resources to be activated should the need arise.

Symptoms

Commonly reported symptoms of 2019-nCoV infection include:

Fever
Cough
Shortness of breath
Pneumonia

While the exact incubation period for this coronavirus has not yet been determined, it is believed that most infected people will develop symptoms 2-14 days after they were exposed.

Transmission

Many of the patients in the pneumonia outbreak caused by 2019-nCov in Wuhan, China had some link to a large seafood and live animal market, suggesting animal-to-person spread. However, a growing number of patients reportedly have not had exposure to animal markets, indicating person-to-person spread is occurring.
Prevention

There is no vaccine available for 2019-nCoV. In general, people can protect themselves and others against respiratory viruses by taking the following precautions:

Wash your hands frequently with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer or soap & water
Cover your mouth and nose while coughing or sneezing
Avoid close contact with people who are sick
Stay home from work or school if you are sick
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth
Practice good health habits

While the influenza vaccine does not protect against coronavirus infection, it can help keep you healthy during the flu season.

Diagnosis

Currently, testing for 2019-nCoV must be done at the CDC. Clinical laboratories do not have the ability to test for this particular virus, though they do have the ability to test for the other, more common coronaviruses.
Treatment

People infected with the 2019-nCoV should receive supportive care. There is no specific antiviral treatment for 2019-nCoV.

Investigators: Crashed helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant and 8 others was 20 to 30 feet from clearing hilltop

CALABASAS, Calif. —The helicopter carrying basketball superstar Kobe Bryant and eight others crashed into a Calabasas, California, hillside with a “high energy impact,” the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday.

As federal investigators wrapped up operations at the crash site, NTSB member Jennifer Homendy said preliminary information suggests the plane descended rapidly and was likely in one piece before it slammed into the hill.

“The descent rate for the helicopter was over 2,000 feet a minute, so we know that this was a high energy impact crash,” Homendy said. “This is a pretty steep descent at high speed. So it wouldn’t be a normal landing speed.”

Another fake news opportunity for the Americans

A
US military jet crashed in mountainous territory in eastern
Afghanistan, where there is a heavy Taliban presence, the Pentagon
confirmed Monday, rejecting the insurgents’ suggestions that it was shot
down.

Afghanistan
US Forces spokesman Colonel Sonny Leggett confirmed in a statement that
the aircraft was a US Bombardier E-11A, a type of jet used as a
military airborne communications

Man arrested for smoking marijuana while in court for marijuana charge

WILSON COUNTY, Tenn. —Spencer Boston had a message. And nothing was going to stop him from delivering it — not even jail time.

Boston, 20, was in court Monday in Wilson County, Tennessee, facing a simple marijuana possession charge, according to Wilson County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Scott Moore. But as he stood to face Judge Haywood Barry, he began expressing his views on why weed should be legalized.

And to amplify his point, he reached into his jacket and slipped out a single marijuana cigarette. He then pulled out a box of matches and lit it up.

Accident in Princess Anne this afternoon involving several vehicles. Driver is said to be a child. We will update once there is a press release.

Florida nine-year-old is arrested for ‘attempting to murder his five-year-old sister by stabbing her multiple times while shouting “die, die”‘

A nine-year-old boy in Florida is facing an attempted first-degree murder charge for allegedly stabbing his five-year-old sister multiple times while saying ‘die, die’.

The boy claims the thought of killing his sister came into his mind a few days previously and he couldn’t stop thinking about it. A judge has ordered an immediate psychiatric evaluation.

His sister was airlifted to hospital but is said to have been alert and conscious after the attack.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. American Heart Month is held every year to educate people how to prevent heart disease and increase awareness of its effects.

You can make healthy changes to lower your risk of developing heart disease. Controlling and preventing risk factors is also important for people who already have heart disease. Some things you can do to lower your risk or help manage heart disease are:

· Control your cholesterol and blood pressure.

· Watch your weight.

· Get active and eat healthy.

· Quit smoking and stay away from secondhand smoke.

The Wicomico County Health Department offers programs that can help:

1) SCALE (Sustainable Change and Lifestyle Enhancement) for Families will start a new 12-week group beginning February 6, 2020, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., at the Richard A. Henson Family YMCA, 715 S. Schumaker Dr., Salisbury, MD. SCALE is open to women ages 18 to 55 and their children ages 7 to 17.

The program offers interactive educational sessions about making simple changes around healthier eating and increased physical activity that can add up to weight loss and a healthier lifestyle. Sessions include group exercise, a cooking demonstration and a grocery store tour, as well as incentives and tools to implement these changes.

2) The Stop Smoking Program’s on-going community class is held on Thursdays, 12 noon – 1:00 pm at the Health Department’s location at 801 N. Salisbury Blvd. (Suite 202), Salisbury, MD and is open to any adult who lives or works in Wicomico County.

This program offers the stop smoking medications nicotine patch or gum, and Chantix. The interactive educational sessions also offer group support from fellow quitters.

To find out more or to register for either of these classes, please call 410-334-3480 extension 0 or visit www.wicomicohealth.org. Funding for SCALE is provided by the Maryland Community Health Resource Commission. Funding for the Stop Smoking Program is provided by Maryland’s Cigarette Restitution Fund.

For more information on heart disease and American Heart Month, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s page at www.cdc.gov/heartdisease.

US military source says there were NO CIA staff on Afghanistan crash jet after Iranian media claimed officer ‘behind Soleimani’s death’ was among those killed

A US military source today said there were no CIA staff on a jet which crashed in Afghanistan on Monday after Iranian media claimed the officer behind Qassem Soleimani’s death was among those killed.

The source told the MailOnline the wild claim that Michael D’Andrea was aboard the jet which crashed in Dih Yak, or indeed that any CIA members had been killed, was absurd.

A US official earlier confirmed the bodies of two American personnel had been recovered from the crash site while denying Taliban claims the E-11A communications jet containing ‘high ranking officers’ had been shot down.

Iranian media had amplified the Taliban narrative, claiming that D’Andrea – who played ‘a pivotal role in many acts of terror, including the assassination of IRGC Quds Force commander Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani’ – had been killed.

Obamacare Expanded Insurance Coverage of Contraceptives. Prices Soared.

In today’s Los Angeles Times, Cato senior fellow Dr. Jeffrey A. Singer and I note that once the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptives‐coverage mandate took full effect in 2014, “prices for hormones and oral contraceptives stopped falling and instead skyrocketed. By 2019, they had risen three times as fast as prices for prescription drugs overall.”

Here we provide the underlying data:

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) dramatically expanded insurance coverage for prescription contraceptives such as “the pill.” From August 2012 through January 2014, the federal government phased in the ACA’s requirement that nearly all private health insurance plans must cover all Food and Drug Administration‐approved prescription contraceptives with no cost‐sharing. In addition, from 2014 through 2017, the ACA enrolled an estimated 5 million previously uninsured women of child‐bearing age in either private insurance plans subject to that mandate or in Medicaid, which also covers prescription contraceptives with no cost‐sharing.

As a result of these changes, the share of consumers who are sensitive to the price of contraceptives plummeted. The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that, among women with large‐employer coverage who use oral contraceptives, “the share experiencing out‐of‐pocket spending…declined from 94 percent in 2012 to 11 percent in 2017.” From 2012 through 2014, ACA‐mandated coverage of contraceptives all by itself “account[ed] for nearly two‐thirds (63%) of the drop in out‐of‐pocket spending on retail drugs” across all consumers.

The ACA’s reshaping of the market for oral contraceptives precisely coincided with a dramatic increase in prices for those items.