Covid-19 update: Ex-FDA chief says 'trip down the epidemic curve' will be far more gradual than trip up; next few weeks key - Health News

As news develops about the coronavirus and its covid-19 disease, this item will be updated. Official state guidance is at kycovid19.ky.gov.

• Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former head of the Food and Drug Administration under President Trump, said on Twitter, "We're not out of the woods in U.S. on #covid. While there are signs of slowing in some areas, and nationally we may have hit a plateau, we're still recording more than 30,000 infections a day. The trip down the epidemic curve will be far more gradually than the trip up. . . . Our mitigation steps were not as stringent as China's, they were leakier, and our epidemic was far more pervasive across our country. We're likely to see a much slower decline in new cases spread across weeks not days. While there are signs of U.S. improvement, it'll be slow. We all want this to be over. And things are mostly trending in right direction. But we're still very much in the thick of the epidemic. What we do over next few weeks will determine if we can get this wave more firmly behind us, or whether covid remains a combustible threat."
• "There are two faces of public opinion surrounding covid-19," Jan Hilliard writes for the Northern Kentucky Tribune. "One face represents the roughly 75 percent of the public who support science, believe that covid-19 requires widespread caution, and trusts the government’s response. This is the face of science and reason. The other face represents 25% of the public who does not believe the scientific facts about covid-19 and are suspicious of government’s motives in responding to the virus. This is the face of denial and conspiracy."
• T.A. Frank offers five "surprising facts" about the virus for Vanity Fair: "Singing looks like a big danger," according to a study and anecdotal evidence; "Children aren't significant spreaders," at least in relative terms; the similar virus SARS "had its own once-promising drug combo, reminiscent of hydroxychloroquine today; "If your mask has a valve, it’s dangerous to others;" and "You have to work hard to catch it outside," according to "one impressive Chinese study," still in review. But wait: "There’s a Belgian study on the potential hazards of 'exposure to slipstream droplets' left by runners."

from KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS https://ift.tt/3eQf7HX - Health News