MNB Covid-19 Coronavirus Update

Random and illustrative stories about the global pandemic and how businesses and various business sectors are trying to recover from it, with brief, occasional, italicized and sometimes gratuitous commentary…

•  In the United States, there now have been 12,958,805 confirmed cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, resulting in 265,986 deaths and 7,640,552 reported recoveries.

Globally, there have been 60,199,234 confirmed coronavirus cases, with 1,417,035 fatalities and 41,656,666 reported recoveries.  (Source.)

•  The Wall Street Journal this morning reports that “the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may soon shorten the length of time it recommends that a person self-quarantine after potential exposure to the coronavirus, hoping that such a step will encourage more people to comply, a top agency official said.

“CDC officials are finalizing recommendations for a new quarantine period that would likely be between seven and 10 days and include a test to ensure a person is negative for Covid-19 … Agency officials are discussing the exact time period and what type of test a person would be given to exit quarantine.”

•  The Washington Post reports that “the United States logged nearly 2,100 coronavirus-related fatalities on Tuesday, marking the pandemic’s deadliest day in more than six months. Record numbers of fatalities were reported in nine states — Ohio, Washington, Indiana, Missouri, Wisconsin, Oregon, Maine, Alaska and North Dakota.

•  From CNN:

“More than 2,100 Covid-19 deaths were reported in the US on Tuesday — making it the highest single day death toll the country has seen since early May.

“The most deaths in a single day were recorded April 15 — 2,603 people … The coming weeks are likely to continue getting worse, before a possible vaccine begins to offer some relief. But just how much worse things will get depends on the mitigation steps taken across the country — as well as the kinds of celebrations Americans will opt to host over the coming days, experts say.”

•  From the Washington Post:

The federal government plans to send 6.4 million doses of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine to communities across the United States within 24 hours of regulatory clearance, with the expectation that shots will be administered quickly to front-line health-care workers, the top priority group, officials said Tuesday.

•  From Axios:

“As of September, the vast majority of Americans did not have coronavirus antibodies, according to a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine … As the coronavirus spreads rapidly throughout most of the country, most people remain vulnerable to it.”

More details from the story:  “Across the U.S., the portion of states’ populations with detectable antibodies ranged from less than 1% to 23%. In most places, less than 10% of the population had them as of September.

“The portion of people with antibodies was often lowest in older age groups — an ominous sign.”

The other problem:  “Emerging evidence suggests that antibodies wane over time. In New York – the epicenter of the spring’s outbreak – the percentage of people with antibodies decreased from 23.3% in the first collection period to 17% in the final one.”

•  CNN  reports on a new survey saying that “sixty one percent of Americans have changed their Thanksgiving plans due to recent spikes in Covid-19 cases … Nearly one in 10 Americans — 9% — said they no longer plan to celebrate the holiday at all.”

According to the story, “The most common changes reported were seeing only immediate household members and having a smaller dinner than originally planned, according to the poll, which was based on a nationally representative sample of 1,002 US adults and conducted between November 20 and 23.”

•  From the Wall Street Journal:

“As Americans enter a period of peak travel among their states starting with Thanksgiving, new discoveries about how Europe’s second coronavirus wave spread provide an object lesson. Many European regions had made such gains against Covid-19 as to be cited as models. Those gains proved fragile.

“Unanticipated pockets of infection on the continent and a rush to relax rules allowed it to surge across Europe again.

“Much of Europe’s new wave can now be traced to outbreaks among agricultural workers living in cramped conditions in Spain’s Catalonia and Aragón regions, according to researchers from Switzerland and Spain. It spread to nearby cities and across Spain, then home with tourists.”

•  From this morning’s Boston Globe:

“Early on in the pandemic, many people went grocery shopping as infrequently as possible, lining up outside stores on a mission to stock up like they were preparing for the apocalypse. Workers, meanwhile, wore protective equipment and ― in some cases — received hazard pay for their bravery.

“Nearly nine months into the COVID-19 era, however, a sense of normalcy ― or at least routine ― has returned. Inside supermarkets and big-box stores, some of the more visible signs of the health crisis have receded. Industry observers say some stores have pulled back on physically monitoring their entrances to keep tabs on capacity. Floor arrows still indicate one-way aisles, but fewer shoppers are paying attention. And it’s not always clear whether carts have been sanitized between uses.

“Now, large stores face a crucial test as the start of the holiday shopping season collides with a dangerous spike in COVID-19 infections. This week, it’s grocers serving customers shopping for Thanksgiving. By Friday, big-box retailers will be the main attraction … Though practices vary widely across chains and locations, companies say they remain in compliance with state public health rules.”

I’ve visited a number of stores this week, and it would be my perception that maybe they’re a little more crowded than I’m entirely comfortable with, but that generally people are respectful of space and retailers are doing a good job keeping things moving and safe.  There are a lot of things that retailers are doing to keep things safe that are invisible to shoppers, though, and I think it would behoove businesses to tell that story more effectively … especially as the pandemic numbers go up.

•  Albertsons announced yesterday “that it has taken another step in enhancing its safe environment by implementing a contactless temperature check and health screening solution for associates and vendors. The new technology, now being deployed across all Albertsons Companies locations, enables a safer and more reliable health screening process for those who work in their stores and facilities. “

According to the announcement, the technology “leverages a built-in touchless body temperature scanner and a digital COVID-19 health questionnaire. The new screening solution can help to avoid potential exposure for health screeners while ensuring effective temperature screening for all associates.  The enhanced process will be implemented across all markets regardless of their COVID-19 risk state, enabling Albertsons Companies to adhere to the latest CDC recommendations and regional mandates pertaining to health screenings. Upon successful completion of the temperature screening and validation of the heath questionnaire, visible stickers are printed with ‘CLEAR’ and the associate’s photo, which can then be worn by those screened who are not in food production areas. For those in food production positions, the stickers will be logged in the department.”

•  The Boston Globe has a story about all the people out there who – despite wearing masks and practicing physical distancing and washing their hands frequently and avoiding crowds and people outside their “pod” – catch Covid-19 anyway.

“Dr. Abraar Karan, an internal medicine physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, has been hearing stories like these from his patients for months. They aren’t surprising, he said, as they’re indicative of high levels of community spread.

“‘Unless you have some major outbreak — like a super-spreading event where a lot of people are giving you the same story — it’s extremely difficult to figure out where transmission is happening, and that’s actually one of the reasons why the epidemic will probably never be fully stopped,’ Karan said. ‘You’ll always have a trickle of cases ongoing at small levels’.”

•  The Columbus Dispatch reports that “because of COVID-19 concerns, Ohio State has cancelled its season-opening women’s basketball game against Akron that had been scheduled for Wednesday evening at Value City Arena.

“A release from the Ohio State athletic department said the move was made in alignment with COVID-19 testing and protocols for nonconference opponents.”

•  Willamette Week reports that Pok Pok, an iconic Portland, Oregon, restaurant brand that specialized in North Thailand cuisine and long lines, has closed because of the pandemic.

According to the story, “Owner Andy Ricker announced he will be closing the last remaining outposts of his Thai food empire, including the brand’s flagship location on Southeast Division Street.

“Ricker had previously shuttered four of his other Portland properties earlier in 2020, leaving only the original restaurant and the Pok Pok Wing in Southeast Portland, though both remained shut down due to the pandemic.”

Context:  “Ricker opened the original Pok Pok at 3226 SE Division St. in 2005, introducing Portland to the cuisine of North Thailand. It grew into one of Portland’s most popular restaurants, achieving national acclaim and winning Ricker a James Beard Award in 2011. His signature Vietnamese fish sauce wings are among the city’s most iconic dishes―WW named it one of the “12 Wonders of Portland Food” in 2015. 

“Attempts to expand into New York and Los Angeles were less successful, closing after only a few years, but the Pok Pok brand became ubiquitous in Portland, spinning off into four fast-casual variations and a bar, Whiskey Soda Lounge.”

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