Dr. Rohin Francis wants people to think positively, without ignoring the seriousness of the situation. With the COVID-19 outbreak causing all kinds of unrest, experts are doing their best to mitigate mass panic by offering up the facts free from bias or sensationalism. Dr Rohin Francis just posted a video to his Medlife Crisis channel on YouTube which he hopes will assuage some of the more common fears and concerns surrounding the virus, without ignoring the facts or making light of the situation. You can make a difference. “Take the lead at your workplace and school,” he advises. “Be a paragon of the advice that we all know by now; meticulous hand washing, distancing yourself from others, avoiding unnecessary meetings, staying at home when possible, and in particular isolating yourself if you’re sick… It’s much better to overreact in a productive way, than to fail to take this seriously.” He reasons that it’s not a bad thing to be the person in the room who turns down a hug or vetoes social invitations, as it reminds everybody of the seriousness of what’s going on. This echoes advice given by Dr Xand van Tulleken, who advocated for alternatives to hugs and handshakes on BBC Question Time last week, as an elbow bump or foot tap actually brings hygiene to the forefront of everybody’s mind. Coronavirus is beatable. “This virus is not an unstoppable monster, it’s weak,” Francis continues. “It’s an enveloped virus which is highly susceptible to everyday basic cheap soap. The envelope around the envelope is basically a fat droplet, and as we all know, soap breaks up fat. Alcohol gel over 70 percent also dehydrates this layer.” He clarifies that while coronavirus can be contracted through breathing, it is not technically airborne, but rather transmitted via respiratory droplets in the air which fall to the ground or a surface within seconds, where they can then be cleaned. The stats are better than you think. “There is understandably a lot of interest in the case mortality rate, i.e. what percentage of people who are infected go on to die. But it’s more nuanced than just saying a number in isolation. You’ve probably heard it’s around 3 percent at the moment, but there’s no one case mortality rate, it changes, it’s drastically different from region to region and from time to time.” It comes down to simple math. The case mortality rate is taken by dividing the number of deaths by the total number of cases, and multiplying by 100. And given that there are likely many, many cases which won’t have been officially diagnosed, that denominator goes up, meaning the case mortality rate could actually be smaller than we think. We’re seeing encouraging results from other countries. “At the time of recording, there have been about 130,000 cases in the world, with 70,000 recovered, but the actual recovery percentage is probably higher due to the way that ‘recovered’ is defined epidemiologically… We can replicate some of the measures seen in Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and we know that they can make a difference.” The scientific community is working around the clock. “The medical press tends to move very slowly,” says Francis. “But I’ve been blown away by the doctors in China, Korea, the countries that were affected early on, despite being swamped and working around the clock treating patients, losing some of their own ranks, they have been publishing like crazy. So have the experts. We’re seeing faster turnaround times than I’ve ever known for scientific publications, and you know what? I’m extremely happy to see proper scientists being listened to by politicians for a change.” He also praises the cooperation between academics, the World Health Organization, the Center for Disease Control and other bodies, with more than 80 therapeutic trials already underway. “A vaccine may be a while off yet, but we’re seeing plenty of options being tested.” Kids seem to be the least affected. This isn’t unprecedented; chickenpox also has a far less severe impact on children as it does on adults. There are a few theories as to why so few kids are getting sick from coronavirus, such as the idea that schools are so densely populated with germs it has created a kind of cross-immunity, as so many cold bugs stem from the coronavirus family. Source: https://www.menshealth.com/
How Leading Hotel Brands Are Handling the Coronavirus Outbreak
With cruise lines and theme parks closing down operations and airlines cutting back their services to varying degrees in an effort to stem the international spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, hotel operators similarly find themselves faced with and almost-unprecedented dilemma. Most have made adjustments to their standard cancellation and booking policies to provide clientele with greater flexibility and, therefore, peace-of-mind. They’ve also had to act swiftly to implement new, more frequent and COVID-19-targeted sanitation practices, along with providing additional training for staff members at all of their properties. If you’re planning a hotel stay during the next couple of months and are curious about your rebooking or cancellation options, or how your hotel is working to mitigate the risk of infection, here’s a breakdown of some alterations being made by major hotel brands. *Note: Guests seeking to modify or cancel reservations with any hotel brand who booked through a third party (i.e., travel agent or online booking platform) are advised to contact their reservation provider directly for information on its specific policies. —Guests traveling to or from Greater China (including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan) and South Korea through March 31, 2020, may change or cancel a valid booking without penalty. —Guests traveling to Italy through April 3, 2020, will be able to change or cancel a valid booking at no charge. —Guests coming from Italy who booked prior to March 9 for arrival through April 3, 2020, may postpone their stays through December 31, 2020. Guests who booked directly with Accor via the website, app or call center should follow the applicable instructions outlined in the company’s online statement. Four Seasons As announced in an online statement issued in response to concerns over COVID-19, Four Seasons will be waiving cancellation fees through April 15, 2020, for: —Guests bound for any Four Seasons property in the Asia Pacific region and Europe (excluding the U.K.) and guests traveling from Europe (excluding the U.K.), Iran, South Korea, and Greater China (this includes Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan) to any Four Seasons hotel or resort globally. A full list of European countries considered to be included under this umbrella is available on the CDC website. Hilton Brands include: Canopy by Hilton, Conrad, Curio Collection, Doubletree, Embassy Suites, Hampton, Home2 Suites, Homewood, LXR, Motto, Tapestry Collection, Tempo, Tru, Waldorf Astoria —Existing reservations scheduled for check-in prior to April 30, 2020 (including those described as non-cancellable or “Advanced Purchase”), may be changed or canceled up to 24 hours before a guest’s scheduled arrival without incurring a penalty. —New reservations that are booked through April 30, 2020 (even those described as non-cancellable or “Advanced Purchase”), for any future arrival date may be changed or canceled at no charge up to 24 hours before a guest’s scheduled arrival. —Reservations booked for regions affected by government-issued travel restrictions are eligible for change-fee waivers or even full refunds. See Hilton’s official statement for region-specific details. To make adjustments booked through the Hilton website, app or call center, contact the Hilton Guest Assistance team corresponding to your region. Hilton’s announcement also details the additional measures and enhanced hygiene protocols being practiced at its properties in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Hilton Honors points’ expiration will be paused for all those set to expire between now and May 31, 2020. Updates to the requirement for earning tier status will be forthcoming, as the COVID-19 situation evolves. Hyatt Brands include: Alila, Andaz, Destination Hotels, Exhale, Grand Hyatt, Joie de Vivre, Miraval, Thompson Hotels and The Unbound Collection. (Updated March 13, 2020) —Existing reservations (including Advance Purchase Rate reservations) for travel through April 30, 2020, can be changed or canceled up to 24 hours prior to a guest’s scheduled arrival time. —New reservations made through April 30, 2020, for any future arrival date may also be altered or canceled at no charge up to 24 hours prior to scheduled check-in (including Advance Purchase Rate reservations). —Exceptions to this policy are in place for Advance Purchase Rate non-refundable reservations made directly with Hyatt on or before March 8, 2020, for arrivals prior to June 30, 2020. See Hyatt’s online statement for details. The various ways in which Hyatt hotels are enhancing their cleanliness and sanitation standards in response to the COVID-19 outbreak are detailed in its online statement. Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG): Brands include: Avid, Atwell Suites, Candlewood Suites, Crowne Plaza, Even Hotels, Holiday Inn, Hotel Indigo, Kimpton, Regent, Six Senses and Staybridge Suites. (Updated March 12, 2020) —For all new and existing bookings at all IHG hotels worldwide, cancellation fees will be waived for stays through April 30, 2020. —“For bookings beyond April 30, 2020, we want to remind you of the flexibility already built into our rates and packages that allow our guests to amend travel plans as necessary. Our Best Flexible Rate allows our guests to change or cancel their reservations one to two days prior to arrival. Changing the date on any reservations through our Best Flexible Rate may result in different pricing, but there is no fee for making changes,” IHG wrote. “We provide our hotels with best practices and guidelines, and have supplemented these resources with additional COVID-19 cleanliness specific guidance, training and information, consistent with our own high standards,” IHG assured in its statement. IHG Rewards Club members will also find some conciliatory measures being implemented to help compensate for the disruption caused to their earnings status by the coronavirus situation outlined on its website. Marriott Brands include: Aloft, Delta Hotels, Edition, Element, Fairfield, Four Points, JW Marriott, Le Meridien, Renaissance Hotels, The Ritz-Carlton, Sheraton, Springhill Suites, St. Regis, W Hotels, Westin, Moxy. (Updated March 13, 2020) —New and existing reservations at Marriott International hotels worldwide, for any future arrival date, including those with pre-paid rates that are typically more restrictive, can be canceled or changed up to 24 hours prior to arrival without paying a penalty charge, provided that the change is made by April 30, 2020.* *Some exclusions may apply, including periods with special-event restrictions or peak-demand weekends, and Design Hotels are excluded from this policy. Guests should note that any changes made
Airbnb Broadens Cancellation Policy For Travelers Affected By Coronavirus Pandemic
The largest vacation rental company in the world is broadening its cancellation policy to offer refunds to worldwide travelers with stays and experiences booked in between March 14, 2020 and April 14, 2020. In a statement released on Saturday afternoon, the new missive from Airbnb says that “in response to the extraordinary events and global disruption to travel caused by COVID-19, today we are announcing updated coverage under Airbnb’s Extenuating Circumstances policy.” Airbnb already had a policy in place that affected coronavirus cancellations under the Extenuating Circumstances umbrella; this weekend’s updates now extend the policy to include travelers from around the world. As of this weekend, the policy now applies to existing reservations and experiences around the world that were booked “on or before March 14, 2020, with check-in dates between March 14, 2020 and April 14, 2020.” Airbnb has been facing increasing pressure from the travel community to broaden its cancellation policy as the worldwide industry bows to pressure from the coronavirus pandemic. Already, airlines and hotels across the industry have issued waivers and modified cancellation policies to allow most consumers to cancel travel through mid-spring. Up until recently however, Airbnb hadn’t rolled out a worldwide policy. Part of the complexity that Airbnb was forced to consider — which may have led to a delay in issuing a blanket policy — is the way in which the company earns revenue. Compared to a traditional travel provider, most of the revenue from rental bookings on the Airbnb platform goes to third-party hosts instead of the company, so creating a global cancellation policy would directly affect how users within the community earn cash. Airbnb also has sensitive revenue numbers to maintain in a year in which it was supposed to go public. Now, many sites such as Skift predict that the home sharing and experience company will have to push that filing to a later date. As recently as March 11th, Airbnb tried carefully to balance the push and pull between travelers and hosts, leaving it to the community to decide how reservations should be handled. In a release that day, the company said that “because of this two-sided model, when a crisis like COVID-19 hits, we know that it doesn’t just impact us as a company, but also the individual stakeholders within our community: the hosts who rely on their Airbnb income, and guests whose travel plans have been disrupted,” adding that “we are committed to doing everything we can to fairly support both parties, consistent with how this two-sided marketplace works.” As of this weekend, however, the company is taking more liberties with its cancellation policy and letting worldwide travelers cancel with full refunds across the board. In the most updated statement, the company said that “we understand that this announcement will impact hosts around the world, many of whom depend on the economics they generate on Airbnb,” adding that “we will be working in the days and weeks ahead to identify tools and initiatives to support our hosts during these very challenging times.” Irrespective of the financial pressure, it was clear that Airbnb had to take company-wide action around cancellations. With air travel and hotel bookings down significantly and rolling travel bans surfacing around the world, many travelers simply can’t make it to their destinations over the next month. Now, at least those travelers can get a basic refund. Source: https://www.forbes.com/
Maryland governor issues emergency order to close all casinos, racetracks
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan issued an emergency order to close all Maryland casinos, racetracks and simulcast betting facilities to the general public indefinitely today. “This situation continues to evolve and will escalate rapidly and dramatically….these are unprecedented actions in an extraordinary situation, but they could be the difference in saving lives and keeping people safe,” Hogan said. The order does not apply hotels adjacent to the casinos. The following properties are affected by the governor’s emergency order, which takes effect at midnight on March 16 and will remain in effect until the state of emergency has been terminated or until superseded by other orders: MGM National Harbor Live! Casino & Hotel Horseshoe Casino Baltimore Hollywood Casino Perryville Ocean Downs Casino Rocky Gap Casino Resort Laurel Park Pimlico Race Course Timonium Race Course Fair Hill Races Rosecroft Raceway Ocean Downs All simulcast betting facilities in the state
There are more than 3,000 coronavirus cases in the US
There are at least 3,010 cases of the novel coronavirus in the United States, according to the state and local health agencies, governments and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the CDC, there are 70 cases from repatriated citizens. According to CNN Health’s tally of US cases that are detected and tested in the United States through public health systems, there are 2,940 cases in 49 states, Washington, DC, and territories, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases to 3,010. In total, 61 people in the US have died. West Virginia remains the only state yet to report a case of coronavirus. Source: https://edition.cnn.com/
Coronavirus: Netherlands Embassy in Ghana closed down indefinitely
The Netherlands Embassy in Ghana is the latest to announce a temporary closure of its offices in Accra. Officials said on Saturday, March 14, 2020 that the embassy will remain “closed until further notice”. It follows a confirmation by the Norwegian Embassy —which shares the same building with the Netherlands Embassy —that one of its staff has tested positive of the deadly Coronavirus. “Following the confirmation by the Norwegian Embassy that one of its staff has tested positive for Covid-19, and given that Norwegian and Netherlands Embassies share the same building, the Netherlands Embassy in Ghana is closed down until further notice”, the embassy said in a tweet. On Friday, March 12, the Norwegian Embassy in Ghana closed down indefinitely, after one of its staff tested positive for the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Ghana confirmed two cases of the deadly virus Thursday evening. The persons are said to have travelled from Norway and Turkey and arrived in Ghana within the last week. One of them is a Ghanaian while the other is a Norwegian, officials said. The Embassy on its Facebook page wrote: “We can confirm that one of our colleagues has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.” It added that the person was in quarantine. It said the Embassy was in close dialogue with the Ghana Health Service and routine contact tracing had commenced. “All staff are also in quarantine, and we are fully committed to assist with containment. The Embassy is closed to the public until further notice, but staff are operating from home”, the post continued. Ghana records first Covid-19 cases On Thursday night, the Ghana Health Service in an emergency press conference announced that a Norwegian diplomat in Ghana and a Ghanaian from Turkey are the carriers of the coronavirus recorded in Ghana. Sources say the Ghanaian came in from Turkey, having gone there for an assignment with an international agency while the Norwegian, appears to have returned to Ghana after helping organise President Akufo-Addo’s recent visit to the European country. An amount of $100 million has also been committed to contain the outbreak. Many public institutions have also initiated steps to prevent the virus from spreading. Death toll passes 5000 More than 5,000 people have died around the world after testing positive for coronavirus, AFP reports. Iran announced another 85 deaths today, pushing its total number of fatalities to 514 amid 11,364 confirmed cases. The real number of cases might be even higher, as questions have been raised about authorities’ transparency. In Italy, the number of people who had died from the virus reached 1,000 on Thursday with some 15,000 cases confirmed. China has recorded more than 3,000 deaths and over 80,000 people as testing positive for the virus. More than 64,000 people in the country have now recovered, according to the latest information recorded by Johns Hopkins University. Source: https://www.ghanaweb.com/
GES sacks Sawla SHS Maths teacher for allegedly raping student
A Mathematics teacher of the Sawla Senior High School (SHS) in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District of the Savannah Region, Ernest Ocloo, has been summarily dismissed after he was caught raping a female student of the school in the Staff Common Room in November last year. Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa in the sack letter copied the sector Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh said “Mr. Ernest Ocloo has been involved in sexual misconduct with several female students of Sawla Senior High School. He admitted to having sexual intercourse with a female student in the staff common room on the 11th of November, 2019 and claimed it was consensual” It added “It is the expectation of Management that this will act as a deterrence to all staff of the Ghana Education Service (GES) that such conduct will not be countenanced,” the letter cautioned. Snippets of information gathered by MyNewsGh.com indicate that the randy mathematics teacher late last year, subjected his student ‘fiancé’ to several bouts of sex using the table in the staff common room as a makeshift bed until the victim became unconscious. He was said to have sought the assistance of a colleague to resuscitate the partially naked unconscious female student which leaked the information leading to the headmaster lodging an official complaint with the police and he was subsequently arrested. Though the unnamed victim in her caution statement to the police insists she was not raped as claimed by the authorities of the school and that they had consensual sex but she passed out as a result of the excitement, security agencies would not take any of that in view of the evidence available. Colleague Tutors at the Sawla Senior High School, however, suspect a frame-up by the authorities just to get the teacher out of the school over unknown reasons.
Ghana records 4 more coronavirus cases
The Director of Public Health at the Ghana Health Service has confirmed four more cases of the deadly coronavirus in the country. This brings the total number of confirmed cases in the country to six. At a press conference on Sunday to announce the new developments, Dr Badu Sarkodie said these new cases like the previous two were imported into the county. Giving a breakdown of the new cases, Dr Sarkodie said on Friday, March 13, 2020, the Ashanti and Greater Accra Regions recorded two new cases. One, a 56-year-old Ghanaian male who returned from a UK trip on March 4, reported himself to a health facility eight days after developing symptoms similar to that of COVID-19. Samples were taken to the Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine and tested. The results were positive. Dr Badu Sakordie said he is receiving treatment and is in a stable condition. The second is a female student at the University of Ghana who travelled to the US. She was in that country for 10 days and returned on March 9. She started showing symptoms on March 12 and reported to a health facility in Accra. Her samples were taken to the Noguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research where tests returned positive. She is also receiving treatment at an undisclosed facility and is in a stable condition. A 42-year-old man is the third patient. Dr Sakordie said he travelled to Switzerland and the UK and returned to Ghana on March 9. He reported to the health facility on March 14 after showing symptoms. Samples, again, were taken to Noguchi were they returned positive. He is being treated and is stable, Dr Sarkodie said. The final case is also a 41-year-old Ghanaian who travelled to Turkey and Germany in the last 14 days, Dr Sarkodie indicated. He reported himself to the Tema General Hospital where samples were taken and sent to Noguchi. The results were positive. He is also receiving treatment and is stable. According to Dr Sarkodie, none of the cases was picked up at the country’s entry points because the patients showed no signs then. He also stressed that all six cases were imported into the country.
GES directs school heads to suspend public gatherings over coronavirus scare
The Ghana Education Service (GES) has ordered all heads of schools to suspend public activities until further notice. This the GES says it is to prevent the spread of coronavirus following the confirmation of two positive cases in the country. In a statement issued after a meeting with the Ghana Health Service, Director-General of the GES, Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa said “public activities such as Speech and Prize-Giving Days” have been suspended “until further directives are given by the Director-General.” Meanwhile, the GES has indicated that educational materials that were prepared in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service have been available for circulation in schools to improve sensitization on the outbreak. “Regional and District Educational Directors are to ensure that Heads of Schools make the materials readily available to staff and students. Educational Directors are also expected to liaise with their respective Regional and District Health Directors to ensure smooth education campaign in the schools.” The Ministry of Health on Thursday announced two cases of coronavirus in Ghana. The Ministry said the persons infected involved a Norwegian national and a Ghanaian worker in Turkey. According to the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the two persons who tested positive for coronavirus in Ghana have been in the country for about a week. The report has caused fear and panic among Ghanaians who are calling for stringent measures to prevent the spread of the virus. International schools shutting down Already, the Ghana International School has been temporarily closed down from Friday, March 13, 2020, following the outbreak. The school explained that the move is in line with its board’s policy on emergencies. Other international schools in Ghana including the Lincoln Community School and the Roman Ridge school had also served notice of doing same following the outbreak. Sources at the Lincoln Community School confirmed to Citi News that fears are high as some parents with wards in the school are working for staff at the Norwegian Embassy in Ghana and have probably come into contact with a top official of the Embassy said to have tested positive to coronavirus. Tertiary institutions announce protocols Universities across the country have also begun taking steps to prevent members of their communities from contracting the deadly novel coronavirus. At the University of Cape Coast (UCC), all international conferences to be hosted by the University have been suspended until further notice. The University has also suspended all international travel by staff. Authorities of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), University of Ghana (UG) and University of Education (UEW) have all announced an indefinite suspension of mass gathering activities following the confirmation of COVID-19 in Ghana. Source: https://www.graphic.com.gh/
Coronavirus: University of Ghana SRC to fix hand sanitizer dispensers at various parts of the University
In a bid to protect members of the University of Ghana community from contracting the novel coronavirus, the Students Representative Council of the University has planned to fix hand sanitizer dispensers at various parts of the University. This was disclosed by the SRC President, Isaac Agyemang. The move by the SRC comes after the Ministry of Health announced that two persons have tested positive for the virus in the country. Speaking on Campus Exclusive on Friday, Isaac Agyemang mentioned that the SRC was working in collaboration with the University Health Service Directorate to ensure that members of the University community were safe from the virus. “We are working with the University Health Service Directorate to get sanitizers stationed at various points including all halls of residents, and then our satellite campuses as well, and then the various washrooms. We would also station some at the various entry points of the University,” he said. Isaac Agyemang further stated that discussions had advanced to the procurement level and that he was confident that the sanitizers will be made available within the shortest possible time. “We are currently at the procurement level, and from what I gather, the sanitizers will soon be made available for students and staff to use,” he assured. Meanwhile, University authorities have allocated three bungalows to quarantine persons suspected to be infected by the virus. It has also formed an Emergency Response Team, comprising of the University of Ghana Health Services and Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, to help handle matters. The University has also issued a questionnaire to members in its community to help them assess the risk of students and staff. Two persons test positive for coronavirus in Ghana On Thursday, March 12, the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu announced that the country had become the latest in Africa to record cases of the virus. According to the Minister, the two infected persons were from Norway and Turkey. He added that the two were currently kept in isolation and are stable. Kwaku Agyemang-Manu further stated that it has initiated processes for contact tracing. Africa making progress in fight against coronavirus Whilst the number of reported cases of the virus is rising steadily in Africa, there are equaling increasing reports of persons who have recovered. Health officials in Nigeria have announced that the two patients who tested positive for the virus have recovered. Also, a significant number of patients in Egypt, the worst-hit country in Africa, have also recovered.
