coronavirus

Tag Archives for coronavirus.

EMT Falls Ill After Treating Passenger Who Died With Covid-19 On United Flight Last Week

by Gary Leff on December 21, 2020

Dec 21 2020

Three medical professionals on board administered chest compressions before the fire department arrived to the scene and removed the man to a hospital, where he passed away. There’s now video from onboard the plane during the time he was being treated by passengers.

EMTs among the passengers put themselves at risk to treat the man, whose mask had been removed, but that had been given an oxygen mask from the aircraft. One of them has since fallen ill with Covid-like symptoms.

What Do We Know About The Mutated Covid-19 Strain That’s Shutting Down The U.K.?

by Gary Leff on December 20, 2020

Dec 20 2020

The Netherlands has banned passenger flights from the U.K. in response to reports of a new strain of SARS-CoV-2 that spreads more easily. Planes can bring passengers to the U.K. but must return without passengers. The virus mutation has been detected in Denmark and Australia, but has not been discovered in the U.S. (yet).

What we know so far is that U.K. scientists believe it is far more transmissible, but doesn’t seem to be more dangerous, and shouldn’t mitigate the effectiveness of vaccines.

What United Airlines Is Telling Employees About The Passenger With Covid-19 Who Died Onboard Monday

by Gary Leff on December 18, 2020

Dec 18 2020

I believe I was the first to report on the passenger with Covid-19 who died on a United Airlines flight on Monday. Initially the airline tried to wave me off the story. Now they’re acknowledging it.

United Airlines flight 591 from Orlando to Los Angeles diverted to New Orleans Monday evening. Passenger aoverhead the man’s wife telling medical personnel about the man’s Covid-19 diagnosis. Here’s what they’re telling employees.

Cheap Covid Tests We Could Take Everyday – And Travel – Are Here, But FDA Screwed It Up

by Gary Leff on December 16, 2020

Dec 16 2020

Back in August I wrote that cheap $5, 15 minute Covid-19 tests could really open up travel and other activities.

The good news is that the Abbott Labs BinaxNOW test I wrote about four months ago has finally received an Emergency Use Authorization. The bad news is that this $5 test is now a $30 test because in order to approve it the government required people taking the test to be monitored. And it requires a prescription.

Pittsburgh Airport Introduces On-Demand Covid-19 Testing Inside The Terminal

by Gary Leff on December 15, 2020

Dec 15 2020

I really like the Pittsburgh airport. There’s a Hyatt hotel on the grounds, and they pioneered allow people to go through security even when not traveling same day, something we lost in this country after 9/11. The program meant people could meet arriving passengers, shop and dine, and planespot.

Now they have something new to like: on-demand Covid-19 testing inside the terminal.

Passenger Reportledy Died Of Covid-19 On A Flight Yesterday

by Gary Leff on December 15, 2020

Dec 15 2020

A passenger with Covid-19 died yesterday on a domestic flight, as reported by a fellow passenger on twitter. The passenger is LAX-based, and the other flight I’ve found to or from LAX which diverted yesterday was UA591 from Orlando. United confirms it diverted for medical reasons.

10 Reasons Airlines Are Lying About The Need For Subsidies In Order To Distribute Vaccines

by Gary Leff on December 14, 2020

Dec 14 2020

Right now there’s a stronger likelihood of a second round of airline subsidies from the federal government than at any time in the past several months. It appears that $17 billion more for airlines is included in the next scaled-down federal stimulus bill, and legislative leaders in the House and Senate plan to bundle it with must-pass funding measures to keep the government running and avoid a shut down. Now legislators have a Friday deadline.

Airlines have deployed the argument that the vaccine means they need subsidies because they’ll have to scale up operations to be prepared for cargo shipments, and even though they’d be paid to ship cargo somehow they are unable to prepare for that on their own. This is, to put it bluntly, a lie. Here are 10 reasons why.

Man Fined $3550 For Spending 8 Seconds In A Hotel Hallway During Quarantine

by Gary Leff on December 13, 2020

Dec 13 2020

In countries where Covid-19 has been contained, quarantines are taken seriously. Taiwan was one of the earliest successes in keeping the virus at bay. Surveillance video is used to catch those who break quarantine. And there are consequences.

Instead Of Outdoor Dining, Restaurants Are Offering Private Meals In Hotel Suites

by Gary Leff on December 11, 2020

Dec 11 2020

As the weather has turned colder in much of the country this presents a challenge. It’s no longer viable for many restaurants to attract diners to an outdoor setting. So some restaurants have turned to offering meals inside private hotel suites. Hotels are frequently empty, so there’s an easy unused resource to leverage and private rooms provide guests the comfort and safety of outdoors, without being subject to the elements.

China Tells Flight Attendant To Wear Diapers Instead Of Using Lavatory On Risky Flights

by Gary Leff on December 10, 2020

Dec 10 2020

The sixth edition of CAAC’s Technical Guidelines for Prevention and Control of Epidemics in Transport Airlines and Airports lays out the country’s plan to avoid spreading infection while managing inbound international traffic. Domestic travel has largely recovered to pre-pandemic levels, but strict limits are placed on international travel to avoid importing SARS-CoV-2 back into the country.

Wearing diapers and avoiding the lavatory are just one of many strategies – including masks, gloves, goggles, hair nets, and hazmat suits – that are recommended for crew on flights bringing people back from places where the virus is spreading. Planes have quarantine sections of the aircraft cordoned off for anyone who shoes symptoms of infection, in order to separate them from other passengers and crew.