Wednesday, April 15, 2020

April 12, 2020. Michigan Chronicle. State of Emergency Declared for Black America as Public Health Experts Reveal Coronavirus is Airborne

https://michiganchronicle.com/2020/04/12/state-of-emergency-declared-for-black-america-as-public-health-experts-reveal-coronavirus-is-airborne/



State of Emergency Declared for Black America as Public Health Experts Reveal Coronavirus is Airborne


Michigan Chronicle

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent
While many medical doctors maintain that the novel coronavirus is transmitted through droplets from coughs or sneezes, more and more medical experts and officials who work primarily with infectious respiratory illnesses and aerosols are convinced that the disease is airborne.
Today, as a result of recent medical research and data, The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) President and CEO, Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. has issued a solemn national public warning and alert to nearly 50 million African Americans. “Black America is now in a state of emergency as a result of the disproportionately deadly impact of the coronavirus pandemic on our families and communities across the United States,” Chavis stated. “The coronavirus is now airborne. That means that the coronavirus can be in air that we breath.”
“Black Americans should stay at home and only leave home for critical life-essential reasons,” Chavis emphasized. “In fact, all Americans should stay at home to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. But I must emphasize that because before the spread of the coronavirus, Black Americans were already disproportionately burdened with multiple preexisting health conditions, including asthma, diabetes, and heart disease, our communities are more vulnerable to the impact of the coronavirus, including higher rates of fatalities.”
A Pro Publica report revealed that African Americans made up almost half of Milwaukee County’s 945 cases and 81 percent of its 27 deaths in a county whose population is only 26 percent Black.
Milwaukee is one of the few places in the United States that is tracking the racial breakdown of people who have been infected by the novel coronavirus, offering a glimpse at the disproportionate destruction it is inflicting on Black communities nationwide.
In Michigan, where the state’s population is 14 percent Black, African Americans made up 35 percent of cases and 40 percent of deaths as of Friday, April 3.
Detroit, where a majority of residents are Black, has emerged as a hot spot with a high death toll. As has New Orleans, according to Pro Publica.
Louisiana has not published case breakdowns by race, but 40 percent of the state’s deaths have happened in Orleans Parish, where the majority of residents are Black.
Illinois and North Carolina are two of the few areas publishing statistics on COVID-19 cases by race, and their data shows a disproportionate number of African Americans were infected, according to the report.
“We know in the US that there are great discrepancies in not only the diagnosis but the treatment that African Americans and other minorities are afforded,” stated Dr. Ebony Hilton, associate professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine at the University of Virginia Health Systems.
“So, I want to make sure that in this pandemic, that Black and brown people are treated in the same way and that these tests are made available in the same pattern as for white people,” Dr. Hilton said.
Medical experts have also sounded the alarm that the virus could well be transmitted through the air.
“Currently available research supports the possibility that (COVID-19) could be spread via bioaerosols generated directly by patients’ exhalation,” Harvey Fineberg, who heads a standing committee on Emerging Infectious Diseases and 21st Century Health Threats, wrote in an April 1, 2020 letter to Kelvin Droegemeier, the head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).
“One must be cautious in imputing the findings with one respiratory virus to another respiratory virus, as each virus may have its own effective infectious inoculum and distinct aerosolization characteristics,” Fineberg wrote.
“Studies that rely on PCR to detect the presence of viral RNA may not represent virus in sufficient amounts to produce infection. Nevertheless, the presence of viral RNA in air droplets and aerosols indicates the possibility of viral transmission via these routes.”
Fineberg penned the letter in response to a request from the White House OSTP. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a standing committee of experts to help inform OSTP on critical science and policy issues related to emerging infectious diseases and other public health threats.
The standing committee includes members with expertise in emerging infectious diseases, public health, public health preparedness and response, biological sciences, clinical care and crisis standards of care, risk communication, and regulatory issues.
“The results of available studies are consistent with aerosolization of virus from normal breathing,” Fineberg wrote.
He noted an airflow modeling study that followed a coronavirus outbreak in Hong Kong in the early 2000s supports the potential for transmission via bioaerosols.
In that study, the significantly increased risk of infection to residents on higher floors of a building that was home to an infected individual indicated to the researchers a pattern of disease consistent with a rising plume of contaminated warm air.
“In the mind of scientists working on this, there’s absolutely no doubt that the virus spreads in the air. This is a no-brainer.” Lidia Morawska, at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, told the medical website, nature.com.
A March 2020 Cambridge Research study of those with influenza revealed that 39 percent of individuals exhaled infectious aerosols, which experts noted that, as long as an airspace is shared with someone else, breathing in the air they exhale, it’s possible for airborne transmission of the coronavirus.
“It’s airborne,” Dr. Angela Guerrera, an emergency medicine specialist in New Jersey, told NNPA Newswire.
“If someone has the disease, they don’t have to cough and sneeze or spit. If you then go into their space, you can probably get it,” Dr. Guerrera stated.
Some experts said they are convinced that a primary reason that governments and organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have shied away from stating that the virus is in the air is to prevent panic and because it could take years and cost hundreds of millions of lives before indisputable evidence can be presented.
“We shouldn’t let perfect be the enemy of convincing,” Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota, stated.
A spokeswoman for the WHO told NNPA Newswire that the organization is focused solely on treatment and trials.
“As far as treatment for COVID-19 is concerned, so far, we have no evidence that any particular drug is effective, but researchers around the world are working hard on this. More than 20 vaccines are in development globally, and several therapeutics are in clinical trials,” stated WHO spokeswoman Ashley Baldwin.

Working from home. The History of Home PC's

Kapro.
My first portable pc\laptop in the 1980's. 


Before IAEM even thought of a certification.  I was there even in their beginning.  Business as usual then, business as usual now with a diversity & inclusion flavor as bait.

Before RadioShack TRS-80, before Apple, before Microsoft, before Facebook, memories of my hacking days.

I submitted a lot of college papers with the dot matrix printer.



CDS

Friday, April 10, 2020

You Must Take Advantage When Social Distancing is Lifted. There is still an opportunity to take charge in your communities.


The Black Emergency Managers Association International was created with the mission & vision for the inclusion of the Black, LatinX, and African Descent communities as a major element of our association.  Not just an association of homeland security & emergency management professional, but of our ‘whole community’ because of our unique heritage, culture, and resiliency.

Created to address the issues of the disparity then, and now in the present COVID-19 crisis, and beyond.  Created to increase the awareness, education & training, job opportunities, and networking of not only members within the profession in each of the critical infrastructure sectors, but our members (individuals, nonprofit, faith-based, private sector, etc.) in the community.  To engage the ‘whole community’ from the ex-offender to the homeless, and vulnerable population.

The FEMA advisory listed below ends with “FEMA Mission.  To help people before, during and after disasters“.  This is only one part of our mission.  Our community members, our whole community members must now take an even more active lead role in helping yourself and others in your community not only before, during, and after disasters occur, but to protect you, your family, and community to be more proactive to address climate change impacts LOCALLY.

All disasters and emergencies are local.  Your local township, city, county, and State officials are the key to your success and failure before, during, and after a disaster occurs.  You must be aware, educated, and trained locally to address local issues and problems.  Only you know your local community.  The crisis, or what we call Operation COVID-19 is only the beginning of changes to come.

You must take advantage when social distancing is lifted, to come out the gate ten lengths ahead of others in the race to obtain the hands on training in groups in your communities.  You must take advantage to cooperate, collaborate, communicate, coordinate, engage in your community, and partner (C5&P).  The data has been collected over the years.  It’s only a matter of who’s reading and interpreting the data.  We have read and interpreted it for our narrative within BEMA International for our communities in our space of expertise.  Our actions as a collective are the actions of interpreting the data to resolve issues in our communities. 

You must now take charge, and take action.

You can go at it alone, or you can stand-up and take charge knowing that BEMA International stands with you.  Stands with you to advise, monitor & evaluate and point you in the direction, for what you need to be sustainable and a force of action in your community.  To stand with you to provide you with the knowledge, skills, and ability for funding, policy change, and actions from your fellow members in BEMA International.

You have to stand-up and say “I’m a BEMA International member”.  Say it with pride that we represent credibility, transparency, and a collective braintrust matched by no one else.

You are a member of the Black Emergency Managers Association International

Be safe, be prepared.

Sincerely,


Charles Sharp

Charles D. Sharp
Cornell University Climate Fellow
Chairman Emeritus\CEO
Black Emergency Managers Association 
    International 
1231-B Good Hope Road.  S.E.
Washington, D.C.  20020
Office:   202-618-9097 

bEMA International

“We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today.  We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. 
In this unfolding conundrum of life and history there is such a thing as being too late.  Procrastination is still the thief of time.  Life often leaves us standing bare, naked and dejected with a lost opportunity.  This may well be mankind’s last chance to choose between chaos or community.”   Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., ‘Where Are We Going From Here:  Chaos or Community’.

Cooperation, Collaboration, Communication, Coordination, Community engagement, and  Partnering (C5&P)            

A 501 (c) 3 organization.


From: FEMA Private Sector []
Sent: Friday, April 10, 2020 8:11 PM
To: BEMA@BlackEmergManagersAssociation.org
Subject: FEMA Advisory: HHS Letter to Hospital Administrators

FEMA ADVISORY – April 10, 2020                                                                         
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic
HHS Letter to Hospital Administrators

To follow-up on his letter from March 29, 2020, Secretary Azar just sent the attached letter and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) to hospital administrators across the country. Today’s letter underscores the importance of data-sharing and highlights that hospitals are key partners with the Federal Government as we work to ensure that the Whole of America response to COVID-19. The data requested included daily reports on testing, capacity, supplies, utilization, and patient flows to facilitate the ongoing public health response.

The letter also recognizes that many non-Federal entities may already be requesting this information from hospitals; therefore, the federal government has done its best to minimize the burden of sharing this data and to reduce further duplication of effort.

The FAQ attachment to the letter details the federal government’s data needs, explains the division of reporting responsibility between hospitals and states, and provides clear, flexible options for the timely delivery of this critical information. Our objective is to allow states and hospitals either to leverage existing data reporting capabilities or, where those capabilities are insufficient, to provide guidance in how to build on them. These FAQs will be updated if additional data delivery methods become available.

It remains critical that all requested information listed in the FAQ is provided daily to the federal government to facilitate planning, monitoring, and resource allocation in response to COVID-19.
Contact Us
If you have any questions, please contact FEMA Office of External Affairs, Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs Division:
Follow Us

Follow FEMA on social media at: FEMA online, on Twitter @FEMA or @FEMAEspanol, on FEMA Facebook page or FEMA Espanol page and at FEMA YouTube channel.

Also, follow Administrator Pete Gaynor on Twitter @FEMA_Pete.
FEMA Mission

To help people before, during and after disasters.
  

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

House Committee on Homeland Security. Thompson, DeFazio, Payne, Titus Urge Trump to Eliminate Cost Share for States Under Coronavirus Disaster Declarations




FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thompson, DeFazio, Payne, Titus Urge Trump to Eliminate Cost Share for States Under Coronavirus Disaster Declarations

March 24, 2020 (WASHINGTON) – Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, Rep. Peter A. DeFazio (D-OR), Chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. (D-NJ), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery, and Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV), Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, sent a letter to President Trump urging him to, during the coronavirus pandemic, eliminate the 25 percent cost share that states typically are required to bear under emergency and major disaster declarations.

“Given the unprecedented nature of this pandemic, SLTT [state, local, tribal and territorial] governments will not be able to shoulder the 25 percent cost share under the PA [Public Assistance] program,” the Members wrote. “We urge you to increase the Federal support and eliminate the non-Federal cost entirely. Such a cost share adjustment will enable SLTT partners to dedicate essential resources to outbreak response efforts.  An increase in the Federal cost share is warranted given the magnitude of the threat facing the nation…”


#  #  #

Media contact:
(Homeland Security) Adam Comis 
(Transportation and Infrastructure) Sandy Bayley


House Committee on Homeland Security. Thompson, Rose Write DHS on Reports of Extremists Seeking to Exploit Coronavirus Pandemic







FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thompson, Rose Write DHS on Reports of Extremists Seeking to Exploit Coronavirus Pandemic

March 24, 2020 (WASHINGTON) – Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, and Rep. Max Rose (D-NY), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism, sent a letter to Elizabeth Neumann, Assistant Secretary for Threat Prevention and Security Policy, at the Department of Homeland Security regarding the Federal government’s efforts to counter potential homeland security threats from violent extremists who may seek to take advantage of the current coronavirus health crisis. Recent reports have highlighted how white supremacist extremists across the world are discussing ways to take advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to advance violent ends and spread chaos.

“As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to upend American life in new and unpredictable ways, we seek an understanding of how DHS is preparing for and mitigating potential homeland security threats from bad actors, such as violent extremists in the United States and abroad, who may seek to exploit vulnerabilities stemming from this metastasizing crisis,” wrote the Members. “To that end, we would like to know how the Office of Threat Prevention and Security Policy is coordinating DHS prevention efforts to account for the evolving threat landscape under the specter of COVID-19.”


#  #  #

Media contact:
(Thompson) Adam Comis at 202-225-9978
(Rose) Jonas Edwards-Jenks at 202-225-3371


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