Tuesday, September 29, 2020

 Rotary Million Mask Challenge Tour



I heart Radio is supporting Rotary in distributing a Million Masks to Essential Workers, First Responders and Others

I Heart Radio on Million Mask Tour



Rotarians throughout New England Delivering 1MM PPE Masks to First Responders and

Essential Workers throughout New England.

Funded by The Rossi Family Foundation

The Rotary Million Mask Challenge Tour will begin on Monday, October 5 and

continue through Wednesday, October 7th. During this time, a caravan of Rotarians from District 7980 along with the 24-foot truck of masks will travel through six states and stop at 

nine major municipal centers to deliver a total of 800,000 masks to awaiting Rotarians.

The tour will travel over 500 miles through ten key cities throughout the New England

Region starting on Monday, October 5th and completing on Wednesday, October 7th. At each 

of the ten distribution locations, the host Rotary District will hold a Media and Distribution 

Event to tell the Rotary Million Mask Challenge Tour Story.

Monday, August 31, 2020

Lost Power-Rotarians helping Rotarians and Others

 

Lost Power

Rotarians Helping Rotarians and Others

 

 


After Hurricane Isaias passed by East Hampton about half of the residents were without power. A Rotarian, Charlie, was without power and needed help. Charlie is over 90 years old and has been a Rotarian for a long time. So Bill sent out an e-mail to the East Hampton Rotary Club asking for help for Charlie. Ten(10) Rotarians offered to provide a generator to keep the refrigerator and lights going for Charlie. Within a couple hours a generator was helping Charlie.

 


There were nine additional generators available to help others through the lost power. So in the future in a power failure situation the Rotary Club members who do not lose power, but have generators, will offer them to Rotarians who have lost power. It's simple, easy and a wonderful way to give back.

 

Do it in your Club.

Create a list of members who have generators and are willing to loan them if they do not lose power.

When the event happens Communicate and provide generators to those without power.

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Million Mask Tour-Masks to Rotary Clubs for First Responders, Healthcare Workers, Nursing Homes and Others

Million Masks Tour

New England Rotary Clubs Getting Masks

to First Responders, Healthcare Workers and Others

 



 


Ted Rossi and the Rossi Family Foundation will donate an additional 800,000 masks to Rotary Clubs in New England. The clubs will provide the masks to first responders, healthcare workers, nursing homes and other care homes and others who need masks to stay safe. We all do.

 

The masks will be distributed on a tour of New England to bring the masks to the Rotary Clubs. A large truck will be loaded with masks and then make stops in

Bridgeport; New Haven; Hartford; Springfield, Mass; Rutland, Vt; Portland, Maine;

Boston, Mass.; Providence, RI; and New London.

 

Social distancing and masks will be worn at each stop. Local and state government officials and Rotary clubs will be represented. Even some mask recipients could be at the mask distribution locations.



Sunday, August 2, 2020

Covid19 and Heart Damage






Covid 19 and Heart Damage
Original Investigation
July 27, 2020

Outcomes of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients Recently Recovered From Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Author Affiliations Article Information
JAMA Cardiol. Published online July 27, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2020.3557


Key Points
Question  What are the cardiovascular effects in unselected patients with recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)?
Findings  In this cohort study including 100 patients recently recovered from COVID-19 identified from a COVID-19 test center, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging revealed cardiac involvement in 78 patients (78%) and ongoing myocardial inflammation in 60 patients (60%), which was independent of preexisting conditions, severity and overall course of the acute illness, and the time from the original diagnosis.
Meaning  These findings indicate the need for ongoing investigation of the long-term cardiovascular consequences of COVID-19.
Abstract
Importance  Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to cause considerable morbidity and mortality worldwide. Case reports of hospitalized patients suggest that COVID-19 prominently affects the cardiovascular system, but the overall impact remains unknown.
Objective  To evaluate the presence of myocardial injury in unselected patients recently recovered from COVID-19 illness.
Design, Setting, and Participants  In this prospective observational cohort study, 100 patients recently recovered from COVID-19 illness were identified from the University Hospital Frankfurt COVID-19 Registry between April and June 2020.
Exposure  Recent recovery from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection, as determined by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction on swab test of the upper respiratory tract.
Main Outcomes and Measures  Demographic characteristics, cardiac blood markers, and cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging were obtained. Comparisons were made with age-matched and sex-matched control groups of healthy volunteers (n = 50) and risk factor–matched patients (n = 57).
Results  Of the 100 included patients, 53 (53%) were male, and the median (interquartile range [IQR]) age was 49 (45-53) years. The median (IQR) time interval between COVID-19 diagnosis and CMR was 71 (64-92) days. Of the 100 patients recently recovered from COVID-19, 67 (67%) recovered at home, while 33 (33%) required hospitalization. At the time of CMR, high-sensitivity troponin T (hsTnT) was detectable (3 pg/mL or greater) in 71 patients recently recovered from COVID-19 (71%) and significantly elevated (13.9 pg/mL or greater) in 5 patients (5%). Compared with healthy controls and risk factor–matched controls, patients recently recovered from COVID-19 had lower left ventricular ejection fraction, higher left ventricle volumes, higher left ventricle mass, and raised native T1 and T2. A total of 78 patients recently recovered from COVID-19 (78%) had abnormal CMR findings, including raised myocardial native T1 (n = 73), raised myocardial native T2 (n = 60), myocardial late gadolinium enhancement (n = 32), and pericardial enhancement (n = 22). There was a small but significant difference between patients who recovered at home vs in the hospital for native T1 mapping (median [IQR], 1122 [1113-1132] ms vs 1143 [1131-1156] ms; P = .02) but not for native T2 mapping or hsTnT levels. None of these measures were correlated with time from COVID-19 diagnosis (native T1: r = 0.07; P = .47; native T2: r = 0.14; P = .15; hsTnT: r = −0.07; P = .50). High-sensitivity troponin T was significantly correlated with native T1 mapping (r = 0.35; P < .001) and native T2 mapping (r = 0.22; P = .03). Endomyocardial biopsy in patients with severe findings revealed active lymphocytic inflammation. Native T1 and T2 were the measures with the best discriminatory ability to detect COVID-19–related myocardial pathology.
Conclusions and Relevance  In this study of a cohort of German patients recently recovered from COVID-19 infection, CMR revealed cardiac involvement in 78 patients (78%) and ongoing myocardial inflammation in 60 patients (60%), independent of preexisting conditions, severity and overall course of the acute illness, and time from the original diagnosis. These findings indicate the need for ongoing investigation of the long-term cardiovascular consequences of COVID-19.


Valarie Wafer Our International Director Visits District 7980 and East Hampton on August 26

Valarie Wafer Our Rotary International Director from Canada
We recorded this conversation with Valarie Wafer and here is the link

At East Hampton Club Zoom Meeting
At 6:45 PM on Wednesday, August 26
All are invited including each of You.
(Go to the Rotary District 7980 Calendar for Zoom Link)





Valarie Wafer
RI Director 2020-2022
Rotary Club of Collingwood South Georgian Bay 
Collingwood, Ontario Canada 

Valarie is the previous franchise owner of six Tim Horton’s restaurants in the Greater Toronto Area. As an employer, her company was a strong advocate for people with disabilities, especially in the area of employment. She continues this advocacy in many aspects of her life, including serving on a local hospital and university board. 

Joining Rotary in 2005 made a profound impact on Valarie’s life, giving her a new viewpoint of the world and how substantial differences happen when we work together. 

Valarie was governor of District 7070, which covers the greater Toronto area, in 2013/14. Now residing in Collingwood, Valarie’s home club is the Rotary Club of Collingwood South Georgian Bay.

She has continued to serve at an international level with roles such as: International Trainer, member of International Convention Host Committee, Rotary International Presidential Representative and, most recently, she has been elected to serve on the board of Rotary International 2020-2022. 

During her tenure as a Rotarian, Valarie has participated and led many initiatives including Vocational Training Team Leader to Australia in 2010 focusing on youth mental heath, National Immunization Day in India 2012, and has traveled to Kenya and Tanzania to audit long-term Rotary Foundation grant activities.

Valarie, and her husband of 33 years, Mark, are Paul Harris Fellows, Bequest Society members and Major Donors to The Rotary Foundation.  







Saturday, July 18, 2020

Corona Virus-Airborne transmission and How Long immunity lasts



The Science indicates that even 2 meters may not be enough unless you wear
a face mask.

Covid19 transmission and immunity

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health — Open Access Journal


Airborne Transmission Route of COVID-19: Why 2 Meters/6 Feet of Inter-Personal Distance Could Not Be Enough

The COVID-19 pandemic caused the shutdown of entire nations all over the world. In addition to mobility restrictions of people, the World Health Organization and the Governments have prescribed maintaining an inter-personal distance of 1.5 or 2 m (about 6 feet) from each other in order to minimize the risk of contagion through the droplets that we usually disseminate around us from nose and mouth. However, recently published studies support the hypothesis of virus transmission over a distance of 2 m from an infected person. Researchers have proved the higher aerosol and surface stability of SARS-COV-2 as compared with SARS-COV-1 (with the virus remaining viable and infectious in aerosol for hours) and that airborne transmission of SARS-CoV can occur besides close-distance contacts. Indeed, there is reasonable evidence about the possibility of SARS-COV-2 airborne transmission due to its persistence into aerosol droplets in a viable and infectious form. Based on the available knowledge and epidemiological observations, it is plausible that small particles containing the virus may diffuse in indoor environments covering distances up to 10 m from the emission sources, thus representing a kind of aerosol transmission. On-field studies carried out inside Wuhan Hospitals showed the presence of SARS-COV-2 RNA in air samples collected in the hospitals and also in the surroundings, leading to the conclusion that the airborne route has to be considered an important pathway for viral diffusion. Similar findings are reported in analyses concerning air samples collected at the Nebraska University Hospital. On March 16th, we have released a Position Paper emphasizing the airborne route as a possible additional factor for interpreting the anomalous COVID-19 outbreaks in northern Italy, ranked as one of the most polluted areas in Europe and characterized by high particulate matter (PM) concentrations. The available information on the SARS-COV-2 spreading supports the hypothesis of airborne diffusion of infected droplets from person to person at a distance greater than two meters (6 feet). The inter-personal distance of 2 m can be reasonably considered as an effective protection only if everybody wears face masks in daily life activities.


It is not known how long immunity will last. But booster shots and yearly flu shots are examples
of dealing with this issue.


Can You Catch Covid-19 Twice?

Most scientists say patients gain some immunity to the virus after the first infection






A sample drawn from a patient at a Covid-19 testing site in Houston on June 28.

PHOTO: DAVID J. PHILLIP/ASSOCIATED PRESS

By 

o                                          PRINT
o      Months into the pandemic, the scientific community’s understanding of Covid-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus, is rapidly evolving. New reports of patients testing positive, or appearing to suffer symptoms after initial diagnosis, continues to generate concern that people who have had Covid-19 are getting infected anew.
Here is the latest on what we know, and don’t know, about the possibility of becoming sick with the virus more than once.
I recently recovered from Covid-19. Does that mean I can’t get it again?
Most scientists say that people who have had Covid-19 gain some immunity to the virus that causes it. What they don’t know is whether that protection lasts a few months, a few years or a lifetime.
What factors affect immunity?
The immune system wards off infections by producing antibodies that fight invaders. A range of hereditary and environmental factors, including diet and sleep patterns, typically affect the strength and longevity of those defenses.
Immunity also depends on the pathogen. For example, infection by the virus that causes measles confers lifelong immunity. Others, like the influenza virus, can mutate so rapidly that protective antibodies might not recognize them during a reinfection.
The novel coronavirus mutates more slowly than the influenza virus. That gives researchers hope that any natural immunity, or vaccine, would offer more lasting protection. Even if someone gets sick again, researchers believe a second infection might be milder than the first.
How soon would my body produce antibodies to fight the novel coronavirus after an initial infection?
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says antibodies develop within one to three weeks after infection.
A study involving 34 hospitalized cases in China found that two patients, both in their 80s, produced antibodies within three days of symptom onset. The rest produced them two weeks after symptoms first surfaced. The findings were vetted by other experts and published in an academic journal in March.
Is there any good news?
A group of Chinese researchers reported this month that they had infected six rhesus macaques, allowed them to recover and then reinfected four of them 28 days after the first infection. None became sick again, showing their immune system shielded them from a second infection.

The research, published in Science, says, however, that more studies are needed to understand whether the immune system can shield individuals from reinfection over longer periods of time.
Then why are some people testing positive again?
Roughly 450 South Koreans tested positive for the virus again after meeting the criteria for recovery and being discharged from isolation. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention re-tested more than half of those people and found no evidence of the live virus circulating.
Peer-reviewed research studies have shown that viral fragments can circulate even after an individual is symptom-free. That doesn’t mean that people are still sick or infectious.
How do I know I’ve fully recovered?
Clinicians have mixed views on what constitutes recovery because long-term data aren’t yet available. Guidelines vary across the globe.
For example, the CDC says that infected individuals are considered recovered if they test negative for the novel coronavirus twice, with tests approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration taken at least 24 hours apart.
Or, individuals must be fever-free for three consecutive days and show an improvement in their other symptoms, including reduced coughing and shortness of breath. At least 10 days should have passed since their symptoms first surfaced.
Some survivors testing negative for the virus say that certain symptoms, such as a loss of taste and smell, can linger for months after other symptoms are gone.



Friday, July 10, 2020

Photo Album from Distirct 7980 2019-20-Thanks to Tari

Tari created a photo album and all the AGs made comments.
Thanks from Jan and Jack

Photo Album from District 7980 2019-20


At International Assembly we met Mark and Gay and looked forward to a great year
W

We were installed at St. Clements Castle



And then there was a virus which disrupted everything