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The coronavirus outbreak still has my head spinning. As health officials keenly followed COVID-19, March began with news of the first U.S. death, a man in Washington state. Also, the CDC reported the first possible outbreak at a long-term care facility in Washington.

After a rough February closing, March 1 news reported a stock market surge of 5.1%. The rebound didnt last as economic distress surged as well.

Adjusting to the time change as we began the week of March 9, we wondered what a week with a full moon and a Friday the 13th would bring. We soon saw the coronavirus apprehension snowball.

The sports world turned upside down as various leagues cancelled, postponed or rescheduled their seasons. School systems shut down. Even some May graduations are already cancelled.

As new developments unfolded daily, observing peoples reactions became a study in human behavior. First came denial and disbelief. We lived our lives as if we werent affected, thinking China is a long way from America. Then COVID-19 hit Washington state and steadily spread.

Denial turned to skepticism: The news media is creating hysteria and people are overreacting, or This is a conspiracy with a political agenda, or This whole virus-thing is overblown.

Then skepticism turned to fear as people bombarded stores. Toilet paper turned to gold. Hand-wipes disappeared. As my March 15 birthday approached, I requested fried salmon patties for my special meal. Suddenly, I couldnt find Double Q Pink Salmon as I daily visited several groceries and discovered the canned meat aisles cleared. I struck out.

Fear turned to hysteria as shoppers acted like a blizzard was coming, packing parking lots, standing in lines waiting for stores to open, clearing out key items. It was each man for himself until stores set limits. One customer asked, Did I miss the memo that the world was going to end?

Now folks seem to be coping with this disruption, hoping for this crisis to pass soon and for life to return to normal.

This craziness gives new meaning to March madness and reminds us how uncertain life is. Fear, scarcity and an unknown future trigger a reaction like stockpiling.

Stockpiling is a means of exerting control in a situation that is out of control, said Jon Mueller, professor of psychology at North Central College in Napierville, Illinois. We want to do things to gain control, he said, and hoarding supplies offsets our sense of helplessness.

Chris Elkins, chief of staff at Denison Forum, shared hes having a hard time.

Theres no certainty about how this virus will spread or whom it will impact I have zero control of the stock market, the hoarding or peoples compliance to guidelines. I find this troubling and deeply disturbing.

Nothing in this world is certain, no matter the balance in my checking account or the investments in my retirement plan. Control is an illusion (https://www.denisonforum.org/columns/daily-article/healthcare-providers-are-experiencing-pre-traumatic-stress-disorder-fear-not-for-i-am-with-you/).

The reality is, under normal circumstances, we are NOT in control, even though we want to be. The sooner we accept that reality, the sooner we can lessen our anxiety. How can we live confidently in a world thats going nuts?

First, replace fear with faith. Faith and fear cannot coexist. Either were fearing or were demonstrating faith. Satan uses fear to erode our faith.

In times like these, where do you turn? Asaph found himself in a crisis and wrote, I cried out to God with my voice and He gave me ear. In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord (Psalm 77:1, 2a). Look first to God.

Second, remember Gods presence. Deuteronomy 31:8 reads, And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed. God is with us in this crisis.

Third, look out for others. Were in this together. Dont fight over toilet paper. Share the wealth. Check on your neighbors, especially the elderly. Remember its not just about you.

Fourth, shine brightly. Believers must let the world see us living unafraid, using good sense, exercising wisdom, but living as people of faith who trust in a God who is bigger than coronavirus.

I finally found my favorite brand, Double Q Salmon, by the way, and got to enjoy my belated birthday treat. And it was delicious!

[David L. Chancey is pastor, Fayettevilles McDonough Road Baptist Church. Currently, the church family is meeting online. Join them on their Facebook page at McDonough Road Baptist Church/MRBC for Bible study at 9:45 Sundays and worship on Facebook Live at 10:55 a.m. Visit them at http://www.mcdonoughroad.org or call 770-460-5423 for more information.]

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March Madness and the hunt for Double Q Salmon - The Citizen.com

-Submitted photoUnityPoint Health Fort Dodge team members representing therapy, surgical services, acute care and environmental services, give their message to the community. Top row, from left to right: Tammy Pattison, Deanne Cummins-Thiele, Heidi Lennon, Elena Sassman, Amanda Jensen and Dawn Kirkpatrick. Bottom row, from left to right: Judy Haines, Jenna Linder, Amanda Grablin and Brittany Lantz.

-Submitted photoUnityPoint Health Fort Dodge team members representing therapy, surgical services, acute care and environmental services, give their message to the community. Top row, from left to right: Tammy Pattison, Deanne Cummins-Thiele, Heidi Lennon, Elena Sassman, Amanda Jensen and Dawn Kirkpatrick. Bottom row, from left to right: Judy Haines, Jenna Linder, Amanda Grablin and Brittany Lantz.

In light of Webster Countys first COVID-19 case, we want to ensure our community has accurate and factual information.

We are extremely proud of the work that has been done to prepare for the COVID-19 pandemic with our community partners through the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The EOC has and continues to provide UnityPoint Health Fort Dodge an opportunity to collaborate and prepare with the following agencies:

City of Fort Dodge

Fort Dodge Community School District

Fort Dodge Emergency Management

Fort Dodge Emergency Services

Fort Dodge Fire Department

Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance

Fort Dodge Police Department

Iowa Central Community College

Manson Northwest Webster Community Schools

St. Edmond Catholic School

Southeast Valley Community Schools

Webster County Board of Supervisors

Webster County Public Health

Webster County Sheriffs Department

Additionally, UnityPoint Health Fort Dodge regional Incident Command, in partnership with the UnityPoint Health system Incident Command, has been meeting for weeks to prepare for COVID-19. In consultation with our medical directors: Drs. Lincoln Wallace, Michael Willerth, Alex Cathey, Elizabeth Day, Rachel Sokol and David Jones, surge plans for inpatient beds as well as Emergency Department have been developed that will allow us to double our bed capacity. A waiver has also been submitted to the federal government to allow Trinity Regional Medical Center to exceed our 49-bed limit, in order to support the care needed for our community.

The availability of test kits and ventilator capacity have also been hot topics on social media and in the media. We would like to provide some additional information regarding these very important resources.

Test Kits: UnityPoint Health Fort Dodge has test kits available. Our clinicians remain vigilant about following CDC guidelines for testing as related to COVID-19. Like other testing, patients must meet the criteria before a test is ordered.

Ventilators: The quantity of ventilators available in our region has been an area of concern for many. Please know in preparation of COVID-19, the region has significantly increased its ventilator capacity. We will also work together with the UnityPoint Health system and our rural Critical Access Hospital partners for additional support if needed.

We have prepared to the best of our ability. As a community we were given the gift of time to create solid work plans to ensure a coordinated and efficient response to COVID-19, before Webster County experienced its first COVID-19 case.

There is a lot of information available on social media and through regular media channels it can really feel like too much at times. Please be sure you are going to a trusted source for COVID-19 updates and sharing what is only factual. We recommend the following sites for COVID-19 information: Webster County Public Health; Iowa Department of Public Health; Centers for Disease Control; and the World Health Organization. By sharing only accurate and factual information it will help reduce anxiety and ease the minds of our family, friends and neighbors during this time of uncertainty.

Lastly, what we need now is the help of our community to ensure our healthcare resources will allow UnityPoint Health Fort Dodge to continue providing the best care possible. You can help to reduce and potentially prevent the spread of COVID-19 by following some simple recommendations:

Stay home whenever possible

Practice social distancing

Avoid community gatherings limit your activities to essentials, i.e. work, grocery store, etc.

Wash your hands

Words cannot express our deepest gratitude to all our healthcare professionals, first responders, and service workers for their tireless commitment to our community.

Together, we will get through this.

Leah Glasgo is president and CEO of UnityPoint Health Fort Dodge. Michael Willerth is chief medical officer of UnityPoint Health Fort Dodge.

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Together, we will get through this | News, Sports, Jobs - Fort Dodge Messenger

An experimental new study has recently tested the efficacy of favipiravir (Avigan) for treating COVID-19.

Recently, there has been much media speculation around the Japanese anti-flu drug favipiravir (brand name Avigan) being effective against SARS-CoV-2. This is the virus that causes COVID-19.

This is because Chinese officials announced in a press conference that the drug could effectively treat this virus.

Since then, the results of one of the two clinical trials that the Chinese officials cited have become available. We take a look at the findings and explain why people must interpret them with caution.

Stay informed with live updates on the current COVID-19 outbreak and visit our coronavirus hub for more advice on prevention and treatment.

Qingxian Cai, of the National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases at The Third Peoples Hospital of Shenzhen in China, is the first author of the paper, which now appears in the journal Engineering.

As Cai and colleagues explain in their paper, the need for effective antiviral agents capable of combating COVID-19 is dire.

In this context, an efficient approach for drug discovery seems to be to test existing antiviral drugs and see whether or not they are suitable for repurposing.

Healthcare professionals have previously used drugs such as ribavirin, interferon, favipiravir, and lopinavir/ritonavir to treat severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome. These are diseases caused by other coronaviruses. However, the efficacy of some of these drugs is questionable, warn the researchers.

That said, past studies that Cai and team cite in their paper have shown that favipiravir, the anti-flu drug, successfully inhibits SARS-Cov-2 in some cultured cells and protects mice against Ebola.

So, the scientists set out to test the results of treating SARS-Cov-2 using favipiravir, and to compare its efficacy with that of lopinavir/ritonavir.

Lopinavir is an HIV inhibitor that emerged as a potential treatment for the SARS outbreak in 2003. Manufacturers often add ritonavir to lopinavir to increase its half life and reduce its side effects.

The recent study was a non-randomized comparison of two treatment regimens across time. Participants were all patients at The Third Peoples Hospital of Shenzhen.

On day one (in early February), one study group comprising 35 people, all of whom had a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 and met the trial criteria, including age and illness severity took 1,600 milligrams (mg) of favipiravir twice (in two separate doses), plus inhaled interferon.

On day two and beyond, this group reduced their dosage to 600 mg twice daily, and they kept taking inhaled interferon.

The control group comprised 45 patients admitted in the last week of January. They took lopinavir/ritonavir for 14 days at a dosage of 400 mg, then 100 mg, twice daily, plus the inhaled interferon.

Those who took favipiravir cleared the virus in an average of 4 days. Those in the control group cleared it in 11 days.

The favipiravir group also showed significant improvement in chest imaging compared with the control arm, with an improvement rate of 91.43% versus 62.22%, report the researchers.

Statistical calculations showed that favipiravir was independently associated with faster viral clearance. In addition, fewer adverse reactions were found in the [favipiravir group] than in the control group.

As Cai and colleagues conclude, In this open-label non-randomized control study, [favipiravir] showed significantly better treatment effects on COVID-19 in terms of disease progression and viral clearance.

They add:

[I]f causal, these results should be important information for establishing standard treatment guidelines to combat the SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Although the health characteristics of the people in the two groups were statistically comparable at the start of the study, there were important differences between them that cast some doubt on these results.

For example, more participants in the favipiravir group were younger and leaner and had the treatment sooner after the onset of symptoms. On the other hand, fewer participants in this group had fever, for instance.

Because the study was so small, such minor differences as these can skew the results despite the scientists accounting for these factors in the analysis. In other words, the slightest error could bias the findings.

This small study provides some potentially exciting results, but the lack of randomization, the differences in severity of the disease, the differences in age of the two groups, and the lack of blinding of outcomes to the researchers all cast doubt on the findings.

Well-conducted randomized controlled trials are necessary before doctors can use this drug for this purpose in clinical practice.

For live updates on the latest developments regarding the novel coronavirus and COVID-19, click here.

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Is the anti-flu drug Avigan effective in treating COVID-19? - Medical News Today

Quick Take

A viral meme suggests that children hospitalized with COVID-19 in the U.S. and U.K. cant be visited by a parent. Hospital policies have become generally more restrictive, but pediatric patients are still allowed visits by at least one parent.

A meme circulating on social media implores people to stay home in order to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The message its trying to send is right, but the alarmist claims it makes are wrong.

The meme says: [I]f your child gets this virus their going to hospital alone in a van with people they dont know to a room they dont know to be with people they dont know You will be at home without them in their time of need Think about it Stay in.

It was shared on March 24 by a Facebook page called This is England and was then shared by several other British Facebook pages before it began to circulate on American accounts.

We are focusing on one of the claims the implication that there is a mandatory policy to separate parents from children who are hospitalized for COVID-19. That isnt true in either country.

Guidance from the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health in the U.K. says:

Many hospitals in the U.K. have eliminated patient visitation, except for children, who are allowed to have a parent or carer visit.

Guidance is similar in the U.S., with details varying from state to state and hospital to hospital.

In New York, which currently has the most cases of COVID-19 in the country, the state Department of Health recommended that hospitals suspend visitation except in cases where the visitor is essential to the care of the patient. One major hospital system, NewYork-Presbyterian, has used that guidance to end visitation, with some exceptions, including for pediatric patients who may have one visitor.

In the state of Washington, which had the first confirmed case in the U.S., the hospitals run by the University of Washington have suspended all regular patient visits. But patients under 18 are allowed to have visits from a parent or guardian.

Similar policies are in effect in other areas, too, including the hospitals of the Ohio State University and the University of Kentucky.

While the novel coronavirus can sicken people of any age, it is worth noting that those most at risk for becoming severely ill and requiring hospitalization are elderly people and those with underlying health conditions.

Between Feb. 12 and March 16, no patients under 19 years old were admitted to an intensive care unit in the U.S. for treatment of COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Editors note: FactCheck.org is one of several organizationsworking with Facebookto debunk misinformation shared on social media. Our previous stories can be found here.

World Health Organization. Live from WHO Headquarters coronavirus COVID-19 daily press briefing 25 March 2020. YouTube. 25 Mar 2020.

Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health. COVID-19 guidance for paediatric services. Last modified 26 Mar 2020.

New York State Department of Health. Health Advisory: COVID-19 Guidance for Hospital OperatorsRegarding Visitation. 18 Mar 2020.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Severe Outcomes Among Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) United States, February 12March 16, 2020. 26 Mar 2020.

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Meme Misleads on Hospital Visits to Children With COVID-19 - FactCheck.org

The coronavirus pandemic has dominated the U.S. news since February. Since then, our clients have asked one common question, Will the coronavirus slow down an already slow hiring process? Will there be layoffs and hiring freezes? My answer? It depends.

Not every industry slows down in an economic downturn (if thats ultimately where we end upwe arent even certain if thats the case this year yet). And not every company within an industry slows down. The bottom line is people get hired during layoffs and hires happen even when things slow down.

Do you know who gets hired during economic shifts? Those who didnt stop job searching and, instead, kept going.

Will the search be harder? Possibly. But no matter what, its never a 100% complete halt. It just gets more competitive. So I think its time for job seekers at all levels to remain competitive and consistent.

Like investing, trying to time the market is futile. Successful investing comes from doing it regularly and consistently. The same is true with job searching. Trying to time when is the best time to get hired is pointless. Just start the search. Dont stop even in times when you think no one is hiring like the holidays or the summer. Many do that already and thats not the best way to go. So dont stop job searching as people get hired during these slowdowns all the time. And they will get hired during this coronavirus event as well.

One added benefit of continuing now is that it provides an edge over those who stopped. By just continuing, you are in front of potential employers where others arent. So continue on, but know that the landscape might be different. You might need to adjust accordingly.

Its important to note that the candidate market has always been competitive pre-coronavirus and companies have continued to take their time to process candidates and hire the best person for the job. Thats not going to change.

Hiring will speed up or slow down within an organization based on their strategic plans for the yearnot solely because of a virus.

That being said, now that companies are asking employees to work from home, not all companies and their employees are equipped to work remotely or from other remote offices where the virus hasnt spread.

A companys capacity to onboard new employees can shift the hiring managers priority of hiring new people for their open job to caring for the employees they already have working for them. What does that mean for you as the candidate? It could mean another delay just like any other delay that could happen. Be prepared and anticipate delays so you can reposition yourself, remain optimistic, and keep your pipeline full.

Showcasingyour accomplishments that demonstrate turning around challenging situations into profitable paths can makethe potential employersdecisioneasier to hire you. Be sure to highlight skills such as your experience working virtuallyto outline how you will assimilate into the organization faster.

Your job as the candidate is to follow-up consistently. Be politely persistent. Close by asking for the next steps on the interview. Ask for the job. Use LinkedIn to get noticed. Leave voicemails and send emails to ask for an update on the interview process.

Like any prior hiring obstacle you may have experienced, the key is to remain in control over what you can control. So be in control of the steps that you take virus or no virus.

Lisa Rangel, founder and managing director of Chameleon Resumes (a Forbes Top 100 Career Website), is a Certified Professional Resume Writer, Job Landing Consultant & 13-year Recruiter. Lisa is also a paid moderator for LinkedIns Premium Career Group, which has 1,300,000+ members. Chameleon Resumes reviews the goals of each client to ensure career documents serve their goals while meeting the needs of the prospective employers. She has been featured in Fortune, Inc., CNN Business, Fast Company, Business Insider, Forbes, LinkedIn, CNBC, Time Money, BBC, Newsweek, Crains New York, Chicago Tribune, eFinancialCareers, CIO Magazine, Monster, US News & World Report, Good Morning America, Fox Business News, New York Post, and other reputable media outlets. Rangel has authored 16 career resources and has an active YouTube Channel with great tips and recommendations.

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Will the coronavirus pandemic slow down hiring in 2020? - AZ Big Media