© Mark Ollig
As we enter the month of May, the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019, known as COVID-19, continues to be a part of our daily lives.
As of this writing, our statewide stay-at-home order from Gov. Tim Walz is set to expire Monday, May 4.
We continue to practice the following proper hygiene guidelines to prevent ourselves and others from becoming infected with COVID-19:
• social (physical) distancing of 6 feet;
• washing hands for 20 seconds;
• wearing a face mask or cloth face covering;
• avoiding touching eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands;
• staying home if sick;
• covering coughs and sneezes; and
• observing workplace COVID-19 safety guidelines, cleaning and disinfecting solid surfaces.
As for myself, while out-and-about, after using the gas pump, bank ATM, or shopping at brick-and-mortar stores, the first thing I do when returning home is immediately walk over to the sink and wash my hands. It’s become a habit now.
In addition to the human-to-human spreading of COVID-19, The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is studying COVID-19 transmission from people to animal pets.
“Several dogs and cats have tested positive to COVID-19 virus, following close contact with infected humans,” according to a link on the CDC to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).
“Currently, there is no evidence to suggest that animals infected by humans are playing a role in the spread of COVID-19. Human outbreaks are driven by person-to-person contact,” according to OIE.
The CDC said, “At this time, there is no evidence that animals play a significant role in spreading the virus that causes COVID-19. Based on the limited information available to date, the risk of animals spreading COVID-19 to people is considered low.”
According to the CDC, if you are seeing a new illness developing in a pet that has had close contact with a person having COVID-19, you should contact the public health veterinarian within your state.
Joni Scheftel (joni.scheftel@state.mn.us) is the Minnesota State Public Health Veterinarian and can be contacted at the Minnesota Department of Health Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Prevention at 651-201-5107.
COVID-19 information regarding how, and from whom the virus is spreading has been something technology is actively involved with.
Countries, including Germany, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and France, are using COVID-19 smartphone mobile apps and other technologies being created by public and private health organizations.
Apple and Google plan to adapt smartphones into “opt-in Covid-19 tracking devices.”
This smartphone conversion would make it easier for health officials to identify and alert people who have been in near-contact with others who tested positive for COVID-19 using a smartphone app identifying its owner has having COVID-19.
In Hong Kong, mandatory electronic wristbands alert authorities when people under COVID-19 quarantine leave their homes.
Australia has a smartphone app called COVIDSafe. This app uses Bluetooth wireless signals to determine when you are near another COVIDSafe user.
Every instance of close contact between COVIDSafe users is noted and added to an encrypted COVID-19 contact database.
The Australian government promises the data will only be shared with health officials after the app user consents to it.
France is nearing completion of its StopCovid contact tracing mobile app to detect transmission of COVID-19.
The StopCovid app will sound an alert anytime one gets close to someone who has a similar app indicating they have tested positive for COVID-19.
France says the StopCovid app uses privacy protections with the cooperation of the Pan-European Privacy-Preserving Proximity Tracing (PEPP-PT) project intended to respect users’ data.
The app is open-sourced, which encourages code inspections.
Personal privacy is an important issue here in the US.
Google and Apple say their COVID-19 tracking apps are being designed to protect the identities of the people using them.
Of course, people have a justifiable concern about others illegally data mining the encrypted personal information being collected.
Currently, when a person tests positive for COVID-19, public health officials obtain a list of everyone who they have encountered during a specific time frame. These people are located, and those who have been near them are notified.
Using smartphone digital app contact tracing will employ a person’s smartphone to map out their physical interaction locations.
The Apple and Google COVID-19 app systems also use a smartphone’s Bluetooth wireless signals.
Their apps will create a digital log of the people and their locations the phone’s user has come into proximity with.
Another technology being evaluated is The Symptom Sense Medical Evaluation Gateway. This system will be used on large groups of people to scan for COVID-19, and is currently under trial by a company in Long Island, NY.
The 50-state list of Designated and Acting State Public Health Veterinarians can be seen at https://bit.ly/3aGwRlY.
Detailed information about human-to-animal COVID-19 transmission from OIE can be found at https://bit.ly/2VIgNLW.
The CDC Coronavirus (COVID-19) website is https://bit.ly/2VFlKFm.
Stay safe out there.
As we enter the month of May, the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019, known as COVID-19, continues to be a part of our daily lives.
As of this writing, our statewide stay-at-home order from Gov. Tim Walz is set to expire Monday, May 4.
We continue to practice the following proper hygiene guidelines to prevent ourselves and others from becoming infected with COVID-19:
• social (physical) distancing of 6 feet;
• washing hands for 20 seconds;
• wearing a face mask or cloth face covering;
• avoiding touching eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands;
• staying home if sick;
• covering coughs and sneezes; and
• observing workplace COVID-19 safety guidelines, cleaning and disinfecting solid surfaces.
As for myself, while out-and-about, after using the gas pump, bank ATM, or shopping at brick-and-mortar stores, the first thing I do when returning home is immediately walk over to the sink and wash my hands. It’s become a habit now.
In addition to the human-to-human spreading of COVID-19, The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is studying COVID-19 transmission from people to animal pets.
“Several dogs and cats have tested positive to COVID-19 virus, following close contact with infected humans,” according to a link on the CDC to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).
“Currently, there is no evidence to suggest that animals infected by humans are playing a role in the spread of COVID-19. Human outbreaks are driven by person-to-person contact,” according to OIE.
The CDC said, “At this time, there is no evidence that animals play a significant role in spreading the virus that causes COVID-19. Based on the limited information available to date, the risk of animals spreading COVID-19 to people is considered low.”
According to the CDC, if you are seeing a new illness developing in a pet that has had close contact with a person having COVID-19, you should contact the public health veterinarian within your state.
Joni Scheftel (joni.scheftel@state.mn.us) is the Minnesota State Public Health Veterinarian and can be contacted at the Minnesota Department of Health Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Prevention at 651-201-5107.
COVID-19 information regarding how, and from whom the virus is spreading has been something technology is actively involved with.
Countries, including Germany, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and France, are using COVID-19 smartphone mobile apps and other technologies being created by public and private health organizations.
Apple and Google plan to adapt smartphones into “opt-in Covid-19 tracking devices.”
This smartphone conversion would make it easier for health officials to identify and alert people who have been in near-contact with others who tested positive for COVID-19 using a smartphone app identifying its owner has having COVID-19.
In Hong Kong, mandatory electronic wristbands alert authorities when people under COVID-19 quarantine leave their homes.
Australia has a smartphone app called COVIDSafe. This app uses Bluetooth wireless signals to determine when you are near another COVIDSafe user.
Every instance of close contact between COVIDSafe users is noted and added to an encrypted COVID-19 contact database.
The Australian government promises the data will only be shared with health officials after the app user consents to it.
France is nearing completion of its StopCovid contact tracing mobile app to detect transmission of COVID-19.
The StopCovid app will sound an alert anytime one gets close to someone who has a similar app indicating they have tested positive for COVID-19.
France says the StopCovid app uses privacy protections with the cooperation of the Pan-European Privacy-Preserving Proximity Tracing (PEPP-PT) project intended to respect users’ data.
The app is open-sourced, which encourages code inspections.
Personal privacy is an important issue here in the US.
Google and Apple say their COVID-19 tracking apps are being designed to protect the identities of the people using them.
Of course, people have a justifiable concern about others illegally data mining the encrypted personal information being collected.
Currently, when a person tests positive for COVID-19, public health officials obtain a list of everyone who they have encountered during a specific time frame. These people are located, and those who have been near them are notified.
Using smartphone digital app contact tracing will employ a person’s smartphone to map out their physical interaction locations.
The Apple and Google COVID-19 app systems also use a smartphone’s Bluetooth wireless signals.
Their apps will create a digital log of the people and their locations the phone’s user has come into proximity with.
Another technology being evaluated is The Symptom Sense Medical Evaluation Gateway. This system will be used on large groups of people to scan for COVID-19, and is currently under trial by a company in Long Island, NY.
The 50-state list of Designated and Acting State Public Health Veterinarians can be seen at https://bit.ly/3aGwRlY.
Detailed information about human-to-animal COVID-19 transmission from OIE can be found at https://bit.ly/2VIgNLW.
The CDC Coronavirus (COVID-19) website is https://bit.ly/2VFlKFm.
Stay safe out there.
