COVID-19 Update for the Crown Heights Community
From the medical and rabbinic leadership
1: At this time, COVID-19 has reached epidemic proportions in our community, with many people affected.
2: If you have ANY of the following symptoms: fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, weakness, or diarrhea, consider yourself as presumed positive for COVID-19.
- For most, this is a mild illness with a quick recovery.
- At this time, we are not recommending that those with these symptoms get tested.
3: If you are sick with these symptoms, STAY HOME. Take care of yourself with hydration, rest, analgesics (anecdotally, Tylenol better than Advil).
- DOH guidelines: For all those presumed infected, stay home for at least one week after onset of symptoms or 72 hours after fever abates, whichever of the two is longer.
- If symptoms are not improving after 5-7 days and especially if you’re feeling worse, in particular with shortness of breath, you must seek help.
4: IF YOU ARE ABOVE THE AGE OF 65 OR HAVE ANY CHRONIC ILLNESS:
- YOU ARE AT SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER RISK OF SEVERE ILLNESS.
- YOU MUST ISOLATE YOURSELF FROM ALL PUBLIC ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING SHUL, MIKVAH ETC.
- PLEASE TAKE THIS VERY SERIOUSLY!
— This is a rapidly changing situation. As new developments arise, we will continue to use these news outlets to deliver updates to the Crown Heights community —
- The Gedaliah Society, a network of Chabad medical professionals, in conjunction with Dr. Eli Rosen and Hatzalah.
The rabbonim of the Badatz of Crown Heights are reiterating their call in their public letter that these guidelines must be adhered to as actual Halacha for all practical purposes.
- Horav Avrohom Osdoba, Horav Yaacov Schwei, Horav Yosef Braun
Total cases thus far.
To tell us were this ppl was?
That we can know to be more carful?
This is beyond the possibility of pinpointing locations
Is recomendable to go to the Catskills?
Epidemic is a meaningless word without a number behind it. It as also connotes anxiety and hysteria.
If you focus on just doing the task at hand, with kabbolas ol, you will not have as much anxiety
Why not scrape up a few thousand face masks and hand sanitizers and give them to the folks that are actually at risk, 65 years and older? Order THEM to wear the masks and use the hand sanitizer and stay home.
Everyone needs to stay home. This is not a joke…many can die because some people think it is not their problem to care about others
are apparently only helpful to stop the “spread” rather than protect
With testing not available currently in CH how can he say hundreds are infected in ch
Pl clarify
Creating fear..crzy. flu is going around too. Symptoms listed are flu symptoms and not all fall under CV symptoms
Flu is not going around now
Each person infects 6-10 people, usually without knowing it. Within a few days they are each infecting other people, and in about a week that first person themself, might feel sick. By that time, the chain has produced some large number of infected people. That is why the number of cases rises exponentially in an epidemic, until it runs out of people to infect.
Why are men’s mikvaos still allowed? Why hasn’t anyone discussed it in Crown Heights?
The issue is not that the Virus Enters the water to infect someone else entering the water afterwords. This is not the case. The virus had never been shown to survive in the Chlorinated Mikveh Water. The issue of a Mikveh is the same as a Shull that if there are crowds in close contact, coughing not sneezing on each other or touching the same doorknobs is the problem. I don’t understand why all c.h. Grocery’s and all fruit stores allow everyone to touch each other’s bread Chala donuts and each other’s fruits and vegetables, palpated by everyone with Corona… Read more »
It’s true chlorinated water won’t transmit the virus, the problem is the floors, surfaces and benches in the Mikva which are wet and are a magnet for bacteria. You can have some Pikuach Nefesh and go to the Mikva, but suggesting it should stay open and go bc there’s chlorine is as ignorant as CH not shutting everything down (including shuls).
At usual chlorination levels 3-5 ppm, with pH 7.2-7.6, it takes 15 minutes to deactivate the virus. In other words, the mikvah is *not* safe with a steady flow of people using it
That is not entirely correct. Chlorination to 3-5 ppm with pH 7.2-7.6 might deactivate the virus in about 15 minutes.
In other words, need adequate chlorination, pH and time.
And that is based on known viruses. So far, i have not found a report on this for the new virus.
Second issue, as noted in a few posts, the mikvah environment is warm and moist.
Those are ideal conditions for the virus to remain active for a very long time, on potentially every surface.
Third issue, distance.
An infected person spreads the virus to a distance of about 6 feet (daled amas).
And the person might nor realize they are infected. They can spread the disease before they have symptoms.
The more people in the room, the more likely there is someone there who is infected, and the more likely that others are close to them.
Got the fever! Not that bad as of now. I was in CH for shabbos. Bochur.
Between ages 10 to 40 the mortality rate is 1 in 500. (0.2%)
So you probably will be alright.
But 1 in 500 will not be. That is why those who say it’s not dangerous for those who are young are spreading inaccurate information.
If a school has 1500 students above the age of 10 and all get the coronavirus a mortality rate of 0.2% means 3 students will die.
Is this what people call “not dangerous”?
They found that young healthy with no background of history problem find themself now with complication of this virus and they are age 30 plus. Many on respiration and artificial coma.
They say that advil and a few other kinds of anti… Helps the virus complications in a later stage! Be aware try to refrain!!
Don’t take Advil if you think you have corona . It can be worse.
It’s french government recommandations.
I was at dr office last week and no one was there, I did not see one patient. Where is the epidemic and why is the office not accepting patients or calls? Please tell me I am wrong. I do agree with closing schools, shuls etc because it can spread like Italy, as CH is very similar in family connections, events, and religious service (CH is more so, 3x per day), but closing dr office for even calls?
French health minister, Olivier Véran tweeted on Saturday: “The taking of anti-inflammatories [ibuprofen, cortisone … ] could be a factor in aggravating the infection. In case of fever, take paracetamol. If you are already taking anti-inflammatory drugs, ask your doctor’s advice.”
La prise d’anti-inflammatoires (ibuprofène, cortisone, …) pourrait être un facteur d’aggravation de l’infection. En cas de fièvre, prenez du paracétamol.
Si vous êtes déjà sous anti-inflammatoires ou en cas de doute, demandez conseil à votre médecin.
How is not suspending alternate side parking helping????
TO THE COMMUNITY DOCTORS
it is very hard for people to take this seriously until:
1. a number of people infected is publicized
2. each person infected puts out a list of where they have been
as it stands now we just hear the words epidemic etc … people don’t take that seriously… we want details like they give by ALL other cases throughout the world! numbers and places visited so people can quarantine
WHOEVER AGREES WITH ME PLEASE VOTE ON THIS COMMENT SO WE GET A RESPONSE!
Quarantine, don’t go anywhere with more than 10 people.
Or leave.
This week is expected to be the critical phase of the epidemic. The only way to slow the epidemic, and protect the vulnerable members of the community, is STAY HOME. Go out only for essential needs, and briefly. When you do not comply, you put others at risk. That risk increases sharply at age 50 and above. An infected person can infect others even when that person does not feel sick. An infected person exhales the virus to a distance of 6 feet. Anyone in that distance can become infected. The virus can remain on surfaces from a few days… Read more »
This week is expected to be the beginning of a critical phase of the epidemic with a large increase in the number of cases. CDC advises against gatherings for the next 8 weeks. But even so, those who do attend will still be at risk, and so will those around them when the return home. Moreover people can spread the virus even when they do not feel sick. The same goes for the stores and shuls. The only way to protect the people around you is to stay home.
Think good, and it will be good.
Lets take it seriously, and do our best that everyone in our community should come through this time safe and healthy.
And lets use the extra time at home to catch up with our Chitas, Rambam, and other learning, and for spending more time with our family.
My daughter lives near 770. She is not a member of the Chabad community , but she does shop on stores like Empire Kosher butcher. She has corona virus also, which she probably got from the local stores or from the elevator in her apartment building. Please share information about the community epidemic more widely – for example with leaflets in stores or in announcement to the English press. It is worse to keep it secret.