Pig Farmers Will Start Culling Herds Due to Lack of Processing Plants

President Trump’s recent executive order to keep meat and poultry processing plants open during the COVID-19 pandemic might not be enough to keep farmers from culling their herds. Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture Collin Peterson, D-Minnesota, told a CNN reporter, Manu Raju, that farmers will have to kill 60,00 to 70,000 pigs a day due to the lack of processing plants.

I think you are going to see some grocery stores have shortages of pork next week…(if shutdowns continue) you can end up running out of pork completely.”

Collin Peterson, House Agriculture Chairman

While consumers will be dealing with pork shortages, farmers will have to find a way to dispose of the hogs. There are serious environmental and health implications for each of the disposal methods available to farmers, which include burning, burying, and composting.

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Burning the pig carcasses creates air pollution. After a 2001 Foot and Mouth outbreak in the U.K. necessitated the slaughter of 6.5 million animals, researchers calculated that every burned pig carcass generated around three pounds of particulate matter. Burial is the cheapest option, but the carcasses release liquid that leaches into the water supply. Nitrates are particularly toxic to infants at high levels. Composting is the most eco-friendly method of the three, but it requires resources that farmers may not be able to easily locate. Management of the composting will require a subject expert and enough carbon-rich material like sawdust or leaves.

If the food supply chain breaks down, the dichotomy will be painful. Farmers will continue to produce food, but without a way to process it, consumers will be unable to purchase it.

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COVID-19 Deaths More Frequent In Regions with High Air Pollution Levels

New research finds that high levels of pollution are closely associated with COVID-19 deaths. In a new study that examined 66 administrative regions in France, Italy, Spain, and Germany, researcher Yann Ogen found that 78% of deaths occurred in just 5 regions. These regions had the highest levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions, a gas that accumulates as vehicle emissions get trapped by weather conditions. The gas causes an increased likelihood of respiratory problems like wheezing coughs, colds and flu, lung infections, and bronchitis.

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The results indicate that long-term exposure to this pollutant may be one of the most important contributors to fatality caused by the Covid-19 virus in these regions and maybe across the whole world…Poisoning our environment means poisoning our own body, and when it experiences chronic respiratory stress its ability to defend itself from infections is limited.”

Yaron Ogen, post-doctoral researcher – Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg

Other research has found that air pollution is a potential risk factor for coronavirus in another way. Italian researchers have identified a gene-specific to COVID-19 in outdoor air pollution samples from the Bergamo province in Italy. The study has not been peer-reviewed. Additional research has found that COVID-19 can survive up to three hours suspended in airborne droplets.

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Coronavirus Could Be Devastating for the Navajo Nation

The Navajo Nation, the largest Native American reservation in the U.S., saw its first case of COVID-19 on March 27th, and since then has seen over 1,300 positive tests for the virus. Most people in the Navajo Nation live in rural areas, which should limit the spread of the virus, but the tribe is facing several challenges in dealing with the Coronavirus.

Many natives have high rates of illnesses that make the community vulnerable to COVID-19 like asthma, diabetes, and heart disease. A history of mining, especially uranium mining, on the reservation has resulted in higher rates of reproductive cancers. In addition, one in 2,000 Navajos are born with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), a genetic disorder where a child is basically born without an immune system, although mandatory screening of Navajo children at birth enables the tribe to treat the condition.

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Third World America

In addition to these health challenges, the Navajo Nation is extremely poor. The United States has an official poverty rate of 12.6 percent. The rate of poverty in the Navajo Nation for families is 46.5 percent, with 14.9 percent of people living in extreme poverty.

Amenities that Americans take for granted, like plumbing, electricity, and paved roads, are not a guarantee on the reservation. One in ten Navajos doesn’t have electricity. In Apache county Arizona where the capital of the Navajo Nation, Window Rock, is located, Native American households are 13 times more likely to lack complete plumbing. Forty percent of the Native nation does not have indoor plumbing. The CDC handwashing guidelines are incompatible with life under these conditions.

A Poor People Pandemic

The Navajo Nation government has taken steps to stop the spread of COVID-19, with President Jonathan Nez declaring a weekend curfew on April 12th, and the Navajo Department of Health mandating the use of masks outside the home on April 19th. Even with these measures, the Navajo Nation will see higher COVID-19 infection rates and deaths, much like other poor and systematically disadvantaged communities across the country.

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Coronavirus Could Be More Widespread than Current Numbers Indicate, New Stanford Study Says

A new study from Stanford University has suggested that CoVID-19 is 50 to 85 times more common than the official numbers have shown. At the time the study was conducted, Santa Clara County had 1,094 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 50 deaths. This study posits that the number of people with the virus was from 48,000 to 81,000, based on the count of participants in the study who had antibodies for the virus.

This has implications for learning how far we are in the course of the epidemic…It has implications for epidemic models that are being used to design policies and estimate what it means for our healthcare system.”

Eran Bendavid, associate professor of medicine at Stanford University and study lead author

This is the first large-scale of this kind in the U.S., and it has yet to be peer-reviewed. Participants representative of nationwide demographics and geography were recruited through targeted Facebook ads and researchers administered a finger prick test to test for antibodies. If the study’s results are valid, that would indicate that the death rate from CoVID-19 is closer to 0.2 percent than the currently estimated rate of 4.1 percent.

It is absolutely critical that similar studies be done all around the country…It’s very clear that the virus is more prevalent in some areas than in others, and understanding the prevalence of viruses in each region is a critical step forward to making some policy.”

Jayanta Bhattacharya, a professor at Stanford and author on the study.

Other large scale studies are being conducted on healthy individuals. Both the National Institute of Health and UC Berkeley are in the process of testing 10,000 and 5,000 people, respectively.

COVID-19 Threatens Indigenous People in Brazil as Deforestation in the Amazon Continues

The Karipuna people in the Brazilian Amazon are in isolation due to COVID-19, but the presence of loggers close to their villages is compromising their efforts to stay safe. The Karipuna Indigenous People’s Association (Apoika), Indigenous Missionary Council (Cimi), and Greenpeace Brasil have filed a joint complaint with the local federal prosecutor’s office. Multiple complaints by both Brazil and international agencies have been submitted in regards to relentless logging and land invasion in the Rondônia state where the Karipunia live. The current pandemic means the invasion of indigenous land is especially dangerous for the occupants of the land.

We are scared that one of these invaders will bring the virus inside our territory…Bolsonaro has told these people that it’s just a little flu and that they can go back to work.”

Adriano Karipuna, one of the group’s leaders – Mongabay

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The Yanomami people in the Roraima state are experiencing the same threats. Illegal mining activity in the region has not ceased during the pandemic, and a 15-year-old Yanomami boy has died from the coronavirus.

Both the Amazon and the indigenous peoples who live there are vulnerable right now. Many native customs facilitate the spread of respiratory diseases. Other factors like poor sanitation, immune systems that are not used to contact with many modern diseases, and a lack of healthcare facilities will exacerbate the risk. Meanwhile, deforestation attempts have not slowed. Clearance rates are 10% higher this year than they were for the same period last year. In addition, deforestation figures for August 2019 to the end of March 2020 are twice the rate they were for August 2018 to the end of March 2019.

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ABC Says Homemade Sanitizers Don’t Work For Coronavirus – We Disagree, So Here’s a Recipe

There are more than 14,000 reported cases of CoVID-19 in the United States, and numbers are only expected to rise as testing becomes more readily available. The EPA recently released its list of approved disinfectants for the virus. Clorox and Lysol wipes and sprays were among the list of various other products, 287 in all. You can view the EPA’s approved list of disinfectants here. To see if your product can kill CoVID-19, the EPA suggests looking for the EPA registration number to see if it shows up on the list of approved disinfectants.

Shortly after the EPA released its approved list of disinfectants ABC News released an article titled “EPA releases list of approved disinfectants to kill coronavirus, and why homemade sanitizer won’t work”. This, however, is misleading because the article fails to mention homemade hand sanitizers at all. It does, however, point out that the EPA does not test “household products” such as vinegar when testing approved disinfectants.

EPA does not review other household products, such as vinegar, or whether they’re effective against viruses and bacteria, the spokesperson said”

EPA releases list of approved disinfectants to kill coronavirus, and why homemade sanitizer won’t work

Hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol can also reduce the number of germs on your hands to a lesser extent, but CDC said products that are alcohol-free or have a lower percentage of alcohol are not as effective.”

EPA releases list of approved disinfectants to kill coronavirus, and why homemade sanitizer won’t work

According to the CDC, compared to washing with soap, hand sanitizer is not as effective at eliminating germs for a couple of different reasons. Hand sanitizer is not effective at removing toxic chemicals such as pesticides or heavy metals and when hands are visibly dirty or greasy hand sanitizer is shown to be less effective. Overall, hand sanitizer eliminates fewer germs than soap. So while the article says that hand sanitizers with less than 60% alcohol are not as effective the article neglects to mention that the CDC recommends hand washing above hand sanitizer whenever possible, And the article fails to explain that one can easily make him or herself homemade sanitizer that is just as effective as the commercial products, without the useless ingredients like perfumes..

CDC recommends washing hands with soap and water whenever possible because handwashing reduces the amounts of all types of germs and chemicals on hands. But if soap and water are not available, using a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol can help you avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. The guidance for effective handwashing and use of hand sanitizer in community settings was developed based on data from a number of studies.”

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While this article attempts to steer one away from homemade household cleaners, there are several homemade products you can use that do have antimicrobial properties. They are often more affordable and gentler on the body than store-bought EPA approved products.

Simply create your own hand sanitizer with the right percentage of alcohol:

isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol – 99 percent alcohol volume
aloe vera gel (or water or both)
an essential oil (optional)

Use a 2-1 ratio, or 60-70% alcohol with this solution. Water works as a spray, aloe works as a gel.

If Rubbing alcohol irritates your skin check out this alternative. Vinegar (consider an eco-friendly industrial strength for recipes) is another option to consider. The active ingredients are antimicrobial, but they have not been tested by the EPA and are not guaranteed to kill CoVID-19. If you are wondering what the best way to stay healthy right now, check out our complete guide to COVID 19.

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Tiger Tests Positive for Coronavirus

A Malay tiger named Nadia at the Bronx Zoo has tested positive for SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes CoVID-19. Six other big cats at the zoo, three tigers and three lions, are also displaying similar symptoms. These symptoms include coughs and a loss of appetite. The test used by the zoo’s veterinary team is not the same one as used by healthcare providers, and the zoo was able to confirm Nadia’s diagnosis after sending samples to the New York State Diagnostic Laboratory at Cornell University and the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. The zoo has been closed since March 16th, so it likely the tiger contracted the virus from an asymptomatic zookeeper.

It’s the first time, to our knowledge, that a [wild] animal has gotten sick from COVID-19 from a person…It’s the only thing that makes sense…”

Paul Calle, chief veterinarian for the Bronx Zoo

Nadia is not the first animal that has tested positive for SARS-CoV2. Two dogs in Hong Kong and a domestic cat in Belgium have also been confirmed to have the virus. Cat’s are particularly susceptible to the coronavirus, and a recent study has found that cats are able to transmit the virus to other cats through respiratory droplets.

According to the World Organisation for Animal Health and the World Health Organization, there is no evidence that SARS-Cov can be transmitted from domestic pets like cats and dogs to humans.