Illnesses, Virus & Pandemics

Flu, Cholera, Measles, Pneumonia, Typhoid Fever, Virus & Pandemics

ILLNESSES,
VIRUS,
PANDEMICS

Chicken-Pox

Diphtheria

Dysentery

Measles

Pneumonia

Polio

Typhoid
Fever

Whooping
Cough

Middle-Ages
PANDEMICS

Black
Death

Cholera

Smallpox

Modern-Day
PANDEMIC

Influenza
& Spanish Flu

Coronavirus
COVID-19

Extended
Information
About
COVID-19

_________

_________

GENEALOGY
LINE

FAMILY
NAMES

LOFTIN:
Beatty
Corzine
Cranford
Fisher
Givens
Harwell
Kaiser
Lanier
Lomax
McCorkle
Rudisill
Sherrill
Upright
Washington
Work

SETZER:
Aderholdt
Barringer
Bovey
Bushart
Deal
Heavner
Herman
Ikert
Miller
Motz
Rankin
Witherspoon

GOBLE:
Babst/Bobst
Douglas
Faber
Fink
Fulbright
Hefner
Meinhert
Miller
Muller
Pabst/Bobst
Robinson

JOHNSON:
Corzine
Fink
Hamilton
Kaiser
Leslie
Lewis
Moore
Sherrill
Upright
Wilkinson

Additional
Family
SURNAMES
_________

Home

ILLNESSES,
VIRUS,
PANDEMICS

Diphtheria

Dysentery

Measles

Pneumonia

Polio

Typhoid
Fever

Whooping
Cough

Middle-Ages
EPIDEMICS

Black
Death

Cholera

Smallpox

Modern-Day
PANDEMIC

Influenza
& Spanish Flu

Coronavirus
COVID-19

Extended
Information
About
COVID-19
_________

_________

GENEALOGY
LINE

FAMILY
NAMES

LOFTIN:
Beatty
Corzine
Cranford
Fisher
Givens
Harwell
Kaiser
Lanier
Lomax
McCorkle
Rudisill
Sherrill
Upright
Washington
Work

SETZER:
Aderholdt
Barringer
Bovey
Bushart
Deal
Heavner
Herman
Ikert
Miller
Motz
Rankin
Witherspoon

GOBLE:
Babst/Bobst
Douglas
Faber
Fink
Fulbright
Hefner
Meinhert
Miller
Muller
Pabst/Bobst
Robinson

JOHNSON:
Corzine
Fink
Hamilton
Kaiser
Leslie
Lewis
Moore
Sherrill
Upright
Wilkinson

Additional
Family
SURNAMES
_________

Home

ILLNESSES,
VIRUS,
PANDEMICS

Diphtheria

Dysentery

Measles

Pneumonia

Polio

Typhoid
Fever

Whooping
Cough

Middle-Ages
EPIDEMICS

Black
Death

Cholera

Smallpox

Modern-Day
PANDEMIC

Influenza
& Spanish Flu

Coronavirus
COVID-19

Extended
Information
About
COVID-19
_________

_________

GENEALOGY
LINE

Additional
Family
SURNAMES
________

Home

ILLNESSES,
VIRUS,
PANDEMICS

Diphtheria

Dysentery

Measles

Pneumonia

Polio

Typhoid
Fever

Whooping
Cough

Middle-Ages
EPIDEMICS

Black
Death

Cholera

Smallpox

Modern-Day
PANDEMIC

Influenza
& Spanish Flu

Coronavirus
COVID-19

Extended
Information
About
COVID-19
_________

_________

GENEALOGY
LINE

Additional
Family
SURNAMES

I. Illnesses, Virus & Pandemics

Flu/N1H1, Polio, The Plague, Cholera, Smallpox, Red Blood Cells, Scarlet Fever

One thing for sure - if you're born, you're eventually gonna die. Some of our ancestors and relatives have died as a result of accidents, heart attacks, strokes and cancer but there are some who have succumed to death as a result of Flu, Pneumonia, Scarlet Fever, Typhoid Fever and Various Virus. This page gives information about some of those. This page also includes some letters. I hope you'll take the time to read them. Evn though some are 150 years old, the words still have life in them and help you better appreciate what they were going through.

Measles, Dyphtheria, COCID-19, Typhoid Fever, Dysentery, Whooping Cough, Pneumonia

VACCINE HISTORY

Some of the diseases mentioned on this page are still around in the world, while others are believed to have been eradicated. I've decided to start this page about illnesses in the family with a Vaccine History.

The US Department of Health & Human Services an the Centers for Disease Control offer child and adolescent immunizations for children aged 0-6 years old and 7-18 years old.

Some vaccinations have been recommended in the United States since the 1940s. A combined vaccine for Diptheria, Tetanus and Pertussis (Whooping Cough) was recommended in the 1940s; a combined vaccine for those three diseases is still recommended today.

Th Smallpox vaccine, on the other hand, was on the schedul in the 1940s but is no longer recommended, as smallpox was declared eradicated in 1980 and eliminated from the United States much earlier. A vial of the disease, however, "could be" sitting in a labratory somewhere around the world being studied by scientists.

The Polio vaccine was recommended in the 1950s. The vaccine has changed since then, but the Polio vaccine remains on the current recommended list of vaccines recommended for children ages 0-6. The combined Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine (MMR) was added to the list of recommendations in the 1970s, after vaccines for all three diseases were developed in the 1960s.

Protection from seven diseases require only three vaccinations: (1) Polio vaccination, (2) DPT vaccine - a combined vaccination for Diptheria, Pertussis/Whooping Cough and Tetanus, and (3) MMR vaccine - a combined vaccination for Measles, Mumps and Rubella.

As early as 2014 (in addition to Vaccinations for Polio, DTP and MMR), Chickenpox, Hepatitis A & B, Influenza, Rotavirus/Diarrhea, Pneumoccoccal and Meningitidis were added to the list of recommended vaccines.

In 2020, some parents still choose to have their children vaccinated when they're young, ages 0-6, while others choose not to. Adults need vaccines, too.

Adult Vaccines

https://vaccineinformation.org/adults/schedules.asp

Illness/Virus When Do Adults Need Vaccines?

Chickenpox If you've never had chickenpox or were vaccinated but received only 1 dose, talk to your healthcare provider to find out if it is needed.

Hepatitis A You need this vaccine if you have a risk factor for the disease. The vaccine is given in 2 doses, 6 to 18 months apart.

Hepatitis B You need this vaccine if you have a risk factor for the disease. The vaccine is given in 3 doxes, usually over 6 months.

HPV The most common (STD) sexually transmitted disease in the US. It can lead to cancer in the sex organs in both men and women.

Influenza You need the Flu vaccine ever Fall or Winter for your protection and the protection of those around you.

MMR You need 1 dose of MMR if you were born in 1957 or later. Many people need a second dose.

Meningitidis People of all ages with certain medical conditions should get vaccinated and some should receive booster doses throughout life. These vaccines are used to protect people during an outbreak of meningitidis. First-year college students living in a residence hall need a dose of MenACWY if you have never received it or if you received it when you were younger than 16.

Pneumonia Adults age 65 years and older should receive the PPSV23 vaccine and may also receive the PCV13 vaccine. You also need 1-2 doses at an earlier age if you smoke or have certain medical conditions.

Shingles If you are age 50 or older you should get this vaccine now.

DPT
Tdap All adults who have not received a dose of DPT/Tdap, as an adolescent or adult, need to get Tdap vaccine (the adult Whooping Cough vaccine). You will also need a booster every 10 years.

Chicken-Pox & Shingles

CHICKEN-POX

Chicken-Pox, also known as Varicella, is a highly contagious disease caused by the infection of the virus. The disease results in a skin rash that forms small, itchy blisters, which eventually scab over. It usually starts on the chest, back or face, then spreads to the rest of the body. Other symptoms "may" include fever, tiredness, headaches, loss of appetite, and aching muscles. Symptoms usually last five to seven days. Complications may occasionally include pneumonia. The disease is often more severe in adults than in children. Symptoms begin 10 to 21 days after exposure to the virus. Chicken-Pox is an airborne disease which spreads easily through the coughs and sneezes of an infected person. Those with Shingles may also spread Chicken-Pox to those who are not immune. Since its introduction in 1995, the Varicella vaccine has resulted in a decrease in the number of cases and complications from the disease. Routine immunization of children is recommended in many couintries.

At the blister stage, intense itching is usually present. Scratching these blisters will lead to scaring. Parents were always telling their children, "Don't scratch!"

In 2015 Chicken-Pox resulted in 6,400 deaths globally - down from 8,900 in 1990.

In 1888 Chicken-Pox's connection to Shingles was determined.

Chicken-Pox was very common when I (Curtis D. Loftin) was growing up. I had Chicken-Pox when I was about 7 years old.

Family Members Who Have Had Chicken-Pox

LOFTIN, Curtis Dean LOFTIN, Elizabeth Ann SEESE, Bradley Dylan WEEKS, Carolyn Janet

SHINGLES

After a Chicken-Pox infection, the virus remains dormant in the bodies nerve tissues for the of your life. The immune system keeps the virus at bay, but later in life, usually as an adult, it can be reactivated and cause a different form of viral infections called SHINGLES (also known as Herpes Zoster). The disease is characterized by a painful skin rash with blisters usually in a localized area. Typically the rash occurs in a single, wide stripe either on the left or right side of the face or body. Two to four days befoe the rash occurs there may be tingling or pain in the area.

Shingles affects one in five adults infected with Chicken-Pox as children, especially those who are immune-suppressed, particularly from cancer, HIV or other conditions. Stress can bring on shingles as well. Shingles is most commonly found in adults over the age of 60 who were diagnosed with Chicken-Pox as children. You can have Shingles more than once.

The US Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices suggests that every adult over the age of 50 years-of-age get the Herpes Zoster vaccine. It does not, however, guarantee that you won't still get the disease. The Shingles vaccine reduces the risk of shingles by 50% to 90%. It is estimated that about 1/3 of people will develop Shingles at some point in their life.

Shingles in children is often painless, but in older adults it is described as the "worst pain they've ever experiences".

People with mild to moderate pain can be treated with over-the-counter pain medications. Topical lotions containing calamine can be used on the rash or blisters and may be soothing. Occasionally, severe pain may require an opiod medication, such as morphine.

The rash and pain usually subside within three to five weeks or more.

Diphtheria

Diphtheria is a bacterial infection. The symptoms of Diphtheria usually begin two to seven days after infection. Symptoms of Diphtheria include fever of 100.4F or above, chills, fatigue, bluish skin coloration, sore throat, hoarseness, cough, headache, difficulty swallowing, difficulty breathing and bloodstained nasal discharge. In the 1920s, an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 cases of diphtheria occured in the US causing 13,000 to 15,000 deaths per year. It wasn't until the late 1940s that a vaccination was finally developed. By the late 1950s, all school children had vaccinations for Smallpox, Polio and DPT (Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis).

HAMILTON, Arthur Douglas (b.1869, d.05 Apr 1878)

Arthur Douglas Hamilton was the son of David Wilfong Hamilton and Achsa Ann Martin. Arthur was born 04 Mar 1870 and died 05 Apr 1879 from Diphtheria. He was 9-years-old at the time of his death. [Arthur was Curtis D. Loftin's 2nd cousin 4x removed]

HAMILTON, Rose Mercedes (b.1877, d.1878)

Rose Hamilton was the son of David Wilfong Hamilton and Achsa Ann Martin. Rose was born 21 Aug 1878 and died 06 Apr 1879. She was 8-months-old at the time of her death. [Rose was Curtis D. Loftin's 2nd cousin 4x removed]

HAMILTON, Percy Allen (b.1867, d.????)

Percy Allen Hamilton was the son of David Wilfong Hamilton and Achsa Ann Martin. Percy was born 05 Oct 1867 and died 14 Apr 1879 from Diphtheria. He was 11 years old at the time of his death. [Percy was Curtis D. Loftin's 2nd cousin 4x removed]

David Wilfong Hamilton & Achsa Ann Martin Hamilton lost two more children in childhood, also. Edith May Hamilton was born 19 Sep 1860 and died 20 Dec 1863. Margaret Trimble Hamilton was born on 12 Mar 1865 and died 26 Aug 1873. Both girls died from the same disease, but we do not know what it was.

Letter # 22

Letter Dated: April 1, 1879

From: David Wilfong Hamilton (age 40)

Living In: White Rock, Republic County, Kansas

To: Isaac & Candace Hamilton Martin (Sister) (age 37)

Living In: Indiana

White Rock, Republic County, Kansas

April 1, 189

Dear Brother & Family

While the sick ones are resting, as I am watching I'll write a little. We have our trial of sickness now - five out of seven down with the diphtheric. Arthur (Arthur Douglas Hamilton) was taken down one week ago last Thursday - he was first of all - watched him night and day and now we think him convalescent, but may not be out of danger yet. has been very sick, apparently more so than May (Edith May Hamilton) was when she died. But the treatment is different and he has a good constitution. Yesterday (Monday) Cora (Cora Catherine Hamilton), Percy, (Percy Allen Hamilton), Daisy (Daisy Henrietta Hamilton) and the baby (Rose Hamilton; RHR) all came down - had their fever and are now resting. It is almost daylight. I have been up a good share of the night alone. We have no help at watching. Folks are afraid of diphtheria here, a good many have died with it. But Dr. Scott who lives on the "quarter" next west has been kind and attended. Has given the best known remedies and by the mercies of our heavenly Father we may be restored to health. He has our lives in His hands. Arthur was of the malignant type, the others he seems to think have it much milder. We will notify you of the outcome.

Well it is daylight now, I'll have to close. If you should be in the vicinity of Livonia, Isaac (Isaac Martin), I wish you would see Samuel R. Teagarden and see for us how he is getting along in raising some money for us. I fear we shall need some before we get it. You have not felt afflictions hard probably as I have and do not realize what hangs over you as I do. Through flood, famine and fire thus far and death staring at us when the children are almost large enough, some of them, to take care of themselves. Let us pray that enough, some of them, to take care of themselves. Let us pray that this cup pass if possible - but the Lord's will be done.

Write soon.

Your Brother

D. W. Hamilton

Letter # 23

Letter Dated: April 13, 1879

From: David Wilfong Hamilton (age 40)

Living In: White Rock, Republic County, Kansas

To: Isaac & Candace Hamilton Martin (Sister) (age 37)

Living In: Indiana

White Rock, Republic County, Kansas

April 13, 1897

Mr. Isaac Martin & Family

Dear Bro & All:

I wrote under great precipitation the fore part of last week. I had no envelop, so committed it with others to Dr. Scott, our attending physician to mail. It did seem as the terrible malady would sweep us all off and I scarcely knew what I was about. He said he enveloped it and mailed it to you, said something about inserting a line on his own responsibility, and such things go out and form an impression in regard to the neighborhood. Now Dr. Scott and family have been very kind and attentive in this our stricken condition and he to relieve us of some of the burthen, as he thought, proposed to see the expense paid. I knew or realized but little of the proposition at the time as I had all I could stand under at the time. I have heard that the doctor proposed to put the expense on the county as we were in temporary want and nothing was available. It unquestionably meant funeral expenses, because he is not unduly alarmed. We have credit at the store and get goods there. It was our seemingly helpless condition and the apparent apathy of some of the neighbors to render help, that moved the doctor. That such a movement was premature is undoubted.

It is believed by some and I have been careful to verify it, that we will have some money before a great while, that we are, but temporarily, sorely distressed. The doctor says, "of what use will thousands be unless we have it in our distress".

I can scarcely dwell upon the desolation that the malady has wrought. Arthur, (Arthur Douglas Hamilton) was a fine specimen of a boy just past nine - such wondrous noble countenance, full of light and joy. His was a happy combination of beauty and strength - a cheerful, happy heart - conscientious, he exhibited at times, some rare graces and was a general favorite. Baby, (Rose Hamilton) was delicate - not yet 8 months old. Arthur died on Saturday, the 5th, at 1:15 p.m. Baby on Sunday at 6:30 a.m. That the remaining sick ones might not be affected too much the burial of the two took place at 3:00 p,m. same day, and it was wise too. When I last wrote I really believed Percy, (Percy Allen Hamilton) would not be alive now, but he is though very prostrated - there is hope of his recovery. Cora (Cora Catherine Hamilton) is much prostrated but is hopefully improving. Daisy (Daisy Henrietta Hamilton) cannot talk much above a whisper but is gaining some.

Louie (Louise Hamilton) is improving. It fell like a great bolt upon Ma and I have some fears yet of the result Sunday night. All are resting comparatively quiet. I hardly knew what to write when I wrote last. I have written this early again to explain my last. I would have been glad to have some friend with me. You can little imagine the desolation we feel as the ruthless hand of death takes your loved ones in such quick succession.

Oh! it paralyzes! Could tears but flow - the pent up feelings might find a vent. But to be dumb - silent - it is painful.

I have so often written our circumstances, at one time or another, big with hope, then dashed down that I suppose my friends think me a batch of contradictions, but such are the vicissitudes of life and fortune - mine seemingly the most varied. Of course we would be so glad to see our friends and relatives but we also recognize the fact that they have duties at home.

I will be glad to hear from you soon.

Your Brother

D. W. Hamilton

Wednesday the 16th

We buried Percy yesterday at 4 o'clock. He died Monday (April 14) evening at 10:15. Cora is gaining slowly. The others are doing well.

Do write soon,

D. W. Hamilton

Dysentery

The natural history of diarrhea/dysentery, especially during war, has been understood only since 1945. Diarrhea is frequent watery stools that can cause shock and death without replacement of fluid and chemicals required for the body to function. Dysentery is the same entity, but with bloody stools. Conditions that favor them and their infectious agents are similar. Ingestion of food or water contaminated by feces containing certain strains of bacteria.

Since 1912 house flies were proven to carry bacteria causing dysentery, contaminating food by vomiting or defecating on it after feeding on dysenteric stools. Hairs on fly legs in contact with infected material are the most common conveyers of the bacteria to food, probably because they provide a much larger surface area to which the bacteria can cling. Water from contaminated wells is another source.

The following Civil War ancestors died at Union POW camps and the only thing we know for sure is that they died from "disease", which would have probably been Typhoid Fever or Dysentery. Since their actual cause of death is unknown, I've decided to list them in this section.

BEATTY, Cephus B. (b.20 Nov 1836, d.23 Feb 1865)

Cephus Beatty, son of Charles Manson Beatty, age 25, enlisted on 14 Aug 1862 along with his brothers Calvin and Wilburn. He was captured 12 May 1864 (according to THE CATAWBA SOLDIER). Civil War records indicate that he died 23 Feb 1865 in the POW Camp in Elmira NY. Cause of Death is not known. [Cephus was Curtis D. Loftin's 1st cousin 4x removed]

HEDRICK, Levi H. (b.1824, d.14 Jan 1865)

Levi Hedrick was the son of Solomon Hedrick (1793 - 1876) and Margaret Null (1800 - 1875). Levi enlisted in the Confederate army on 31 Mar 1863 at the age of 39. Levi died on 14 Jan 1865 at the Union Prison Camp in Elmira, New York. [Levi was Curtis D. Loftin's 1st cousin 3x removed]

Thomas Loftin had one son, James Franklin Loftin, by his first marriage to Sally Lavinia Beatty. After Viney's death on 30 May 1829, Thomas married Margaret Fisher about 1830 and had five more sons, William A. Loftin, David Loftin, Jackson Loftin, Eli Anderson Loftin and William Pinkney Loftin. [Some may question the fact that Thomas had two sons named "William", but James Franklin Loftin's grandson, Alonzo Lester Loftin, had two sons named "Roosevelt" - Charlie Roosevelt Loftin and Theodore Roosevelt Loftin.]

LOFTIN, William A. (b.1833, d.20 Oct 1861)

William A. Loftin, age 28, enlisted 06 Jun 1861 as part of Company F, 23rd Regiment. He died four months later on 20 Oct 1861 from disease. [William A. was Curtis D. Loftin's 3rd great-uncle]

LOFTIN, William Pinkney (b.1844, d.15 Sep 1861)

William Pinkney Loftin, age 18, enlisted 06 Jun 1861 and served as a Private. He may have been as young as 17 when he enlisted. According to "The Catawba Soldier", Pinkney died exactly three months later on 06 Sep 1861 at Fairfax Station from disease. Captain Hilton of the 23rd Regiment gives Pinkney's death as 15 Sep 1861 of disease near Manassas. [William Pinkney was Curtis D. Loftin's 3rd great-uncle]

SETZER, Jacob Harvey (b.15 May 1837, d.18 Mar 1865)

Jacob Harvey Setzer, age 25, son of Jacob Lanier Setzer, enlisted 04 Jul 1862. He was captured 07 Nov 1863 at Rappahannock Station, VA and died in a hospital at Point Lookout, a prisoner, meeting the fate of many a young man of Catawba County. He died 18 Mar 1865, a few weeks before the war ended on April 9, 1865. [Jacob Harvey was Curtis D. Loftin's 2rd great-uncle]

SETZER, Marcus Elkanah (b.10 Mar 1930, d.11 Nov 1865)

Marcus Elkanah Setzer, age 32, son of Jacob Lanier Setzer, enlisted 04 Jul 1862. Like his brother, Jacob Harvey Setzer, he was taken prisoner 07 Nov 1863 at Rappahannock Station. He died on 11 Nov 1865 while at Point Lookout, MD. [Marcus Elkanahy was Curtis D. Loftin's 2rd great-uncle]

SHERRILL, Alexander & Nicholas

Brothers Alexander Sherrill and Nicholas Sherrill enlisted 14 Aug 1861. Nicholas was captured and died in prison on 29 Mar 1865 in Elmira, NY, from disease. Alexander died 07 Jul 1862 in Petersburg, VA, from disease.

SHERRILL, Jeptha Jr. (b.08 Mar 1829, d.23 Jul 1862)

1st Lt. Jeptha Sherrill enlisted on 19 Mar 1862 at the age of 33. He was the son of Jeptha Sherrill Sr. and Elizabeth McCorkle. He died from disease on 23 Jul 1862 at Petersburg, VA. [Jeptha Jr. was Curtis D. Loftin's 1st cousin 5x removed]

SHERRILL, John

John Sherrill enlisted on 15 Sep 1864 and died from disease at the Union POW camp at Pt. Lookout, MD, on 03 May 1865.

SHERRILL, Uriah

1st Lt. Uriah Sherrill enlisted on 27 Apr 1861 at the age of 27 and died from disease on 23 Jul 1861 at Norfolk, VA.

Measles

Usually considered a children's disease, Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days.Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than 104 °F, cough, runny nose, and inflamed eyes. A red, flat rash which usually starts on the face and then spreads to the rest of the body typically begins three to five days after the start of symptoms. Common complications include diarrhea (in 8% of cases), middle ear infection (7%), and pneumonia (6%). Other names include morbilli, rubeola, red measles, and English measles. Both rubella, also known as "German measles", and roseola are different diseases caused by unrelated viruses.

Measles is an airborne disease which spreads easily through the coughs and sneezes of infected people. It is extremely contagious–nine out of ten people who are not immune and share living space with an infected person will be infected. People are infectious to others from four days before to four days after the start of the rash. Most people do not get the disease more than once. The measles vaccine is effective at preventing the disease, is exceptionally safe, and is often delivered in combination with other vaccines.

The armies who fought in the U.S. Civil War were comprised largely of Caucasian males who grew up in relative isolation on farms. Not having experienced the common diseases of childhood, the new soldiers fell prey to them as adults. General Robert E. Lee wrote his wife in August 1861, “The soldiers everywhere are sick. The measles are prevalent throughout the whole army….”

HAMILTON, George Washington (b.28 Jan 1844, d.15 May 1862)

George Washington Hamilton was born 28 Jan 1844 in Washington County, Indiana. He was the last child born to Ninian Beall Hamilton, Sr. (b. 1789) and Mary Margaret Wilfong. On 13 Feb 1862, George enlisted in the Union army at the age of 18. Three months later, George was dead - having died from the effects of Measles. [George was Curtis D. Loftin's 1st cousin 5x removed]

Letter # 1

Letter Dated: March 1862

From: George Wahington Hamilton (age 18)

Living In: Indiana

To: Ninian Beall Hamilton (b. 1789 - age 73) (Father)

Living In: Pekin P. O., Washington Co., Indiana

Well Pop -

I am here all right, well and fat. We got to Camp Morton at Indianapolis. We left New Albany (Indiana) on Monday and went to Jeffersonville (Indiana) at 9 o'clock and got to the camp about 12 o'clock and got something to eat once more.

We have about 5,000 rebels here and we have to keep a good look out for them for they say that they will go out anywhere. Well, they have got Buckner over at town. They had him out to the camp the day we came to the camp, but I did not see him. Some of the boys did.

Well you must not work too hard. I expect that I will not be gone long.

I was on guard last Wednesday night. It is a good deal colder here than it was at Camp Nobel, but we do not care for the cold. It is snowing. I know the Rebels is the ornyest set of people that you ever saw. They are from one fourth to full niggers. They look like that they was all part darky.

We have got our orders to keep ourselves ready at a moments warning. We was called out last night but we had got the alarm by the accidental discharge of a gun in the guard line. We have about 3,000 men here and we have 0 pieces of mounted guns. I think that they will not get away til we get ready for them to go. We have Enfield rifles.

Well I must close. I remain -

Yours,

G. W. Hamilton

Letter # 2

Letter Dated: April 1 1862

From: George Wahington Hamilton (age 18)

Living In: Camp Savannah, Hardin County, Tennessee

To: Unknown Recipient, but delivered to Ninian Beall Hamilton (b. 1789 - age 73) (Father)

Living In: Pekin P. O., Washington Co., Indiana

Well ould (Old) horse -

I am here all right once more. I have just come out of the hospital - got well of the measles. I was very sick, but I am in good fix now.

Well we left Camp Morton (Indiana) on Friday and went (to) St. Louis and got to step on the boat, A. McDowell, and on Sunday we left there and went slowly on down the mud and we passed all the towns on our way, stopping at them all. Well all things is going on as usual - we passed Paducah, there is some large guns there, and we passed Ft. Henry (Tennessee), but it was in the night and I did not see what was there. There is a great fight expected there. There is about 1,500 rebels there but we have got a great many boys there - it is about 8 miles above here and we hope to move ashore in the fun before the fun is over. Let them give us a call and we will be at their service with our Enfield rifles and sabor bayonets. They weigh about 4 pounds - they have a hand hold on them and I could cut a man all to pieces.

Well I have saw a great many things since I saw you. I have had some fun and some hard times - that is so.

We have some things that they call crackers but they are as hard as sun dried brick. I could dance on them for 24 hours at a time and never bruise them - they are about 4 inches square. We are on a hill and can see over the river (Tennessee River). Well this is the last page and I am getting tired and must come to a close. Your must take this to Pap and anybody that I cared for, and you must read it for yourself. I hope that you are getting along with your farm and all things in general. The mail comes in fine, and I think you might write. I got a letter that was sent to Camp Morton. Direct c/o Capt. Peck, 53 Reg., Indiana Volunteers, Camp Savannah, Hardin County, Tennessee.

G. W. Hamilton

George Washington Hamilton died on 15 May 1862

The following letter is from George's brother, Ninian Beall Hamilton, Jr, to their father.

Letter # 16
from his brother Ninian Beall Hamilton, Jr.

Letter Dated: May 22, 1862

From: Ninian Beall Hamilton, Jr. (age 27)

Living In: Hartsville, Indiana

To: Ninian Beall Hamilton (b. 1789 - age 73) (Father)

Living In: Pekin P. O., Washington Co., Indiana

Indianapolis, Indiana

May 22, 1862

Dear Father:

Some time since we received your letter. You stated you wished me to send you word when ever I heard anything of George (George Washington Hamilton, b. 1/28/1854, d. 5/15/1862).

I have been watching the papers closely for the 53rd and in yesterday's I see G. W. Hamilton, Wm. Packwood, N. Ross (wondered if it ain't N. Boss) and others belonging to the 53rd are in the list of sick and wounded. They reached St. Louis last Saturday (5/17/1862; RHR) by the Steamboat boat, Imperial. I suppose George is sick as he was not in the battle of Pittsburg Landing as I can learn of.

I do not know how bad he is - there are many among them that are not dangerous at all and of course some are. I shall write to St. Louis today and see if I can get any word soon, and indeed I may telegraph there - if I do I shall not close this till I get word.

We are all well - the babe (Melvin Leroy Hamilton) grows fast and is such a good child. Hardie (George Harding Hamilton) is as lively as ever.

How we would like to have (brother) George here and take care of him, while he is sick. If I could, I would go and bring him home. Do you hear from the boys any? George wrote me a letter and I answered it and was fixing to go to Indianapolis to see him when I got your letter stating that he was in Tenn.

I am preparing to commence the Commercial School again this fall. I shall teach writing schools till harvest and perhaps after that I will work at the trade till fall. Have you and Isaac (Isaac Martin) much harvest? It would be rather far for me to go and harvest when there is much here.

Write soon -

Your son -

N. B. Hamilton

Letter # 10

from his brother David Wilfong Hamilton

Letter Dated: June 13, 1862

From: David Wilfong Hamilton (age 23)

Living In: Portland, Illinois

To: Isaac & Candace Hamilton Martin (Brother-in-Law & Sister) (age 29& 20)

Living In: Indiana

Portland, Illinois

June 13, (Friday) 1862

Dear Bro. and Sister:

At home again tired with the days labor. O dear, teaching is so perplexing. But, that does not weigh so heavily as the news your letter brought me yesterday. It struck me with extreme anguish to hear of his (George Washington Hamilton, b.1/28/1844 - d.5/15/1860; RHR) dying far from home, and the tender words of a kind father, which he I infered, so much longed for during his illness. I weep while writing and can only find relief in out- gushing tears - I weep because he was young, far from home and friends, and I fear without any hope of immortality beyond the grave. God only knows, I don't. And I weep because of the grief of father. His comforts were few at most and to have a son far away, languishing and dying, is more than he can bear. Last Saturday I was at Geneseo - saw the last letter he wrote to Dove (Delilah Ann Hamilton, b.11/20/1828 - d.1/30/1901; RHR), the last any of us got. I got his address last Sunday (June 8, 1862) and wrote him a letter. But one thing is left us, we have the comfort that he died in defense of his liberty. This war is dire and thousands of hearts among the living are wrung by it's consequences. But the instigators will reap their reward.

The school house is over two miles from this place, so I have quite a walk of morning and evenings. My school is large, over fifty scholars in all - forty-three today. I hear 32 recitations in all.

This has been a pleasant day to me, but tomorrow my vexations commence. My dear sister comfort our dear father. I long to see him. I hope George's body can be brought home and interred by mother. You could find out by writing to the captain of his company where he was buried, or if you write to the hospital surgeon at St. Louis, they have the names, the regiment, the company, and the residence of each soldier. If I had the means I would go myself and get it.

Your brother,

D. W. Hamilton

Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an infection in one or both lungs. Bacteria, viruses, and fungi cause the disease. The infection causes inflammation in the air sacs in your lungs, which are called alveoli. Typically, symptoms include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever and difficulty breathing. Vaccines to prevent certain types of pneumonia are available. Other methods of prevention include hand washing and not smoking. Pneumonia affects approximately 450 million people globally (7% of the population) and results in about 4 million deaths per year. At the turn of the 20th Century (1900), fatality rate was estimated to be between 30% and 40%.

Family Members Who Have Had Pneumonia

LOFTIN, Curtis Dean LOFTIN, Elizabeth Ann SEESE, Bradley Dylan WEEKS, Carolyn Janet

Most of the adult members of my family have had pneumonia at one time or another. I, Curtis Loftin, have had pneumonia. My wife,Carolyn Weeks Loftin, was a premature baby, born when her parents were older. She had pneumonia five times as a child and had severe asthma.My daughter, Elizabeth Loftin Seese has had bacterial pneumonia, and my son-in-law, Brad Seese, has had pneumonia several times. With the development of pneumonia vaccines, members of the family became less like to get the disease.

BUNTON, Jr, Marvin Lee (b.1929, d.08 May 1932)

Marvin Lee Bunton, Jr. the seventh child born to Marvin Lee Bunton, Sr. and Sarah Catherine Rebecca "Becky" Goble. Marvin Jr. died 08 May 1932 from Pneumonia. [Marvin Jr. was Curtis D. Loftin's 1st cousin 1x removed)

LOWRANCE-LOFTIN, Cornelia Estelle (b.18 Jul 1875, d.11 Feb 1904)

Alonzo Lester Loftin married Cornelia “Nelia” Estelle Lowrance on 23 Dec 1894 in Catawba County, NC. Tragedy struck the family on 11 Feb 1904 when Cornelia died of Pneumonia at the age of 28. Cornelia's mother, Sarah Josephine Bost Lowrance, died just nine days later, on 20 Feb 1904. [Cornelia was Curtis D. Loftin's step-grandmother]

Polio Epidemic

The effects of polio have been known since prehistory; Egyptian paintings and carvings depict otherwise healthy people with withered limbs, and dhildren walking with canes at a young age. Before the 20th century, polio infections were rarely seen in infants before six months of age, most cases occuring in children six months to four years of age. Poor sanitation of the time resulted in a constant exposure to the virus, which enhanced a natural immunity within the population

Polio, or infantile paralysis, is a disease caused by the poliovirus. In about 0.5 percent of cases, there is muscle weakness resulting in an inability to move. This can occur over a few hours to a few days. The weakness most often involved the legs. Many people fully recover. In those with muscle weakness, about 2 to 5 percent of children and 15 to 30 percent of adults die. Another 25 percent of people have minor symptoms such as fever and a sore throat, and up to 5 percent have headaches, neck stiffness and pains in the arms and legs. These people are usually back to normal within one to two weeks.

Poliovirus is usually spread from person to person through infected fecal matter entering the mouth. It may also be spread by food or water containing human feces and less commonly from infected saliva.Those who are infected may spread the disease for up to six weeks even if no symptoms are present.

Small localized polio epidemics began to apper in Europe and the United States around 1900. Outbreaks reached pandemic proportions in Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand during the first half of the 20th century. By 1950, the peak age in the US shifted from infants to children aged five to nine years. About 1/3 of the cases were reported in persons over 15 years of age. The rate of paralysis and death due to polio infection increased during that time. In the US, the 1952 polio epidemic became the worst outbreak in the nation's history. Of the nearly 58,000 cases reported that year, 3,145 died and 21,269 were left with mild to disabling paralysis. Most hospitals in the 1950s had limited access to iron lungs for patients unable to breathe without mechanical assistance. Respiratory Centers were designed to assist the most severe polio patients and were established in 1952.

The polio epidemic that started in New York City caused 27,000 cases and 6,000 deaths in the United States. The disease mainly affected children and sometimes leaves survivors with permanent disabilities.

Polio Epidemics occured sporadically in the US, especially in the 19th and 20th centuries. The first polio vaccine was developed in the 1950s by Jonas Salk. As the vaccine became widely available, cases in the US declined. The last polio case in the US was reported in 1979. Worldwide vaccination efforts have greatly reduced the disease, athough it is not yet completely eradicated. In 2013 the WHO had hoped that vaccination efforts and early detection of cases would result in global eradication of the disease by 2018.

The WHO estimates that there are 10 to 20 million polio survivors worldwide In 1977 there were 254,000 persons living in the US who had been paralyzed by polio - with 30,000 in Japan, 24,000 in France, 16,000 in Australia, 12,000 in Canada and 12,000 in the UK

In 1937 during a polio epidemic, Chicago closed schools and kids learned from home over the radi.

1949 FACT: In the midst of the Polio Epidemice, a disease that placed tens of thousands of children inside iron lungs and many thousands around the country quarantined at home, a young San diego school teacher named Eleanor Abbott invented CANDY LAND, one of the most popular board games of all times. Abbott created the game inside a polio ward, as a patient herself, with hope of giving the immobilized children around her a momentary sense of freedom and mobility. As a way of further connecting withe the kids, Abbott featured on the game board an illustration of a boy with a leg bracw. Milton Bradley was quick to buy the fame from Abbott. And to this day, CANDY LAND continues to be popular, more than 65 after the disease was eradicated.

GOBLE, Judy Diane (b.26 Jan 1944, d.03 Sep 2016)

Judy Diane Goble, daughter of J.C. & Ada Eades Goble, of Catawba, NC, was born 26 Jan 1944 and died 03 Sep 2016. Judy married Dan Williamson. She was diagnosed with polio as a child. [Diane was Curtis D. Loftin's 1st Cousin]



ROBINSON, Robert "Bobby" Lee (b.16 Jan 1953, d.10 Sep 2011)

Robert "Bobby" Lee Robinson was born 16 Jan 1953 in Iredell County, NC, and died 10 Sep 2011. He was the son of Herman Flake Robinson and Zettie Marie Loftin Robinson. He was diagnosed with polio as a child and walked with crutches his entire life. [Bobby was Curtis D. Loftin's 2nd Cousin]

Rubella / German Measles / 3-Day Measles

Rubella, also called German Measles and 3-Day Measles, is caused by a virus. Its symptoms include low-grade fever, respiratory problems and notably a rash of pink or light red spots that typically begins on the face and spreads downward. The rash occurs about two to three weeks after exposure to the virus.

In children, ilness from Rubellais usually mild. Comblications from rubella are more common in adults than children and include arthritis, encephalitis and neuritis.

A woman who contracts Rubella during pregnacy can pass the infection to the developing fetus. Such pregnacies are at risk of spontaneous abortion or premature birth. If the child survives, it may suffer from a wide range of birth defects, including deafness, eye defects, cardiac defects, mental retardation, bone lesions and other abnormalities.

The virus is spread by airborn respiratory droplets. Infected individuals may be contagious as earlyu as a week before the appearance of the rubella rase, and for up to a week after it first appears. It is most contagious at the time the rash first appears. Children born with rubella may transmit the virus to others for more than a year.

Rubella cases typically peak in late winter or early spring. There is no direct treatment for rubella.

From 1964-1965, before the development of a vaccine against the disease, a Rubella EPIDEMIC swept the United States. During that short period of time there were 12.5 million cases of the disease. Twenty thousand children were born with the disease; 11,00 were deaf, 3,500 were blind and 1,800 were inteliectually disabled. There were 2,100 deaths associated with the disease and more than 11,000 abortions some a spontaneous result of the rubella infection in the mother, and others performed surgically after women were informed of the serious risks of rubella exposure during their pregnancy.

in 2004, rubella was declared eliminated in the United States. Globally, about 100,000 rubella cases were reported for 2012 by the WHO (World Health Organization) though it is probable that the number of actual cases is much higher. The countries with the larges number of cases in 2012 were Macedonia, Thailand, Tajikistan, Syria and Timor-Leste. The number of estimated pregnacy cases each year is more than 100,000.

The first rubella vaccine was licensed in 1969. The vaccine was used in the combination measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine which was licensed in 1971. In 1979, an improved live rubella vaccine was found. It replaced the original rubella vaccine in the MMR combination shot and is still used today.

I, Curtis Loftin, was 11 years old in 1964 when the Rubella Epidemic swept the United States, and like most of the other kids I knew, I, too, contracted the disease.



Typhoid Fever

By 2020, Typhoid Fever is a disease we never really think about in the US. What is it? What causes it? Have any of our ancestors died as a result of it?

Typhoid fever is a serious disease spread by contaminated food and water. Symptoms of typhoid include lasting high fevers, weakness, stomach pains, headache, and loss of appetite. Typhoid is spread by eating or drinking food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person. Risk factors include poor sanitation and poor hygiene. Only humans can be infected. Red spots appear on the chest of a person with Typhoid Fever.

Just remember that toilet paper, as we know it today, wasn't inventd until 1857 and wasn't widely used until around 1920. Prior to that, rags, newspapers, leaves, wood shavings, grass, hay, moss, ferns, plant husks, fruit skins and corncobs were used - as well as the "hand". In cities, sewage was often dumped into rivers. With all that in mind, it's easy to see how someone living in the 1800s and early 1900s might have accidentally ingested comtaminated food or water.

Sanitation and hygiene are important to prevent typhoid. It can only spread in environments where human feces are able to come into contact with food or drinking water. Careful food preparation and washing of hands are crucial to prevent typhoid. In 1902, guests at mayoral banquets in Southampton and Winchester, England, after consuming oysters. The infection was due to oysters sourced from Emsworth, where the oyster beds had been contaminated with raw sewage.

The most notorious carrier of typhoid fever, but by no means the most destructive, was Mary Mallon, also known as Typhoid Mary. In 1907, she became the first carrier in the United States to be identified and traced. She was a cook in New York, who was closely associated with 53 cases and three deaths. Mary was the first person in the United States identified as a carrier of the disease. Because she persisted in working as a cook, by which she exposed others to the disease, she was twice forcibly isolated by authorities, and died after a total of nearly three decades in isolation.

It was during the 19th century that typhoid fever emerged as a deadly infectious disease in which there were no effective treatments. Early during the Civil War, from 1861-1863, this infectious disease spread from camp to camp, causing men to become sick and die. This period early in the war was called the medical middle ages due to a lack of knowledge towards infectious diseases and what made them so lethal. Typhoid fever was one of several infectious diseases that emerged in 1861 during the first year of the war. At the start of the war, in both the Confederate and Union armies, there were few doctors to help against this disease. Many of these doctors were inexperienced in the way of medicine, and therefore, were unable to stop the spread of these diseases that caused more deaths than battlefield wounds.

FINK, Moses (b.18???, d.03 Mar 1863)

Moses Fink enlisted in the Confederate army on 17 Dec 1862 at the age of 39. (There were at least two different Moses Finks.) He died 03 Mar 1863 in Wilmington, NC, from Typhoid Fever.

GOBLE, Corban Gordon (b.18?? , d.27 Oct 1861)

Corban Gordon Goble (son of John & Sally Drum Goble) enlisted in the Confederate Army on 29 May 1861 in Mecklenberg County at the age of 22. Corban died at Camp Argyle on 27 Oct 1861 of Typhoid Fever and gangrene of the bowels, at the age of 22. [Corban was Curtis D. Loftin's 1st cousin 4x removed]

LOFTIN, Martin (b.1823, d. 12 Feb 1865)

Martin Loftin was the son of Eldridge Edward Loftin & Mary Sherrill. During the Civil War, he enlisten in the Confederate Army on 01 Oct 1864. He was confined at Point Lookout, Maryland, where he died of Typhoid Fever on 12 Feb 1865 just five monthe after he enlisted and months before the war was over. [Martin was Curtis D. Loftin's 1st cousin 5x removed]

LOFTIN, W. Garland (b.23 May 1887, d.02 Aug 1912)

W. Garland Loftin was the fifth child born to William Alexander Loftin and Laura Rossie Cranford. He was born 23 May 1887 (after the Civil War) in Catawba County, NC. Garland married Rosa N. Wike on 23 Jun 1912. After having been married only 6 weeks, Garland died from Typhoid Fever, on 02 Aug 1912, at the age of 25. [Garland was Curtis D. Loftin's Grand-Uncle]

(Left) W. Garland Loftin, (Middle) Prisoner of War Camp, (Right) Sgt. David Newton McCorkle

McCORKLE, David Newton (b.16 Feb 11829, d.09 Jan 1862)

Sgt. David Newton McCorkle (son of Francis Marion McCorkle, Jr. & Elizabeth Mariah Abernathy) enlisted in the 23rd NC Infantry, Company F, during the Civil War, and served as a Sergeant. David died at Banner Hospital in Richmond, VA, on 09 Jan 1862 of Typhoid Fever. [David was Curtis D. Loftin's 1st cousin 5x removed]

McCORKLE, Francis Marion (b.1823, d.16 Jun 1862)

Francis Marion McCorkle (son of Richard McCorkle & Agnes Sherrill) enlisted in the 23rd NC Regiment, Company F, and died of Typhoid Fever in Petersburg on 16 Jun 1862. [Francis was Curtis D. Loftin's 1st cousin 5x removed]



HAMILTON, Jr, Ninian Beall (b.14 Mar 1835, d.05 Feb 1869)

Ninian Beall Hamilton, Jr. was born 14 Mar 1835. He was the fifth child born to Ninian Beall Hamilton (b. 1789) and Mary Margaret Wilfong. We connect to the Hamilton family through Johnson/Sherrill lines of our family. Ninian Jr is my (Curits D Loftin) 6th Great-Uncle. He married Rebecca Lovina "Bine" Cannady on 10 Oct 1857 in Bartholomew County, Indiana. By 1857, Lovinia/Bine was teaching and Ninian was taking classes at a local college while working, too. By June of 1858, Ninian was working as a Clerk for a Mr. Mobley for $20 a month, hoping to go to school again next session. By November 1858, Ninian was considering becoming a Doctor. Ninian continued to take classes in Bookkeeping, Penmanship & Card Writing - teaching some classes at the same time. Lovina/Bin had several nicknames for him - Bell, Nin and Ninnie. The following is a letter written by Lovina to Ninan Jr's father in 1868 mentions that he has "typhus fever" - which seems to linger on and on with him. [Ninian was Curtis D. Loftin's 1st cousin 5x removed]

Letter # 30

http://history.loftinnc.com/Hamilton_Ninian_Beall_1835_P2.htm

Letter Dated: March 1, 1868

From: Ninian Beall Hamilton, Jr. (age 32)

& Lovina (Bine) Cannady Hamilton

Living In: Hartsville, Indiana

To: Ninian Beall Hamilton, Sr. (b. 1789) (Father - age78)

Living In: Pekin P. O., Washington Co., Indiana

Hartsville, Indiana

March 1, 1868

Dear Father:

Your letter came to hand last Tuesday - I am sorry I cannot say it found us all well. Nin was taken two weeks ago last Tuesday with typhus fever and has been confined to his bed until yesterday - (when) he sat up all day for the first. He would now be doing finely if he did not have night sweats. They weaken him so very much. He had the hardest spell he has ever had - his side did not hurt him any this time - he is (feeling) awfully poor.

Mother was taken with lung fever five weeks ago today and she also sat up all day yesterday for the first (time). I've had my hands full. Hardie (George Harding Hamilton) has whooping cough for nearly three weeks. Edie (Edith Lucina Hamilton) had a spell of something like scarlet rash which made her very sick for several days. None of the children have had whooping cough. I think Mellie (Melvin Leroy Hamilton) and Gracie (Hattie Grace Hamilton) and Edie (Edith Lucina Hamilton) are taking it, then Lizzie (Sarah Elizabeth (Young) Hamilton) and I'll be through I think. I am taking the nurse cough. I cough as bad as Hardie (George Harding Hamilton) and more at nights He (Hardie/George Harding) has not got it hard - it hurts his head worst.

There has been more than usual sickness here this winter. We have had the celebrated Dr. and lecturer here, Geo. H. Everett, and he told Nin he should rest one month by all means and it would do him an immense amount of good - by being released from all care and anxiety.

I wish he could but he has some students all the time who think their education is pinned to his coat tail and none else can learn them anything. If they would only depend as much on his partner it would be a blessing for Nin. Sometimes I get vexed that he must be compelled to stay with them so closely. But I hope when he gets over this spell, his health will be better. If it is not he must quit. He has gone to sleep and I'll wait until tomorrow to finish my letter. This is Sabbeth night Pap. I wish you could come out and see Nin. I think it would help him.

Bine

[The second part of the letter is from Ninian, Jr.]

Dear Father:

Bine wants me to finish and I'll try and write a few lines, although its quite a task for me to write. This month I will be 33 - and instead of being, as I should, in the very prime of life, enjoying vigorous health, I am so unfortunate as to be unable to attend to my business of any consequence. When my health gets good and I feel about right, it seems that I am easily snatched down again. This is because my system has been overtaxed. It can be restored. All my doctors tell me so, but they say nothing but rest will do it. Medicine will not do it. I ought to take the rest. It seems like committing suicide not to do it. Every interest I have - my family and their wants now and (the) hereafter, all demand that my heath should be restored at any sacrifice necessary.

Your son,

N.B.H.

The following letters indicates that Ninian Jr. is not not living at home, and suggests that he might be living in Indianapolis in order to get treatment for his illness.

Letter # 31

Letter Dated: April 22, 1868

From: Lovina (Bine) Cannady Hamilton

Living In: Hartsville, Indiana

To: Ninian Beall Hamilton, Jr. (age 33)

Living In: Indianapolis, Indiana

Hartsville, Indiana

April 22, 1868

My dear husband:

Yesterday came at last and I got your letter. My heart was sad when I read it and for long hours last night sleep would not relieve me. This morning I feel sad but hopeful. God has heard my prayer and I am impressed while writing this that you will be better. Why did you not tell me when you wrote how you were? You did not say anything about your feelings - after Thursday morning when you felt so badly. My dear husband, you cannot imagine how I felt when I came to what Doc said. I was looking anxiously for it but my heart sank when I read it. Dear how are you? O if I only knew you were better this morning but -"The tears they fill my eyes spite of all I can do".

You should not have gone to George's that night. Why did you not go on the street car? If I am always to believe that the "Darkest hour is just before Day", the Day Dtar of hope would soon arise and shine brightly in my soul - and I cannot say that it is not dawning just now. I feel I cannot tell what I feel, that the anxiety is not so oppressive. Every evening at 5 o'clock let our prayers meet at the throne. You had my earnest prayers before you asked (for) them. How my heart swells in gratitude when I read about Sallies religious enjoyment and dear little Hattie God bless her. I was overjoyed. Encourage her all you can and tell her (that) Aunt Bine prays for her - Give them my best love. Good old Joe - what must I say to him - give him and (his) family my love and tell him I feel I have his sympathy in my distress. And above all, do not forget to ask his special prayer in your behalf - for I have more confidence in his prayers than in his medicine, and a great deal in both.

Have you been to see McFadden yet? Go and get relief for your throat. You did not tell me what Dr. K. thought ailed you, and perhaps it was well you did not. You will go to work to restore your health if there is any way. Now I will not admit any if's. If you are going to N.Y. and can't borrow a hundred (dollars) or two up there, you can come home and sell your lots and you need not mind your family. I'll get a school or manage some way to get along. I guess I can keep body and soul together some way. I want you to do this immediately - and do not lose any time. How long will you have to wait for Dr. Jacks letter - I hope you have written before now - make whatever arrangements are necessary and do not let your family in any way interfere.

These lovely days dear, they surely will help you. You did not say anything about coming home or what you thought of doing - anyway I guess I'll get another letter Friday which will give all the particulars . Remember, I am not asking you to come home. I only feel anxious to know what you are going to do. The children are well and help me like good children. Edie (Edith Lucina Hamilton) talks a good deal and she can walk all over the house. Hardie (George Harding Hamilton) was in Ma's kitchen with her Monday and came running in and told us Edie could walk - and brought her in and she walked half over the floor, before night she walked from one door to the other without ever falling. I never saw a child get up and walk all over the house in an hour.

I was sorry you had to hurry off so - I felt lost but it's all right now, and if we keep well, all will come out all right. I don't think of any more to write now - if there is anything you want to know, just ask. Do whatever you think will be best in every respect for yourself without any reference to anything else.

Tell Aunty Trotter and all the folks I'd love to see them and If I am ever fortunate enough to get up there I'll see them if they are alive. Don't worry yourself any but remember that there is a home of peace (in Heaven) for all of us however much we may suffer here - it will soon be over and then we will have no distress, sickness, sick friends, or dependent little ones. God will take care of all. Be happy - lively - have no care nor anxiety and you'll get well sooner.

Now I am as ever yours only, and affectionately -

Bine

Letter # 31

Letter Dated: May 22, 1868

From: Ninian Beall Hamilton, Jr. (age 33)

Living In: Indianapolis, Indiana

To: Candace Hamilton Martin (Sister)

Living In: Pekin P. O., Washington Co., Indiana

Indianapolis, Indiana

May 22, 1868

My dear Sister:

Your letter is at hand, and I am truly sorry to hear that you are so badly afflicted with sore eyes. They are so annoying. I am also sorry to hear of the hard times you are having, but with enough (provisions) to keep soul and body together, and contented minds. We may be happy although times are hard.

I was not disappointed when you said it was out of the question to help me. I do not want any of you to feel troubled because you could not, for I have tried to conduct myself so that I may have friends around me who will give me assistance whenever I am unable to help myself. This is a Christian duty and so long as I live in a Christian community I am not afraid of coming to extreme distress.

The trouble now is that I can make nothing till I get able to work again and I can not go where I can have the necessary treatment without some expense, and money cannot be had anywhere.

But still I am hopeful and hope we will all see better times. I am a little better - have improved a good deal under Dr. Kendrick's treatment, and if I can manage to stay a few weeks longer, he thinks he will cure me sound and well. He does not charge me anything for treatment. I don't want Father to feel troubled about me - I'll get along someway although it's the closest time I have ever experienced.

I would be so glad to see Pap and Isaac (Isaac Martin) and hope they will come and see us.

We will have an interesting time at Hartsville the 9th, 10th & 11th of June. School closes, and the Exhibition and the Reunion. Good preaching by some of our Bishops. I will go home a week before these comes off.

Now Can, I know it is a task for you and Pap to write but I am so glad to get a letter from you that I hope you will write again soon. Isaac never writes, so I must depend on some of the rest of you to hear from him.

Give my love to Pap and the rest of the family and friends.

Your Brother,

N. B. Hamilton

Letter # 33

Letter Dated: August 2, 1868

From: Lovina (Bine) Cannady Hamilton

Living In: Hartsville, Indiana

To: Ninian Beall Hamilton, Sr. (Father-in-Law)

& Candace Hamilton Martin (Sister-in-Law)

Living In: Pekin P. O., Washington Co., Indiana

Hartsville, Indiana

August 2, 1868

Dear Father and Friends all:

I have waited this long thinking Candace (Candace Shuford Hamilton Martin) would write but I will not wait any longer. I am well. Hardie (George Harding Hamilton, 10 years old) and Lizzie (Lizzie Sarah Elizabeth Hamilton) and Edie (Edith Lucina Hamilton, almost 2 years old) are well. Mellie (Melvin Leroy Hamilton, going on 7 years old) and Gracie (Hattie Grace Hamilton, almost 4 years old) are not well. Mellie cut his leg just above the instep with the axe yesterday. He had a piece of rope and was going to cut it off and he says the axe missed the rope and did not hit anything but his leg. It is an awful gap, I could put any of my fingers in it. I took him over to the doctor and had it drawn together and a sticking plaster put on it. He is very patient does not cry much. It is not swelled any yet - I keep a cold wet cloth on it all the time. He will not walk any for two or three days. Gracie has a large boil on her cheek - been coming nearly a week. It is very purple and I think will soon open. She has never cried but once with it.

I hear from Nin every week. His letters are not as encouraging as I could wish. He said in his last that he was better for the first time since he left. He had flux (diarrhea/dysentery) on the boat smartly.

Friday we received a letter from our folk in Missouri informing us of the death of my dear Brother William (William Cannady). The one that was Nin's partner and assistant in the Commercial. Dear friends, you know how hard it is to lose one of the family far from you. But Oh, my brother's poor wife and five little children - she is in a strange land - her sister (my other brother's wife) is four miles from her - His lungs were leak and he worked too hard at his wheat. He finished it on Saturday and took sick on Sunday and died in just two weeks - congestion of the lungs and liver - and run into typhoid fever. He died with a perfect trust in his Savior. Four of the nine (siblings) are gone and I have never been permitted to see but one of them during their sickness. That one died at home. But we are confident that all are in Heaven.

Now Candace, do write. I am so lonely. Sometimes it seems to me that my path may have few flowers and many thorns - Still I do not feel like complaining - none of these things can keep us out of Heaven and it will be the brighter after passing through so many seasons of distress.

Father I do not know what I would have done if you had not given me that money - for I can't get anything (work) scarcely to do. I've not made two dollars since you were here and my children had but one everyday suit (the boys I mean). I've had a great deal of hard work of my own to do. We got the other room soon after you were here and I cleaned it and moved my stove in it. I've washed all my beds and bedclothes and whitewashed. I've been very busy but Lizzie and Hardie help me a great deal. Hardie gets the wood and Lizzie does the housework and takes care of the children.

One of the stores wants me to make shirts and if I get any thing of a job of that I'll get along well. I can make a shirt in a day with Lizzie to do the (house) work and take care of the children. Some good soul I don't know who left a sack of flour at the store for me the other day. I have to pay $1.00 for meal - I don't buy any flour - it is $5.50 (a sack) but it is coming down at other places. They say it is only $4.00 at Columbus.

Write often Candace and let me hear how you all are. Has Isaac got well? How did Pa stand his trip. I was so sorry it happened as it did.

As ever in love -

Bine

Letter # 34

Letter Dated: August 28, 1868

From: Ninian Beall Hamilton (age 33)

Living In: Skakopee, Minnesota

To: Isaac & Candace Hamilton Martin (Brother-in-Law & Sister)

Living In: Pekin P. O., Washington Co., Indiana

Skakopee, Minnesota

August 28, 1868

Dear Bro. & Sis:

My health has improved right along. Twice I took cold which made me cough more and threw me into high fever which came on everyday, but got less and less till I ceased to have any. If I can manage to stay this fall I think I will be a well man. My strength has greatly increased, my voice seems as strong as ever and my appetite is excellent. I am staying at present with a man from Maine. They are not church members but are very kind to me. I am to pay them $2.50 a week for board. I have only a few cents in my pocket. Among strangers and without money. It bothers me to know how I'll get along till I get able to make something. I would not dare to undertake to teach any until my cough gets better. I know your situation and that you need all the money you can get. With me it seems that it is life or death. Dr. Kendrick told Bine at conference that I must not come home yet, that if I did I would probably not live a month, the reaction from a pure bracing air would likely be too much for me to stand.

They are very kind to my wife and family at Hartsville, Twice somebody sent them flour - don't know who. Bine sews all the time whatever she can get to do. Oh how bad I feel because I am entirely dependent on others for means to keep me alive. If my friends were wealthy and able to stand it, it would be a different thing. As it is I can only say I am hopeful that all will yet come around right.

Write to me.

Your brother -

N. B. Hamilton

Letter # 34

Letter Dated: January 3, 1869

From: Ninian Beall Hamilton (age 33) & Lovina (Bine) Hamilton

Living In: Hartsville, Indiana

To: Ninian Bealle Hamilton, Sr. (b. 1789 - age 79)

Living In: Pekin P. O., Washington Co., Indiana

[The first part of the letter is written by Ninian, Jr.]

Hartsville, Indiana

January 3, 1869

Dear friends:

I am glad that I am able to write a little and let you know that I am better - a great deal better than when we wrote last. (Mr.) Rhoads never paid any attention to our distress, but pushed the (law) suit. Our friends advised us to set off our $300.00 according to law. It has been done and the cruel Rhoads gets only $31.00 to work upon till I am able to make more. Bine must tell you how our friends have helped us which if they had not done we must have suffered for food, clothing and wood. Bine could get no work.

[The second part of the letter is written by Lovina (Bine)]

Dear Relatives:

Nin is tired and wants me to finish the letter. Myself and children are well. Nin is much better but is poorly yet - sits in the big rocking chair - has fair appetite and some days improved very fast until this rainy gloomy weather set in. I am glad to tell you dear friends that we have good friends here - who when they learned of our destitute condition said not a word to us but our kind (Christian) Sisters. Mrs. Edwards and Grandma Scammahorn went out with their papers and came in to our house in the evening and handed over to us a list of names to which was appended about $32.00 in money and provision - mostly money paid in part, some flour, meal, chickens, canned fruit, etc.

Nin's condition confined me so I could not go and hunt work and none was brought in. God bless them - "a friend in need is a friend indeed". It cheered Nin and relieved my mind. I forgot to mention $6.00 worth of wood from Will Tix and some from others. Another paper with $6.00 subscription was handed in by the druggist. You who have never been n such circumstances cannot realize how we were distressed, nor how gratefully we received from the hands of those kind Sisters - the amount mentioned.

Nin is still anxious to go to New York - as his only hope of perfect restoration to perfect health. John (John S. Martin) says he can do nothing now as money he cannot get. We are seriously inclined to doctor him no more as all does him no good.

As soon as brother-in-law Daniel Shuck learned that Rhoads had sued, he went and saw him and offered him $60.00 in gold for the judgment - which at the present premium on gold would have amounted to the whole of the judgment or within a dollar or two. Rhoads was so stiff he would not take it and Daniel told us to be easy, that if Rhoads got to any of our property he would pay it's full value - he would see to it - so instead of the whole amount he get $31.00. Our friends say he ought never to have any more. Nin had to sell his paper, envelops, blank books, etc. Our lots and household property is not advertised - thank God -

Now we hope to hear from you soon.

Very affectionately

N. B. & L. C. Hamilton

The brief beginning of the above letter was the last that N. B. Hamilton wrote home to his father and other relatives.
His death occurred shortly after he wrote this last message. He was 33 years old

Ninain Beall Hamilton died on 05 Feb 1869

Letter # 35

Letter Dated: March 14, 1869

From: Lovina (Bine) Hamilton

Living In: Hartsville, Indiana

To: Ninian Bealle Hamilton, Sr. (b. 1789 - age 79) (Father-in-Law)

& Candace Hamilton Martin (Sister-in-Law)

Living In: Pekin P. O., Washington Co., Indiana

Hartsville, Indiana

March 14, 1869

My dear father and friends:

I wrote to you the 8th of February and as I have never received any answer, I have concluded to write again. You surely got the painful news of my Husbands departure from this world, and I will not inflict (it) upon you again - the pain of reading it and on myself the pain of writing it again. My dear dear friends, why don't you write to me? I was so anxious to hear from you. I asked him on Wednesday, I believe, if I should send you word and he said "No no - they cannot come and it will only distress them".

My heart grows more gloomy each day and I feel sometimes that this world is all gloom and that even Providence Himself has turned his hand against me. Oh my friends, none of you but Father can sympathize with me for none but him knows the grief of a heart bereaved of a companion. He was so good and so loving and such a tender Husband. Oh he loved me so dearly - and so many times when I would be doing all in my power to make him happy he would say - "O my dear, if it was not for you what would I do. Bless your dear soul".

Oh Father, I have lost so much. I have lost all. He was a Husband indeed. A loving and a dearly loved husband. Oh how I miss his kind good letters when he was gone. Oh how eagerly I watched for the mail for I knew so well each week - and after each mail - it would bring me words of love and cheer. But that only comfort during his absence is gone (now) and I am left to mourn cheerless and full of gloom.

We are well. Never have I enjoyed as good health as during the last six months. Since I have been taking the paper published at Dr. Jackson's Institution in New York, where Nin wanted to go, we have not had a physician in the house for myself or children. The children have not had a bad cold this winter. My own health never was as good, although circumstances have been very unfavorable for it.

I have a little business. He requested me to send his Policy to Bro Witt in Indianapolis, to collect. Before anything can be done (and it must be done within 3 months after his decease). Someone must give a certificate of his age - sworn to before a qualified officer. I wish Isaac (Isaac Martin) to write out a certificate after this form and swear or affirm to it and send it to me -

This is to certify that said N. B. Hamilton was _____ years old the _____ day of _____, 1869.
                                                                                                                                          Isaac Martin

No one here knows his age and we have never recorded his or my name - I am sure he is 34 today, but my word will not be taken - Dear friends this is sad business for me but it was all that comforted him - the hope of leaving us a little something - he was so sorry he could not pay up and secure the whole $2000.00 but I am content - he did all he could and more than he ought to. Do write - Oh how it will relieve me to get a letter.

My love to all.

Your afflicted daughter -

Bine

Letter # 38

Letter Dated: April 18, 1871

From: Lovina (Bine) Hamilton (age 32)

Living In: Hartsvill, Indiana

To: Ninian Bealle Hamilton, Sr. (b. 1789 - age 82 (Father-in-Law)

Living In: Pekin P. O., Washington Co., Indiana

Hartsville, Indiana

April 18, 1871

Dear Father:

Hardie (George Harding Hamilton, age 12) wrote you sometime ago informing you of my sickness. I am glad to tell you that I am up again. We have dismissed our hired girl and I am helping the children do the work. I did not know when Hardie wrote - how the disease might terminate. One doctor said I had Neuralgia (a stabbing, burning, and often severe pain due to an irritated or damaged nerve) in the stomach which was true and another was fearful that it was ulcers.

If I had known I would get up, it would have been better not to wrote but I hope you are not uneasy yet.

I never suffered so much in all my life. The doctor could do nothing for me only give me morphine to give me rest. The disease had to wear out. Mother is still failing. The children are well.

I am not stout at all - I have had another bad spell of bleeding at the lungs since I got up. I hope you are well. I must close - write soon as you can.

As ever yours -

L. C. Hamilton

Rebecca Lovina (Bine) Cannady Hamilton died July 12, 1871,
more than like tuberculosis.

To see additional letters from the Hamilton Family

http://history.loftinnc.com/Hamilton_Ninian_Beall_1835_P1.htm

Whooping Cough

Whooping Cough, also known as Pertussis, is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a bacteria. Pertussis is known for uncontrollable, violent coughing which often makes it hard to breathe. After cough fits, someone with Pertussis often neeeds to take deep breaths, which result in a "whooping" sound. Pertussis can affect people of all ages, but can be very serious even deadly, for babies less than a year old. The best way to protect again Pertussis is by getting vaccinated.

Pertussis, Whooping Cough, is a common endemic disease in the uS. There are peaks in reported cases of Pertussis every few years and frequent outbreaks. In 2012, the largest peak in recent years, states reported 48,277 cases of Pertussis. During Pertussis outbreaks, the primary goal is to protect babies from getting sick and dying from Pertussis. A second goal is the protect people of all other agess from getting Pertussis.

Larry Eugene Sigmon (b.05 Oct 1947, d.10 Jan 1948)

Larry Eugene Sigmon was one oft twin sons (the other named Harry Everette Sigmon) born to Floyd and Helen Goble Sigmon on 05 Oct 1947. Larry died on 10 Jan 1948 at the age of 3 months. His death certificate says he died from Gastrointestinal Infant Toxemia, blood poisoning by toxins from a local bacterial infections in the intestines, but I (Curtis Loftin) clearly remember being told that he died from Whooping Cough. There were 156,517 reported cases of Whooping Cough in the US in 1947. [Larry was Curtis D. Loftin's 1st cousin]

II. Middle-Age PANDEMICS

The Black Death of the 14th Century



Three of the deadliest pandemics in recorded history were caused by a single bacterium, a fatal infection otherwise known as the plague.

The PLAGUE OF JUSTINIAN arrived in Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, in 541 C.E. It was carried over the Mediterranean Sea from Egypt, a recently conquered land paying tribute to Emperor Justinian in grain. Plague-ridden fleas hitched a ride on the black rats that snacked on the grain. The plague decimated Constantinople and spred like wildfire across Europe, Asia, North Africa and Arabia killing an estimated 30 to 50 million people, perhaps half of the world's population.

The Plague, also known as the Black Death, the Pestilence and the Bubonic Plague, never really ever went away, and when it returned 800 years later, it killed with reckless abandon. It was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 75 to 200 million people in Eurasia, peaking in Europe from 1347 - 1351. The Black Death probably originated in Asia from where it traveled along the Silk Road, from where it was most likely carried by fleas living on black rats that traveled on merchant ships, reaching Europe via the Italian peninsula.

People still had no scientific understanding of contagion and how to stop the disease. Forward-thinking officials in Venetian-controlled port city of Ragusa decided to keep newly arrived sailors in isolation until they could prove they weren't sick. At first, sailors were held on their ships for 30 days but as time went on the Venetians increased the forced isolation to 40 days and the origin of the first "qauarantine"

The BLACK DEATH is estimated to have killed 30% to 60% of Europe's population. It took 200 years for Europe's population to recover from the plague. The plague recurred as outbreaks until the early 20th century.

Symptoms include acute fever and vomiting of blood. Most victims died two to seven days after initial infection. Freckle-like spots and rashes, which could have been caused by flea-bites, were identified as another potential sign of the plague. The plague can take three forms. In the first, people suffer an infection of the lungs wich leads to breathing difficulties. Whoever has this contamination to any extent cannot escape but will die within two days. Another form, in which boils erupt under the armpits, and a third form in which people of both sexes are attacked in the groin.

London never really caught a break after the Black Death. The plague resurfaced roughly every 20 years from 1348 to 1665 - fourty outbreaks in 300 years. And with each new plague epidemic, 20 percent of the men, women and children living in the British capital were killed. The GREAT PLAGUE of 1665 was the last and one of the worst of the centuries-lon outbreaks, killing 100,000 Londoners in just seven months. All public entertainmen was banned and victims were forcibly shut into their homes to prevent the spread of the disease. As cruel as it was to shut up the sick in their homes and bury the dead in mass graves, it may have been the only way to bring the last GREAT PLAGUE outbreak to an end. But this was not the end of that city's suffering. On 02 Sep 1666, the Great Fire of London started, lasting for four days and burning down a large portion of the city.

Cholera

Seven Cholera Pandemics have occurred in the past 200 years, with the first pandemic originating in India in 1817. In the first three pandemics in India during the nineteenth century, more than 15,000,000 people died Another 23,000,000 died between 1865 and 1917. The Russian Empire exceeded 2,000,000 deaths during the next three Cholera Pandemics. Bodies of water have been found to serves as a reservoir and seafood shipped long distances spread the disease.

In the early to mid 19th century, Cholera tore through England, killing tens of thousands. The prevailing scientific theory of the day said that the disease was spread by foul air known as a "miasma". But a British doctor named John Snow suspected that the mysterious disease, which killed its victims within days of the first symptoms, lurked in London's drinking water.

Dr. Snow acted like a scientific Sherlock Holmes, investigating hospital records and morgue reports to track the precise locations of deadly outbreaks. He created a geographic chart of Cholera deaths over a 10-day perios and found a cluster of 500 fatal infections surrounding the Broad Street pump, a popular city well for drinking water.

With dogged effort, Dr. Snow convinced local officials to remove the pump handle on the Broad Street drinking well, rendering it unusable, and like magic the infections dried up. Snow's work didn't cure Cholera overnight, but it eventually led to a global effort to improve urban sanitation and protect drinking water from contamination.

While CHolera had largely been eradicated in developed countries, it is still a persistent killer in third-world countries lacking adequate sewage treatment and access to clean drinking water.

Smallpox

Smallpox was endemic to Europe, Asia and Arabia for centuries, a persistent menace that killed three out of ten people it infected and left the res with pockmarked scars. But the death rate in the Old World paled in comparison to the devastation wrought on native populations in the New World when the smallpox virus arrived in the 15th century with the first European explorers.

The Indigenous People of modern-day Mexico and the United States had zero natural immunity to smallpox and the virus cut them down by the tens of millions. There hadn't been a kill-off in human history to match what happend in the Americas. 90 to 95 percent of the Indigenous Population wiped out over a century. Mexico went from 11 million people pre-conquest to one million, contributing to the collapse of the Inca and Aztec Civilizations.

Centuries later, Smallpox became the firs virus epidemic to be ended y a vaccine. In the late 18th century, a British doctor named Edward Jenner discovered that milkmaids infected with a milder virus called cowpox seemed immpune to Smallpox. Jenner famously inoculated his gardener's 9-year-old son with cowpox and then exposed him to the Smallpox virus with no ill effect. It took two more centuries, but in 1980 the WHO (World Health Organization) announced that smallpox had been completely eradicated from the face of the earth.

III. Modern Day PANDEMICS

What Is A Pandemic?

A pandemic is the global outbreak of a disease. There are many examples in history, the most recent being the COVID-19 pandemic, declared as such by the World Health Organization on 12 Mar 2020.

Pandemics are generally classified as epidemics first, which is the rapid spread of a disease across a particular region or regions. The Zika Virus outbreak that began in Brazil in 2014 and made its way across the Caribbean and Latin America was an epidemic, as was the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014 - 2016. HIV was donsidered an epidemic in West Africa for decades before becoming a pandemin in the late 20th Century. Now, thanks to advances in modern medicine, HIV is considered endemic, which means the rate of the disease is stable and predictable among certain populations.

Most virus pandemics have been caused by Influenza (Flu) viruses. Flu viruses can change from season to season and while health professionals are pretty good at predicting how the virus will change, occasionally a new virus popus up that doesn't behave as predited. That's when a pandemic is most likely to occur because most peopld don't have immunity to the new virus

The most deadly pandemic in history was the Spanish Flu of 1918. The virus infected an estimated one-third of the world's population and was responsible for causing between 50 million and 100 million deaths. The virus didn't originate in Spain, but the country was the first to report on the outbreak, so people began calling it the Spanish Flu. (The Spanish thought it started in France and called it the "French Flu".)

Influenza

influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by an influenza virus. Symptoms can be mild to severe. The most common symptoms include: high fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle and joint pain, headache, coughing and feeling tired. These symptoms typically begin two days after exposure to the virus and most last less than a week, The cough, however, may last for more than two weeks. In children, there may be diarrhea and vomiting, but these are not common in adults. Complications of influenza may include viral pneumonia, secondary bacterial pneumonia, sinus infections and worsening of previous health problems such as asthma or heart failure.

The virus is spread through the air from coughs or sneezed over relatively short distances. It can also be spread by touching surfaces contaiminated by the virus and then touching the eyes, nose or mouth. A person may be infectious to others both before and during the time they are showing symptoms. Frequent hand washings reduces the risk of viral spread, as does wearing a surgical mask.

Annual vaccinations against influenza are redommended the CDC for those at high risk

There are 3 to 5 million severe cases of influenza each year and up to 650,000 respiratory deaths annually.

Annual Influenza Deaths in the USA

2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018

37,000 12,000 43,000 38,000 51,000 23,000 38,000 61,000

2018 - 2019 2019 - 2020

34,157 57,000

Comparing the Flu to COVID-19:

I have a number of friends who have said not to worry about the Coronavirus (COVID-19), that we have more deaths annually in the US from the flu than we will have from the coronavirus.

BUT, we had 25,000+ new cases of the coronavirus on 19 Apr 2020 with a total of 762,496 cases on that date. We had 28,000+ new cases of the coronavirus on 20 Apr 2020. By 04 May 2020, we had 1,212,835 new cases of COVID-19 and 69,921 deaths.

If we had not started practicing "social distancing" when we did in March 2020, I believe the number of deaths from the coronavirus would have been much much greater. The current number of deaths in the US from the coronavirus on 20 Apr 2020 is: 42,507. Thus far, that number is larger than any of the total death numbers in the chart above except for 2014-2015 and 2017-2018.

Major Modern Influenza Pandemics & Worldwide Deaths

1889 - 1890
Flu
Pandemic 1918 - 1920
Flu
Pandemic 1957 - 1958
Asian Flu
Pandemic 1968 - 1969
Hong Kong Flu
Pandemic 2009 - 2010
Flu
Pandemic Yearly
Typical
Seasonal Flu 2019 - 2000
Coronavirus
Pandemic

1,000,000 50,000,000 + 1,000,000 - 4,000,000 1,000,000 - 4,000,000 151,700 - 575,400 290,000 - 650,000 114,106 - 1,200,000

1918 Influenza Pandemic/Spanish Flu

An emergency hospital during the Spanish Flu Influenza Pandemic, Camp Fuston, Kansas, c. 1918

(Image: © Otis Historical Archives, National Museum of Health and Medicine)

The 1918 influenza "Flu" pandemic (also called the Spanish Flu) was the most severe pandemic in recent history. It was caused by an H1N1 virus with genes of avian (bird) origin. Although there is not universal consensus regarding where the virus originated, it spread worldwide during 1918-1919. It is estimated that about 500 million people or one-third of the world’s population became infected with this virus. The number of deaths was estimated to be at least 50 to 100 million worldwide with about 675,000 occurring in the United States. Most influenza outbreaks disproportionately kill the very young and the very old, with a higher survival rate for those in between. The Spanish Flu Pandemic resulted in a higher than expected mortality rate for young adults between the ages of 20 to 40, for children 5 and younger, and elderly adults over 65.

In the United States, it was first identified in military personnel in spring 1918. To maintain morale in the US, WWI censors minimized early reports of illness and mortality in the US, the United Kingdom, France and also Germany. Newspapers were free to report the epidemic's effects in neutral Spain (such as the grave illness of King Alfonso XIII). These stories created a false impression of Spain as especiall hard hit, giving rise to the pandemic's nickname, "Spanish Flu".

US reporters were not allowed to print information about the flu. We were in the midst of a world war and that information could have crippled our war efforts if the news got "out". It's believed that President Woodrow Wilson knew that we were in the midst of a pandemic and yet kept that information secret.

By late 1917, there had already been a "first wave" of the epidemic in at least fourteen US military camps. The major United Kingdom troop staging and hospital camp in Etaples in France has also bee theorized by researchers as being at the center of the Spanish Flu. The research was recognized as the flu. In late 1917, military pathologists reported the onset of a new disease with hi mortality that they later recognized as the flu. The overcrowded camp and hospital was an ideal site for the spreading fo a respiratory virus. The hospital treated thousands of victims of chemical attacks and other casualties of war - and 100,000 soldiers passed through the camp every day.

When an infected person sneezed or coughed, more than half a million virus particles spread to those nearby. The close quarters and massive troop movements of World War I hastened the pandemic, and probably both increased transmission and augmented mutation. The war may also have increased the lethality of the virus. Some speculate that the soldiers' immune systems were weakened by malnourishment, as well as the stress of combat and chemical attacks, increasing their susceptibility.

Even in areas where mortality was low, so many adults were incapacitated that much of everday life was hampered. Cities were especially hard hit because of large populations and the close proximity of individuals living in cities. The fact that my grandparents and their families lived in rural southern areas and grew their own crops may have been the reason none of them succumed to the 1918 flu.

This notice from about the 1918 Spanish Flu was published in the newspaper in Kelowna,
a city in the south of Canada's British Columbia



More people died from the Spanish Flu in that single year than in the four years of the Black Death Bubonic Plague from 1347 - 1351. I've searched for approximate deaths and numbers can vary. India, for example, had between 12 and17 million deaths.

Approximate Death by Country for the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic

China Denmark Egypt England & Wales Finland France Germany India

1,200,000 10,656 138,600 153,152 24,771 237,509 426,574 15,000,000

Indonesia Iran Italy Japan Kenya Netherlands New Zealand Norway

1,500,000 1,200,000 544,288 390,000 150,000 41,337 9,100 14,266

Portugal Russia Scotland Spain Sweden Switzerland United States

135,600 450,000 20,879 257,081 38,453 29,995 675,800

The Coronavirus (COVID 19) Pandemic of 2020

The First Year

This page was birthed as a result of my watching and living during the Coronavirus Pandemic of in the Spring of 2020. In my 66 years, I'd never seen anything like it. [Curtis D. Loftin] The information on this page does not include all of my daily updates of the virus. The see all of my information avout the Coronavirus, go to Extended Information About COVID-19.

The virus seems to have started in China in Dec 2019. The source is currently unknown, but many initial cases had visited an animal and seafood market in Wuhan, China, in the days prior to becoming ill. In the past other coronaviruses such as SARS and MERS have resulted from the transmission of animal coronaviruses tot humans. Unfortunately for the rest of the world, the Chinese tried to cover it up and downplay the severity of the disease. On 11 Jan 2020 China reported its first known death from the coronavirus. The patient was a 61-year-old man in Wuhan, China. On 20 Jan 2020 A World Health Organization report detailed the first confirmed cases outside of China in Thailand, Japan and South Korea. On 21 Jan 2020, the US announced its first confirmed coronavirus case - a man in his 30s in Washington state. 23 Jan 2020, China placed Wuhan, a city of 11 million people, under quarantine orders. All flights and trains departing from the city were canceled, as well as buses, subways and ferries. 30 Jan 2020, WHO declared the outbreak a global public health emergency as more than 9,000 cases were reported worldwide, including 18 countries beyond China. 31 Jan 2020, the US announced that it would ban entry for most foreign nations who had traveled to China within the last 14 day. 01 Feb 2020, Princess Cruises confirmed that a passenger who sailed aboard the Diamond Princess from Yokohama, Japan, on Jan 20 and disembarked in Hong Kong on Jan 25, had tested positive for the virus. 04 Feb 2020, the Diamond Princess cruise ship was quarantined in Yokohama, Japan with about 3,700 people, including passengers and crew onboard. 07 Feb 2020, Dr. Li Wenliang, the Chinese doctor who first "blew-the-whistle" about the coronavirus outbreak before it was officially recognized, died in Wuhan, China. Li became a hero in China and his death sparked a wave of public mourning. 08 Feb 2020, the first US citizen died from the Coronavirus in Wuhan, China. 09 Feb 2020, the death toll in mainland China rose to 811, surpassing the number of fatalities from the SARS outbreak in 2003. 11 Feb 2020, WHO (World Health Organization) announced that the disease caused by the new coronavirus will be known by the official name of COVID-19. 14 Feb 2020, the first coronavirus death was recorded outside Asia. The patient was an 80-year-old Chinese tourist who died in France. 19 Feb 2020, Egypt confirmed its first coronavirus case. 19 Feb 2020, Iran reported two coronavirus case. Hours later, officials confirmed that both patients had died. 20 Feb 2020, South Korea reported its first coronavirus death as the country's number of confirmed cases rose to 104. 24 Feb 2020, Italy became the worst-hit country in Europe as cases spiked. Health officials announced the sixth death from the virus. 24 Feb 2020, The US stock market plummeted over coronavirus fears. 26 Feb 2020, California announced the first cas in their state with no clear source of exposure. 26 Feb 2020, Brazil confirmed its first coronavirus case, the first in Latin America. 28 Feb 2020, Iran reported 34 deaths out of 388 confirmed coronavirus cases, making it the country with the highest number of deaths outside of China "thus far". 29 Feb 2020, US President Donald Trump announced additional travel restrictions to Iran, Italy and South Korea. 29 Feb 2020, the first recorded coronavirus death in the US, a man in his 50s in Washinton state. 03 Mar 2020, first case of the coronavirus in North Carolina. 06 Mar 2020, Vice President Mike Pence announced that 21 people aboard the Grand Princess, a cruise ship being held off the coast of California, tested positive for the coronavirus.

As the virus quickly spread to Europe in March of 2020, the World Health Organization classified the Corona Virus as a pandemic. The difference between this virus and the flu which most of us have lived with for our entire lives, is how quickly it spreads. Some of the usual precautions like surgical masks didn't seem to stop you from becoming infected. This particular virus seemed to be hardest on the elderly - those over 60 - and in the beginning the younger group (Millenials) didn't seem to take the virus seriously. But that would eventually change.

In less than a week, most countries in Europe had closed their borders and Italy was especially hard hit - both with the number of people infected with the virus and the number of deaths. 08 Mar 2020, Italy issued a lockdown to quarantine around 16 million people in the country's northern Lombardy region, as confirmed cases surpassed 5,800 and more than 230 people died from the virus. Tha area sealed off included Milan and Venice.

08 Mar 2020, As the disease spread to the US, 500 confirmed cases, the US stopped all flights coming from China and Europe. And in less than a week, schools throughout the country were closed for three weeks while teachers struggled to prepare lessons/homework that students could do at home. Before the week was over, Kansas had canceled school for the remainder of the academic year (March to May) with other states quickly following suit. Another governmental concern was for those students who ate breakfast and lunch at school. These meals were still offered, but parents had to do a "drive-through" type situation to pick up the food.

The US government initially suggested banning groups of 100 or greater, causing churches to close their doors and move to streaming their sermons on Sunday morning via the internet. The size group was quickly lowered to 50 and then to 10. We had our kids and grandkids over last Friday evening for dinner (pizza) and game night, but when they left, we told them to call us but not to come back. Since my wife, Carolyn Loftin, had a heart-cath scheduled two week later, we needed to be sure she wasn't infected - especially since she's already struggling with shortness of breath and the coronavirus is a pulmonary affliction.

Following government guidelines, bars and gymns were closed. Initially it was suggested that restaurants stay open, but with the government and CDC (Center for Disease Control) dropping "group size" from 100 to 50 to 10, it was quikly suggested that restaurants only offer the option of drive-through purchases & pick-up.

Still during that first week, there was a mass panic to purchase food and other supplies from grocery stores and Wal-Marts. The shelves quickly emptied and there was no toilet paper to be found anywhere. People even got into fights over supplies at stores.

My family had been using Wal-Mart's new "Pick-Up" service prior to the pandemic. You ordered your groceries at Wal-Mart.com and told them what time you wanted to pick them up the next day. You informed them through an email on your phone when you were leaving home to go pick them up. When you arrived, a Wal-Mart employeed placed your purchased groceries in the truck of you car - and you didn't even have to get out of the car. When the coronavirus became a world-wide pandemic, this was the easiest and safest way to shop. It didn't take too long, however, before you couldn't get all the items you wanted because they were out of stock.

In addition to toilet paper, bottled water, soap, alcohol, hand sanitizer and hand wipes sold out quickly. Before long many of the food aisles in Wal-Mart, Sam's and other stores were also empty. We even tried getting "chicken-livers" but they were out. Who is the world (besides us) decides they need chicken livers during a pandemic. To prevent hoarding, Wal-Mart, Sam's and the other stores started limiting the number of each item you could get - such as two boxes of cereal,two bags of chicken breasts, two bottles of dish liquid, two bags of apples and so one. Some stores only allowed one of each type of item.

With the shortage of toilet paper due to hoarding, we chose to order ours through Amazon.com - as well as Gator-Ade, Bush's Great Northern Beans and Ramen Noodles which were foods that didn't need to be refrigerated but were also no longer in stock at Wal-Mart. Amazon's usual 2-day deliver was gone, however, due to the demand placed on the on-line store. It took at least a week for most deliveries.

Due to the severity of the virus, doctors, nurses and other medical workers had to use extra precautions to keep from getting the virus. Docotor's offices were closed unless you had made an appointment stating that you had symptoms of the virus. And then, all they could do was to give you a test to see if you did indeed have the virus.

The government suggested cancelling all medical appointments that weren't absolutely essential. We canceled our dental appointments, and I suggest that my wife, Carolyn, cancel her cardiac and pulmonary doctor appointments that weren't crucial.

Drug stores were closed except for drive-through.

Most places of employment closed cafeterias and many encouraged employees to work from home if possible.

Earlier this week, the statistics for the countries with the most reported cases of coronavirus were: (1) China 81,086 (2) Italy 31,506 (3) Iran 16,169 (4) Spain 11,826 (5) Germany 9,360 (6) South Korea 8,413 (7) France 7,695 (8) United States 6,496 (9) Switzerland 2,700 (10) United Kingdom 1,960.

In little over a week's time, there were cases of the coronavirus confirmed in all 50 states with New York, Washington and California having the largest number of infected. The number of confirmed cases had risen from 6,496 to 9,365 total cases, 150 deaths and 108 recovered cases. As of 18 Mar 2020, in a listing of states and the number of cases of the coronavirus in each state, North Carolina was number 17 with 97 cases. As of 18 Mar 2020, there were confirmed cases in Lincoln and Iredell County but none in Catawba County.

One precarious situation we (the US) found ourselves in was the fact that all our medicines are made in China. As the US blamed China for not releasing information about the virus sooner, they threatened to withhold our medications. There was a shortage of ventelators for use in hospitals, but these too were made in China. President Trump and government officials stated that this would have to change.

Many colleges were closed for the rest of the year and many millenials headed to the beach for Spring Break instead of taking seriously the government's warning about no more that 10 to a group. The millenials didn't seem to be concerned about getting the coronavirus themselves, but neither did they seem to realize that they could carry the virus back home to their parents and grandparents.

Due to the rapid change of "everything", there was a continuous drop in the stock market. The only thing that did seem to improve was the price of gas - which is currently selling for $1.80 gallon on 17 Mar 2020 in Catawba County, NC. It's lowest I've seen gas prices in many years. But, when I was out for a doctor appointment on 23 Mar 2020, it was up to $1.69 at Sam's and Murphy Gas and much higher at other gas stations.

The entire situation is like living in a sci-fi movie. Like with the flu, doctors say the corona virus should die out this summer. Currently, however, the government is saying it might be July or August before we get over this pandemic.

Symptoms

The Three Main Symptoms of COVID-19 Are:
(1) Cough, (2) Fever (103+), (3) Shortness-of-Breath (Sustained)
Emergency Symptoms Also Include:
(1) Difficulty breathing, (2) Persistent Chest Pain or Pressure, (3) Confusion, Difficulty Walkin, and (4) Bluish face or Lips
If you have all 3 of the main symptoms, call your doctor

The incubation period (the moment a person is infected with the virus until they start to develop symptoms) for COVID-19 is typically five to six days but may range from two to 14 days. 97.5% of people who develop symptoms will do so within 11.5 days of infection. In some, the disease may progress to pneumonia, multi-organ failure and death. In those who develop severe symptoms, time from symptom onset to needing mechanical ventilation is typically eight days. Reports indicate that not all who are infected develop symptoms, but evidence suggests that they may still contribute to the spread of the disease.

PREVENTION

(1) Hand Washing, (2) Quarantine and (3) Physical Distancing.

Coronavirus Updates for the USA & World From March - May 2020

The number of COVID-19 cases, deaths and those recovered, comes from www.worldometers.info/coronavirus .
These numbers could varry from other sources as well as the fact that some cases went undiagnosed.

Date USA Infected
TOTAL USA Deaths
TOTAL World Infected
TOTAL World Deaths
TOTAL

18 Mar 2020 9,365 150 227,743 9,318

19 Mar 2020 10,755 154 235,701 9,786

20 Mar 2020 19,195 249 274,732 11,369

21 Mar 2020 24,148 285 303,001 12,762

22 Mar 2020 33,546 419 337,553 14,654

23 Mar 2020 40,855 483 366,880 16,098

24 Mar 2020 53,013 685 417,897 18,605

31 Mar 2020 187,347 3,860 856,917 42,107

07 Apr 2020 394,587 12,748 1,424,124 81,889

14 Apr 2020 598,687 24,770 1,991,275 125,951

* The Biblical festival of Pesach/Passover began at sundown on Wednesday, 08 Apr 2020. Many naitions around the world were living under
stay-at-home orders, including Israel who also ordered a curfew for the nation on Erev Pesach. With over 1,500,000 confirmed cases of the
coronavirus world wide, much of the world prays that the angel of death will pass over their homes this year.

28 Apr 2020 1,035,765 59,266 3,138,115 216,970

28 May 2020 1,768,461 103,330 5,900,907 361,776

11 Aug 2020 5,305,957 167,749 20,514,016 745,687

09 Oct 2020 7,730,917 216,064 36,154,441 1,056,341

Questions & Answers:

Q: How Long can the coronavirus stay airborne?
   A: Thransmitting "usually" occurs by respiratory droplets (sneezing and coughint) that gets into the air. They can live for a few
           hours or days.

Q: How long can the coronaviris survive on packages & surfaces?
   A. From a few hours to a few days. On surfaces like paper or plastin probably a few hours. On hard surfaces, perhaps a few days.

Q: Will the coronavirus become a seasonal/annual virus like the flu?
    A: We don't know yet. Usually the flu thrives during the colder months and dies away during the warmer months of summer.

Q: Can the coronavirus survive on surfaces below freezing?
     A: It's possible. We just don't know yet. Virus like this usually thrive in the cold and die in heat.
Q: Is it safe to cough into the sleeve of our arm? How long can the coronavirus survive on fabric?
   A: It's still to early to know. You should cough into a kleenex, throw it away and then wash your hands would be the safest way.

Continued Evolution of the Coronavirus/COVID 19 Pandemic

09 Mar 2020, Ireland cancels St. Patrick's Day festivities over the coronavirus concerns.

10 Mar 2020, Italy's prime minister announced that the lockdown placed on millions in the Lambardy region will be extended to the entire country.

10 Mar 2020, Iran reported a spike of almost 900 new cases, bringing the country's total number of confirmed cases to 8,042 with 291 deaths.

11 Mar 2020, The NBA suspended all basketball games after a player for the Utah Jazz tested positive for COVID-19.

11 Mar 2020, Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, announced that they have tested positive for the coronavirus in Australia.

11 Mar 2020, President Trump announced restrictions on foreign travelers from 26 countries in Europe for next 30 days.

12 Mar 2020, The MLB announced it will suspend spring training and delay the start of the regular baseball season by at least two weeks.

12 Mar 2020, The NHL announced that it will pause its hockey season.

12 Mar 2020, The NCAA canceled both the men's and women's collage basketball tournaments, known as March Madness.

13 Mar 2020, Italy's death toll topped 1,000 as confirmed cases in the country swell to more than 15,000.

13 Mar 2020, Princess Cruises, Norwegian & Royal Caribbean Cruises suspended outbound trips for 30 days at Trump's request.

13 Mar 2020, The World Health Organization said Europe "has now become the epicenter" of the pandemic

13 Mar 2020, President Trump declared a nation state of emergency in the US.

13 Mar 2020, States across the US (including Michigan, Pennsylvania and Maryland) announced plans to close schools over the coronavirus.

14 Mar 2020, Spain recorded a spike of nearly 2,000 new cases., with more than 3,800 total confirmed cases and at least 84 dead.

15 Mar 2020, The White House announced that the European travel ban would be extended to include the U.K. and Ireland.

15 Mar 2020, Iran reported a big jump of 1,365 new cases in the past 24 hours with 12,729 total confirmed and 611 dead.

15 Mar 2020, Italy's death toll rose to more than 1,800, with 368 deaths reported in just 24 hours.

15 Mar 2020, The number of confirmed cases in the US surpassed 3,000 with NY, California & Washington recording the most cases.

15 Mar 2020, Twenty-nine additional states, including NY, NC, SC, Massachusetts and Hawaii, announced school closings.

16 Mar 2020, Wall Street plunged again, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average snak by 3,000 points.

16 Mar 2020, Germany sealed its borders with France, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Denmark to curb the virus' spread.

16 Mar 2020, Italy announced that confirmed cases rose to nearly 28,000, more than 3,000 from the previous day, with 2158 deaths.

16 Mar 2020, Canada announced plans to close the border to noncitizens (except the US) as the number of confirmed cases rose to 339.

16 Mar 2020, San Francisco imposed strick prohibitions on residents leaving their homes except for essential needs - the first US city to do so.

16 Mar 2020, President Trump advised all Americans to avoid gathers of 10 or more to avoid going to bars & restaurants.

16 Mar 2020, US researchers administer the first "shot" to the a person in an experimental vaccine - may not be widely available for 12 to 18 months.

16 Mar 2020, France imposes more stringent restrictions on people's movement, suggesting they only leaving their homes for essential needs.

16 Mar 2020, NASCAR announced it would postpone all races until at least the beginning of May.

17 Mar 2020, The Kentucky Derby was postponed until September.

17 Mar 2020, Ohio and Maryland's state primary elections were postponed.

17 Mar 2020, The European Union announced a 30-day ban of most non-essential incoming travel.

17 Mar 2020, West Virginia, the last state in the US without a coronavirus case, recorded its first. US confirmed cases rose to more than 5,800.

18 Mar 2020, Canada and the US agreed to close their borders to all "non-essential traffic"

18 Mar 2020, Belgium announed plans to lock down the country enacting a nationwide quearantine - following Italy, France and Spain.

18 Mar 2020, Trading halted on Wall Street for the fourth time in two weeks, with a Dow Jones loss of just over 1300 points.

18 Mar 2020, The Trump administration suspended refugee admissions until April 6th due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.

18 Mar 2020, Italy reported its deadlies day after number of deaths rose by 475, the biggest one-day jump - 2978 total deaths.

18 Mar 2020, The US's Families First Coronavirus Response Act would provide free testing and ensure paid emergency leave for those infected.

19 Mar 2020

1. The FDA & US government leaders passed the "Compassionate Use" act that allows critically ill patients the right to try drugs that are used elsewhere around the world but at the current time may not be approved by the FDA.

The US Coronavirus Task Force including
President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx

2. The majority of those affected with COVID-19 in the US as of 19 March 2020 live in three states: New York, California and Washington.

3. Cruise ships in the US have cancelled cruises as the number of COVID-19 cases increase on the ships. Countries won't allow them to dock.

4. All state and private labs have been told that they are required to report all cases of CV to the CDC/Center for Disease Control.

5. In lieu of the recent influx of college student for Spring Break at Florida beaches, the governor announced that starting on Monday all public beaches would be closed to the public.

6. The closure of the border between Canada and the US to "all non-essential travel" will go into effect lat Friday or early Saturday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said today. He said the two sides are hammering out the details of the "mutual" agreement to shut down the world's longest undefended border - an unprecedented measure that officials hope will stem the spread of the coronavirus. .

7. Italy hits a grim milestone, surpassing China for the largest number of coronavirus-related deaths at 3,405. The big difference is in the fact that China has 1.4 billion people while Italy only has 60 million.

8. Hundreds of US citizens are stuck around the world - from Morocco to Peru to the Ukraine - struggling to return home.

20 Mar 2020

1. New York Governor ordered all workers in his state to stay home, except for those in essential services.

2. California's governor issed a "stay-at-home order", which took effect Thursday night. The state's 40 million residents were asked to leave their homes only when necessary and the order will remain in place until further notice.

3. The US Income Tax Filing Deadline has been pushed back from April 15th to July 15th.

4. More than 4000 National Guard members have been activated across 31 states with more likely to come.

5. President Trump said Friday that his administration is waiving all federal requirements for Standardized Tests for Students.

6. The US and Mexico have reached an agreement for a partial closure of the border, according to US and Mexican officials.

7. Poll finds that 55% of Americans approve of Trump's handling of the crisis.

8. Italy announced another record-breaking death toll, with 627 deaths, up from 427 deaths the previous day. The country cited (gave citations) to 9,600 people in one day for violating lockdown.

9. The death toll from the coronavirus in Spain surged 30 percent within a day as the grim tally rose from 767 on Thursday to 1,002 on Friday.

21 Mar 2020

1. WalMart, which has been operating on a 24-hour basis in the past, has adjusted shopping hours to 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. to help make it easier for associates to stock and perform enhanced cleaning and sanitizing. Starting March 24, Wal-Mart will offer a "senior hour" (aged 60 and older) from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. every Tuesday until April 28. Stores have limits for customers in most categories including paper products (toilet paper & paper towels), milk, eggs, cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer, water, diapers, wipes, formula and baby food.

WalMart, Conover, NC

22 Mar 2020

1. North Korea says Trump offered to help in the fight against coronavirus. They did not accept it.

2. Iran's supreme leader rejected American offers of aid in the country's fight against the coronavirus.

3. Lebanon deploys the army to enforce a lockdown after a big jump in coronavus cases.

4. Australian Prime Minister announced strick measures as coronavirus cases in his country increased to 1,354.

5. Afghanistan, Romania and Kosoveo report their first coronavirus deaths. Albania announced that it would suspend all comercial air travel to and from the country starting at midnight.

6. India capital, New Delhi, is shutting down all but essential services, sealing borders, suspending public transportation and ordering residents to stay at home except when necessary starting tomorrow in a bid to check rising coronavirus infections.

7. Spain will extend its nationwide lockdown for 15 days.

23 Mar 2020

1. WHO (The World Health Organization) director-general says the pandemic is "accelerating". It took 67 days from the first reported case to reach the first 100,000 cases, eleven days for the second 100,000, and just four days for the third 100,000.

2. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper announced that all public K-12 schools in NC will be closed until May 15th. The governor is also mandating the closure of gyms, movie theaters and other similar businesses as soon as possible. He said theat hair salons, nail salons and barber shops should close by 5 p.m. Wednesday because of their inability to conduct social distancing.

3. Despicte stimulus measures announced around the world in recent days, global and US stocks have continued to plunge. A global recession, once unthinkable in 2020, is now a foregone conclusion and some experts warn that the pandemic could drag the world's economy into a depression.

4. On most people's minds is job security. A shocking 2.25 million Americans have filed for their first week of unemployment benefits this week - the highest on record.

24 Mar 2020

1. North Carolina has 404 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. First case diagnosed on 03 Mar 2020.

2. South Carolina's governor makes it a misdemeanor to gather in groups of more than 3 people.

3. The 2020 Toyko Olympics has been postposed until 2021.

4. India's Prime Minister said a 21-day shutdown would begin at midnight, extending restrictions to the entire nation of more than 1.3 billion people.

5. The rate of infection in New York - the pandemic's epicenter in the US - is doubling every three days.

25 Mar 2020

1. North Carolina confirmed cases of the coronavirus increases to 577.

2. United Kingdom's Prince Charles, age 71, and heir to the British throne, has tested positive for the coronavirus and in now self-isolating in Scotland.

3. Monaco's Prince Albert II, age 62, tests positive for the coronavirus.

26 Mar 2020

1. Catawba County, NC, now has 9 cases of the coronavirus. Two of the newly identified people are hospitalized, two are isolated at home and one has recovered. 400 people have been tested for COVID-10 in Catawba County an 112 negative results have been returned.

2. The number of cases of COVID-19 in North Carolina has increased by more than 100. There are at least 641 coronavirus cases in the state with an average age of 41. Mecklenburg County reported the most cases with 181 confirmed coronavirus case.

3. The death toll in the US reaches 1,000.

4. The confirmed coronavirus death toll in Italy rose to 8,165, the highest in the world.

5. More than half the global population is living under government restrictions related to the coronavirs.

6. The death toll in coronavirus-ravaged Spain continues to surge, with more than 600 additional fatalities reported Thursday. More than 4,000 people have been killed by the novel coronavirus in Spain; only Italy, with 7,503 has more deaths has recorded more deaths during the outbread.

7. The US pushes to pass a $2 trillion stimulas package by the Senate and will be voted on tomorrow by the House.

8. The Labor Department's weekly tally of 3.3 million jobless claims shattered the old US record of 695,00 set in 1982.

27 Mar 2020

1. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has issued an entire state Stay-At Home Order beginning immediately and will be in effect until April 29th. Enforcement of the Order will officially begin on Monday, March 30th at 5:00 p.m. North Carolina's 10 million residents will join about half of the US who are, or soon will be, under Stay-At-Home orders from their governors in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. North Carolina currently has 763 cases of the coronavirus in 60 counties.

Governor Roy Cooper

    You Can...

          * Go to the grocery, convenience or warehouse store

          * Go to the pharmacy to pick up medications.

          * Visit a health care professional for medical services (call first)

          * Go to a restaurant for "take-out" delivery or drive-thru

          * Care for or support a friend or family member

          * Take a walk, ride your bike, hike, jog - just keep at least six feet between you and others

          * Walk your pets and take them to veterinarian if "necessary"

          * Help someone get necessary supplies

         * Recieve deliveries from any business which delivers

   You Should Not...

          * Go to work unless you are providing essential services as defined by this Order

          * Visit friends and family if there is no urgent need

          * Visit loved ones in the hospital, nursing home, etc.

   Stay at home means...

          * Stay home, stay unexposed and do not expose others.

2. Catawba County announced one new case of the coronavirus tody. Statewide, case numbers jumped and a fourth coronavirus-related death was reported. Burke County reported its second case of the coronavirus. Caldwell County has three cases of the coronavirus. About 47% of people infected with coronavirus in NC are between 25 and 47 years old. About 24% are between 50 to 64 years old. About 14% are 65 and older and about 13% are 18 to 24.

3. More than 93,000 people applied for unemployment benefits last week in NC. In the US, that was 3.2 million - which is six times larger than the Great Depression of 1930.

4. The US, which recorded its first confirmed case of the coronavirus two months ago, becomes the first country to record 100,000 confirmed cases of the virus as of 27 Mar 2020.

5. Fifty million American children are stuck at home, their schools closed and trying to tackle online learning.

6. British Prime Minister tests positive for coronavirus.

7. ISRAEL - The whole country is in lockdown. Citizens can only be 100 meters from their homes.

8. Myrtle Beach, SC, shuts down to all tourists.

29 Mar 2020

1. The North Carolina-based organization Samaritan's Purse is now bringing relief to New York amid the coronavirus pandemic. The group shipped a 68-bed field hospital with a special respiratory care unit. "People are dying from the coronavirus, hospitals are out of beds and medical staff are overwhealmed," said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan's Purse. "We are deploying our emergency field hospital to New York to help carry the burden. This is what Samaritan's Purse does - we respond in the middle of crises to help people in Jesus' name." This comes a week after Samaritan's Purse opened an identical unit in Cremona, Italy.

2. Another 500 deaths in the US since yesterday.

30 Mar 2020

1. North Carolina's Stay-At-Home Order goes into effect. Enforcement begins at 5:00 p.m. The CDC (Center for Disease Control) considers NC to have widespread transmission.

2. The following are North Carolina businesses and organizations that are deemed essential and can operate during the Order.

     a. Healthcare & Public Health Operations: including hospitals, clinics, dental offices, pharmacies, laboratories and veterinary offices.
     b. Human Service Operations: Child care familities, nursing homes and shelters
     c. Essential Infrastructure Operations: Food and beverage producers, distributors, fulfillment centes and storage centers.
     d. Essential government operations
     e. Stores that sell groceries and medicine
     f. Food and beverage production and agriculture
     g. Charitable organizations and social services
     h. Religious centers
     i. Media
     j. Transportaion businesses: Gas stations, auto sales, supply and service enters and roadside assistance services, airlines, uber, train services
     k. Financial and Insurance Institutions: Banks, lenders, insurance providers
     l. Home improvement, hardware and supply stores
     m. Critical trades: Construction, plumbers, electricians, exterminators, cleaning and janitorial services
     n. Mail services
     o. Laundry services
     p. Restaurants - for consumption off-premises
     q. Businesses that provide supplies to work from home
     r. Home-based care and services.
     s. Professional Services: Legal services, accounting insurance, engineering & architectural, land surveying, real estate and tax preparation.
     t. Manufacturers, distributors and supply chain for critical industries
     u. Defense and military contractors
     v. Hotels & Motels
     w. Funeral Services
     x. Beer, wine and liquor stores
     y. Book stores that seel educational materials
     z. Pet and feed stores.

3. The grim reality is that, for the elderly, COVID-19 is an almost perfect killing machine. 80% of those who have died thus far were 65 or older. A

3. Today was the first day that the number of US deaths due to the coronavirus grew to more than 500 in a single day. Almost half of the deaths were reported in New York. The previous national high was 446 on 28 March 2020.

31 Mar 2020

1. Catawba County, NC, officials reported two new cases of the coronavirus in their county, bringing the current total case-count to 12 in Catawba County. There have been 483 people tested for COVID-19 in Catawba County and 171 negative results have been received. There have been no deaths accociated with COVID-19 thus far in Catawba County.

Catawba Valley Medical Center, Hickory, NC

2. NC Governor Roy Cooper signed an executive order directing utilities to give residential customers at least six months to pay outstanding bills and prohibiting them from collecting fees, penalties or interests for late payments. The city of Newton will not disconnect residential utilities or sanitation service or assess late fees through 31 May 2020, but wanted customers to keep in mind that they will still be responsible for paying for all usage - and if possible, should continue to pay on their accounts to avoid accumulating large balances.

3. The number of deaths in the US topped 800 in a day for the first time. The total US death count exceeds 3,700.

4. A new report by the CDC shows people of any age with underlying medical conditions are at increased risk if they contract the virus, including people with heart and lung disease, diabetes, and even current or former smokers.

5. Virus-striken Spain reported 849 new deahs, the worst-24-hour period yet in an outbreak that has killed 8,189 people there. Italy reported 837 new deaths today bringing their national deth toll to more than 12,000.

6. The confirmed number of infections worldwide continues to grow, nearing 800,000.

01 April 2020, Wednesday

1. There are no new cases of coronavirus reported in Catawba County, NC, on Wednesday/today according to Catawba County Public Health. That leaved the county's total number of cases at 16. At least 26,243 tests have been completed in NC. There are at least 1,584 confirmed cases of the coronavirus statewide with at least 204 of those people hospitalized. There have been nine reported coronavirus-related deaths in North Carolina.

2. Catawba Valley Medical Center has stopped ALL patient visitation. Some exceptions will be made for patients under 18, pregnant patients in labor and end-of-life patients. The limitations will stay in place until COVID-19 in no longer a threst.

3. Worldwide, about 900,000 people have been infected and over 44,000 have died, according to a talley kept by Johns Hopkins University, although the real figures are believed to be much higher.

4. The medical staffing shortage has been exacerbated by the high numer of infected personell. In Italy alone, nearly 10,000 medical workers have been infected and more than 60 doctors have died.

5. For MOST PEOPLE, the coronavirus causes mild or moderat symptoms, such as fever and cough. But for others, especially older adults and people with health problems, it can cause severe symptoms like pneumonia and lead to death.

02 April 2020, Thursday

1. The total number of confirmed cases of the Coronavirus globally tops 1,000,000 with nearly a quarter of them in the United States.

2. The total number of confirmed cases in North Carolina is 1,857 with 16 deaths.

3. The North Carolina counties with the largest number of confirmed cases are: Mecklenburg (495), Wake (234), Durham (147), Guilford (71), Forsyth (56), Union (55), Cabarrus (50), Orange (37), Davidson (35), New Hanover (33), Gaston (33), Rowan (31), Iredell (31), Northampton (30), Pitt (29), Cumberland (25), Johnson (22), Henderson (22), Buncombe (22), Granville (20), Chatham (19), Brunswick (19), Randolph (19), Harnett (19), Wilson (17), Catawba (16), Alamance (13), Carteret (13), Franklin (12), David (11), Nash (10), Burke (9), Rutherford (9), Cherokee (8), Lincoln (8), Moore (8), Onslow (8), McDowell (8), Montgomery (8), and so on.

North Carolina Counties

4. The total number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the US are 239,630.

03 April 2020, Friday

1. The 1918 Spanish Flu Epidemic lasted for two years - from Nov 1917 to Dec 1919 - with 675,000 deaths in the US, 14,000,000 deaths in India and about 50,000,000 deaths world wide. Right now, the US is speculating that we could easily have 100,000 to 200,000 deaths in the US from the coronavirus. Those numbers could increase or decrease depending on how Americans follow stay-at-home guidelines.

2. President Trump announced that the CDC recommends that everyone wear a simple cloth face covering while out in public.

3. People who survive the most dire cases of disease caused by the coronavirus are about to learn on of the cruelest lessons of the pandemic: After defeating the virus, the really hard part begins. Those saved through extreme medical interventions, including being attached to mechanical ventilators for a week or two, often suffer long-term physical, mental and emotional issues, according to a staggering body of medical and scientific studies. Even a year after leaving the intensive care unit, many people experience post-traumatic stress disorder, Alzheimer's-like cognitive deficits, depression, lost jobs and problems with daily activities such as bathing and eating.

4. About 22,000 Americans are still seeking help returning home to the US.

04 April 2020, Saturday

1. The US reported more than 30,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in a day for the first time, bringing American total to more than 273,000 cases and a death toll of over 7,000.

2. The US will likely go down in history as the country that was supposedly best prepared to fight a pandemic but ended up catastrophically overmatched.

3. There are now over 2,300 cases of COVID-19 in North Carolina with 19 deaths. There are 1,700 confirmed cases of coronavirus in South Carolina with 34 deaths. There are 601 cases of COVID-19 in Mecklenburg Co, NC, with 3 deaths.

4. Catawba County announced that we now have 20 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and our first Covid-19 death.

5. Starting today, WalMart will limit the number of customers who can be in the store at once. Stores will not allow more than five customers for every 1,000 square feet at a given time, roughly 205 of a store's capacity. They also plan to institute one-way movement in its aisles. Customers will line us at one door and be admitted one at a time as people exit the store.

Walmart customers wearing facemasks and standing 6 to 10 feet apart while waiting in line to get in the store

Conover, NC, Business, NUFABRX, Makes Masks Reusable Up to 30 Times

FOX NEWS interview with Jordan Schindler, Founder and CEO of NUFABRX

Which Aired Saturday, 04, April 2020



FOX NEWS: American companies are shifting their focus to make ventilators, hand sanitizer and masks to help combat COVID-19. One of those companies is NuFabrx than went from making compression sleeves and socks to making medical masks that can be washed and reused up to 30 times. The company’s founder and CEO, Jordan Schindler, js us now. Jordan, thanks for being with us here this morning. We really appreciate it. You moved your company from Seattle to North Carolina to make this happen. Talk to us about what you’re doing

JORDAN: Good morning, Pete. Thanks for having me on. So, yeah, this is all about how can we make a difference. We were tired of sitting on the sidelines, so what we’ve created is a reusable copper cutec mask. So, we’ve been watching the news and hearing President Trump talk about issues with disposable masks. So, what if we had a reusable one where the doctor or health care professional could take home at the end of every day and wash it and have a good one in the morning. So, we’ve shifted all of our production and it’s been a linking of arms of the entire North Carolina textiles industry – to help us, to enable us to get these out there to the people that need them most.

FOX NEWS: So, Jordan, these are not just the type of masks that people would want to use at home. These can be used in hospitals, health care workers, front lines. You’re meeting the needs of the folks right in the middle of it.

JORDAN: So, we’re trying to provide these to whoever needs them most. We’re completely transparent. All of the data is available on our website. We want to let the health care professionals and professionals decide what they want to do with these. They’re a Copper Cutec Antibacterial Mask. Our hope is that folks like NYPD, hospitals, we’ve equipped our whole Catawba County government officials. These are currently being used right now all over the country.

FOX NEWS: Jordan, talk to me about the impact on your business. This is not what you normally make. You’ve shifted. Are you adding employees, keeping them, talk to us about the business environment for you.

JORDAN: Our core technology Nufabrx is about sole delivery of an ingredient. So our typical products are pain relief or other medications delivered directly through clothing so we felt that naturally equipped us to make a reusable mask. So we’ve coupled our technology with the partnerships throughout North Carolina to make these masks.

FOX NEWS: Who’s getting ‘em and how are you distributing them. Are you going straight to hospitals, are you working through a state-based system, can individuals get them, how are you built.

JORDAN: Yep, so we’ve been getting calls left and right and these are going out over night to hospitals, professionals, government workers as quick as we can. We’re trying to prioritize our health care professionals first and foremost. You can pre-order them theramasks.com but we’re trying to prioritize for our first responders. We have seen an increase in the number of new hires and jobs for our business as we try to create new masks for people. We’re on the cusp of making 250,000 to 500,000 a week of these masks.

FOX NEWS: 500,000 a week is a massive contribution. Jordan, thank you so much. The company is called NUFABRX. Thank you so much. We appreciate it.

CURTIS LOFTIN / WEBSITE HOST: I am proud to say that my son-in-law, Brad Seese, is VP in charge of production. It is good to see local businesses stepping up during this crisis. If you are interested in the mask, which is washable up to 30 times, go to Theramasks.com . My eldest granddaughter, Savanna, also works at NUFABRX. Just recently, the company delivered a mask to the NC Speaker of the House.

NYPD received masks from NUFABRX

05 April 2020, Sunday

1. North Carolina projects that the state will reach its "peak" by the end of April (27th) with about 50 deaths a day. The state currently has 2,549 confirmed cases of the coronavirus with 35 deaths in the state. NC is 19th in a listed of US states with confirmed cases of the coronavirus.

2. Conover, NC: Conover-based company, NUFABRX, starts producing reusable masks to help fight COVID-19, producing 500,000 a week. My son-in-law, Brad Seese, is Vice President in charge of production. They were featured on GQ on 16 Apr 2020.

06 April 2020, Monday

1. A Sunday update from the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation suggests that fewer lives will be lost during the first wave of the coronavirus outbreak than the previous model showed. The prvious numbers of 100,000 to 200,000 lives lost could be closer to 93,561.

2. New York City considers temporary mass grave in park for coronavirus victums as the virus overwhelms the capacity of morgues. They could then work with each family on the appropriate arrangements for their deceased loved one/s once the crisis has passed.

3. The US topped 10,000 total deaths.

07 April 2020, Tuesday

1. Catawba County's number of COVID-19 cases increases to 25. No new deaths have been reported in the county since the first death was listed by the county on 03 Apr. Burke County now has 28.

2. North Carolina saw its biggest jump in the number of COVID-19 related deaths with 13 deaths since yesterday - a total of 52 deaths and 3,250 confirmed cases of the virus in the state. NC confirmed COVID-19 cases in 89 of its 100 counties.

3. With minimal investments in public stock, the North Carolina treasurer's office predicts the state pension fund will survive the COVID-19 economic downturn better than other states - a blessing to retired stated employees.

4. South Carolina goes into lockdown as the state issues Stay-At-Home order. SC reports 2,232 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 48 deaths.

5. The US reported more than 1,700 coronavirus-related fatalaties, a new one-day high, with some states still to release their totals.

08 April 2020, Wednesday

1. North Carolina has at least 3,453 reported cases of the coronavirus as of this morning, and 59 deaths. At least one case of the virus has been reported in 92 of the state's 100 counties. Nearly one-fourth of the state's reported cases - 830 - are in Mecklenburg County which has seen eight deaths. Wake, Durham, Orange & Johnston counties had more than 700 cases. 43,000 people have been tested. 40% of coronavirus patients in NC are 25 - 49 years old and 20% of coronavirus cases with people ages 65 or older. BUT, 80% of the state's coronavirus deaths have been reported in patients older than 65. NC Governor Roy Cooper said the state will use hotels, dorms and other housing sites for some residents possibly exposed to the coronavirus. NC officials expect to provide more than 16,500 places to stay for residents who don't have stable housing. Governor Cooper said the statewide stay-at-home order is working, but he doesn't know when it will be lifted - maybe the end of May.

2. The NC Division of Motor Vehicles has asked state lawmaker to extend deadlines for driver's license and vehicle registration renewals during the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency says it's been swamped with complaints that changes have not been made to the requirements despite the statewide stay-at home order.

3. New York now has more confirmed coronavirus cases than any country around the world - including Italy and Spain - with over 149,300 total cases. The state has 6,268 deaths - with a record number of deaths (779) yesterday.

4. Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders drops out of the presidential race leaving Joe Biden as the Democratic candidate.

09 April 2020, Thursday

1. British Prime Minister was moved from intensive care but remains at a central London hospital.

2. The death toll continues to rise rapidly in the US with New York along having recorded 7,067 fatalities.

3. My daughter Beth Loftin Seese deliverd some grocerys to us that she purchased from Walmart. She decided to spend a little time with us - sitting under the trees in the front yard while her Mom and I sat on the front porch. She's also a teacher and working half-a-day. In the photo below, she is connected with some of her 3rd grade students via the Internet - asking questions and playing math games with them.



10 April 2020, Friday

1. US number of coronavirus cases passes half-a-million (502,876).

US Territories Data

USA
Territories: American
Samoa Guam Marshall
Islands Federated States
of Micronesia Northern
Mariana Islands Palau Puerto
Rico US
Virgin Islands

Abbreviation: AS GU MH Fm MP PW PR VI

Capital: Pago Pago Hagatna Majuro Palikir Saipan Ngerulmud San Juan Charlotte Amalie

Acquired:
*US Administered 1900 1899 *1944-1979 *1947-
1979 1986 *1944-1978 1899 1917

Population: 57,400 131,700 58,413 112,640 52,300 17,907 3,193,694 103,700

Total Land Area: 76 mi² 210 mi² 70 mi² 271 mi² 182 mi² 177 mi² 3,424 mi² 134 mi²

11 April 2020, Saturday

1. Chicago , DC, Pennsylvania, Washington, Wisconsin and North Carolina hospitals and others consider do-not-resuscitate orders for coronavirus patients, regardless of the wishes of the patient or their family members due to the danger of exposing doctors and nurses to the contagion.

12 April 2020, Sunday

1. North Carolina has 4,520 confirmed cases of the coronavirus with 81 deaths. Statistics show that peak for coronavirus is NC will be 17 April and South Carolina will be 29 April.

2. The US passes Italy becoming the country with the most coronavirus deaths in the world. A vaccine may not be available for 18 months.

3. Top expert on infectious diseases in the US said some restrictions could begin to be lifted in May, but warned that the virus could return.

4. As a result of the coronavirus, Easter ceremonies across the country look different a churches tried new methods to meet church members needs.

5. Mathis Chapel in Catawba, NC, continues with their "drive-in" type of church service. Covenant Church in Lincolnton, NC, streams their services on Facesbook which works well for the 600+ member church.

6. Members of Temple Baptist Church in Greenville, Mississippi, were fined with $500 tickets for attending "drive-in" style Easter services, even though members stayed in their cars with the windows up. As the pandemic runs its course, the church has tried to run a "drive-in" service using a radio frequency that can only be heard within a block fom the church. Their Wednesday service was shut down by local police. Everyone in the car got tickets, so a car with three family members got three tickets, it wasn't "per car". Governor Tate Reeves had specifically exempted religious gatherings from his stay-at-home orders during the pandemic, calling them essential services. But the Greenville mayor and city council issued a more restrictive ban that prohibited "drive-in" church gatherings. Now the church has decided to sue the city. In challenging the citations, the church's complaint filed at a federal court in Greenville, noted the church marquee had declared "STAY IN CAR" and that the production team inside the church never exceeded 10 people. The complaint alleges that the city violated the church's First Amentment right to assembly and free speech. "In sum," the complaint said, "the Church's 'drive-in' services are a creative way for the church and its parishioners to worship together and exercise their faith while avoiding in-person contact and ensuring the health and safety of attendees and the local community." The city also fined church members at another Baptist church a few streets away.

7. All across the nation, religious gathering have been at the center of legal disputes. The mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, tried to stop a church's drive-in Easter service, but on Sadurday, a federal judge issued a temporary restraing order overturning that effort. Three Southern California churches that want to keep their doors open during the coronavirus outbreak sued the governor and other officials, arguing that social distancing orders violate their First Amendment rights and that the governor is clueless to think churches are not as "essential" as burger joints, coffee shops and liquior stores.

8. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was released from hospital today, nearly a week after he was admitted into intensive-care for COVID-19.

14 April 2020, Tuesday

1. Today was my son's, Philip Loftin's, birthday. No card, No visit. But we were able to call him on the phone and wish him Happy Birthday and send him an "electronic" birthday present - although he can't go anywhere to spend it.

3. New York City, already an epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, sharply increased its death toll today by more that 3,700 as the number of deaths soar past 10,000.

15 April 2020, Wednesday

1. Five states set up check points along their borders to keep non-residents out; Those states were North Carolina, Florida, Texas, Deleware and Rhode Island. When the number of coronavirus cases began to skyrocket, several states took the unprecedented step of setting up border checkpoints to stop nonresidents who might be carrying the virus. In Florida and Texas, state troopers are requiring motorist form out of state and their passengers to sign forms promising to self-quarantine for 14 days. Florida, Rhode Isaland and Texas require travelers to provide an address where they plan to shelter - and advise them to be prepared for a follow-up call or unannounced visit from public health officials. While the efforts initially targeted residents of New York, which had the most coronavirus cases, they quickly expanded. At local checkpoints for people entering the Florida Keys and North Carolina's Outer Banks, police ask motorist for ID. Only those with a local address or proof of residency, such as a special resident permit or utility bill, are allowed to proceed. The checkpoints don't apply to drivers of commercial, military or emergency vehicles.

2. 12 new COVID-19 cases linked to outbreaks at two Union County, NC, long-term care facilities. NC now has over 5,100 COVID-19 cases with 117 deaths in the state. These are the number of COVID-19 cases in and around Catawba County: Alexander County 3, Lincoln County 15, Caldwell County 19, Catawba County 38, Burke County 62, Iredell County 71, Gaston County 92, and Mecklenburg County 1039.

3. Researchers say social distancing may be necessary into 2022 in order to contain the virus, in the absence of an effective treatment or vaccine.

4. Americans should prepare for a second wave of the coronavirus, CDC director says. "I think we have to assume this is like other respiratory viruses and there will be a seasonality to it. Until we see it, we don't know for certain. Bu I think it's critical that we plan this virus is likely to follow a seasonality pattern similar to the flue, and we're going to have another battle with it upfront and aggressively next winter."

16 April 2020, Thursday

1. The US had over 33,000 new cases of the coronavirus since yesterday with over 5,000 new deaths. Some people say it's not as bad as the "flu", but those numbers sound pretty bad to me.

2. Three new cases of the coronavirus confirmed in Mooresville, NC. There are at least 77 people confirmed to have the coronavirus and 3 related deaths in Iredell County, NC. The deveolpment comes as the coronavirus increased to 5,465 cases in NC. COVID-19 is found in 93 of the state's 100 counties. At lease 131 people in NC have died as a result of COVID-19.

3. Much of the Blue Ridge Parkway in western North Carolina is closed. In the 15 Apr announcement, the Park Service said the closure to vehicular traffic is part of "a continuing effort to support federal, state, and local efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

4. Which stay-at-home order do we have to follow? Stay-at-home. That's become the new mormal for residents in NC. The problem is, there are multiple stay-at-home orders and knowing which one to actually follow can be confusing. Between the state, your county, and maybe even your city, which one do you actually have to follow? What happens if a mayor lifts the stay-at-home order, but the governor's order is still in effect until the end of the month? It may seem confusing, but the answer is actually pretty simple. You follow whatever the "most restrictive requirement" is. The most restrictive is what is enforced.

5. The NC Department of Public Instruction has said that the policies for promoting students to the next grade have not changed, after hoaxes on 01 April (April Fools Day) spread about students having to repeat a year. Seniors who were passing their classes as of 13 Mar, the last day before schools closed, will be marked as passing for the year, while those who were failing will have the chance to pass by taking a final exam.

17 April 2020, Friday

1. My granddaughter, Alexandria Seese, in her Chick-fil-A uniform and face mask courtesy of her dad, Brad Seese, and NUFABRX.

2. Catawba Valley Medical Center (Hospital) resumes "elective" treatments, including my (Curtis Loftin) sleep study scheduled for June and my wife's (Carolyn Loftin's) heart cath scheduled for May. "Elective" surguries which also included cancer treatments will resume in the state.

3. North Carolina confirmed coronavirus cases nears 6,000 up 394 cases since yesterdsy, and deaths rise from 139 to 152.

4. Twenty-eight states have closed school for the rest of the year. At this point, NC is not one of them, but more than likely will do so.

6. President Trump shares state reopening guidelines with governors; NC Governor Roy Cooper says NC need federal help and siaid NC is not ready to relax social restrictions. The guidelines detail a three-phase process for reopening. With each phase, more of society reopens as social distancing limits expand from gatherings of no more than 10 in phase one to 50 in phase two, to no limits in phase three. But to proceed through each step, states should first meet certain criteria tied to symptoms, cases and hospital availabity. The criteria calls for a "downward trajectory of documented cases within a 14-day period or a downward trajectory of positive tests as a percent of total tests within a 14-day period."

7. Michigan governor is faced with two law suits due to state restrictions on visiting family.

8. China raised number of coronavirus cases and deaths in Whuhan by more than 50%. The US has long speculated that China was not accurately reporting the number of confirmed cases or deaths.

18 April 2020, Saturday

1. The US & Canada border will remain closed to "nonessential" travel for an additional 30 days.

2. Beaches in Jaksonville, FL, reopen with restrictions amid coronavirus pandemic. Some Beaches in Florida reopened Friday night, after Governor Ron DeSantis gave the green light as long as social distancing is put in place. Beaches in Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach and Atlantic beach will now be open from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Allowed: Walking, running, biking, fishing, dog walking, swimming, surfing and recreational activities consistent with social guidelines.
Prohibite: Sunbathing, towels & blankets, chairs, coolers, grills, loitering on the beach without moving & congregating in groups with more than 10.

© WBTV Charlotte

3. Deaths in Spain surpass 20,000 while a spike in cases pushes Japan's emergency medical system to the brink.

19 April 2020, Sunday

1. Catawba County, NC, has 43 confirmed cases of the coronavirus with 1 death. Surrounding counties are as follows: Iredell County 81 cases and 3 deaths, Lincoln County with 20 cases and 0 deaths, Burke County with 66 cases and 5 deaths, Alexander County with 3 cases and 0 deaths, and Caldwell County with 32 cases and 0 deaths.

2. North Carolina currently has 6,376 cases of the coronavirus with 191 deaths. The counties with the largest number of cases are Mecklenburg County with 1,153 cases and 24 deaths, Wake County with 586 cases and 4 deaths, Durham County with 409 cases and 4 deaths, Wayne County with 378 cases and 4 deaths, Rowan County with 248 cases and 12 deaths and Cabarrus County with 207 cases and 4 deaths.

3. Nearly 637,000 North Carolinians have filed for unemployment and more than 22 million Americans are out of work. A prominent NC CEO said, "All the working-class people I know want to be at work because they understand the connection between work and eating."

4. North Carolina farmer says COVID-19 pandemic forced him to dump 17,000 gallons of milk that he couldn't sell into a field down the road from his farm. With schoold and restaurantss closed, he's had a 65% decrease in total milk sales. That's $160,000 profict down the drain. In the meanwhile, he is supplying milk to a local food pantry and to help keep his business afloat, opened a drive-thru at his creamery, selling milk, ice cream and other items.

5. South Carolina currently has 4, 248 cases of the coronavirus with 119 deaths.

6. South Carolina plans to reopen their beaches next week.

7. The United States still leads the world with more than 25,000 new cases of coronavirus. For the US, that's the largest number of new cases in a single day. According to world-O-meter , the website where I've been getting my statistics, the US had 738,792 cases yesterday and today the number was up to 763,836 at 9:30 p.m. today.



8. Tyson Foods issues statement on coronavirus safety after roughly 100 workers test positive, saying that they are following guidelines from the CDC, USDA and health departments. The infected worked at the plant in Goodlettsville, TN.

9. The BOSTON GLOBE printed 15 pages of obituaries in its Sunday issue.

10. The UK and Russia with 6,000+ new cases, and Canada, India & Turkey with 2,000+ new cases.

20 April 2020, Monday

1. Happy Birthday to sweet granddaughter, Savanna Seese, who is spending her 20th birthday "at home".

2. In the US, 26,000+ new cases of the coronavirus and 1800+ new deaths. No one else comes close.

3. Russia, Spain, Turkey & United Kingdom each have 4000+ new cases of the coronavirus.

4. Brazil & France each have 3000+ new cases of the coronavirus.

5. Canada, Israel & Italy each have 2000+ new cases of the coronavirus.

6. Belgium, Germany, India, Iran, Saudi Aurabia & Singapore each have 1000+ new cases of the coronavirus.

21 April 2020, Tuesday

1. The US has 25,000+ new cases of the coronairus. No one else comes close.

22 April 2020, Wednesday

1. Rev. Franklin Graham: "Unless Christians vote, we'll lose the country in the November elections."

2. Almost 30,000 new cases of the coronavirus in the US. There are 29,973 new cases and 2,341 deaths. No one else comes close.

3. South Carolina schools will be closed for the remainder of the year.

4. Additional new coronavirus cases around the world:
          4,000+ new cases in United Kingdom, Turkey & Russia
          3,000+ new cases in Brazil
          2,000+ new cases in Canada & Israel
          1,000+ new cases in Belgium, Germany, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia & Singapore.

23 April 2020, Thursday

1. North Carolina has 7,608 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 253 deaths.

2. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper extends the stay-at-home order from 29 Apr to 08 May. Cooper also unveiled a three-phase plan for ending his statewide order, which would mean some form of restrictions could linger into at least late June.

3. United States has 27,439 new cases of the coronavirus. No one else comes close.

4. Additional new coronavirus cases around the world:
          Canada has 1,601 new cases
          Germany has 1,136 new cases
          India has 1,669 new cases
          Italy has 2,646 new cases
          Mexico has 1,043 new cases
          Peru has 1,664 new cases
          Russia has 4,774 new cases
          Saudi Arabia has 1,158 new cases
          Spain has 4,635 new cases
          United Kingdom has 4,583 new cases

24 April 2020, Friday

1. Catawba County, NC, has 47 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 1 death. Lincoln County has 24, Iredell County 94, Burke County 83 and Alexander County 4 cases.

2.. North Carolina K-12 schools closed for the rest of the academic year.

3. The United States has 38,764 new cases of the coronavirus and 1,951 new deaths. No one else comes close.

25 April 2020, Saturday

1. The United States has 35,419 new cases of the coronavirus and 2,065 new deaths. No one else comes close.

26 April 2020, Sunday

1. COVID-19 has now claimed at least 289 lives in North Carolina. The number of cases in the state jumped by 571 and is now at 8,623. 495 of the state's death toll comes from nursing homes and residential care facilities. Data shows that 656 of the 2,909 ventilators in NC are in use.

2. The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals is allowing abortion clinics in Tennessee to continue providing abortions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The court's decision came after Governor Bill Lee issued a state order on 08 April banning all abortion services other than medication abortions.

3. Should NC doctors, hospitals and nursing homes be shielded from criminal prosecution and lawsuits over treatment decisions they make concerning COVID-19? That's a debate that could play out next week when the NC Legislature gets back to work against the backdrop of a still unfolding pandemic.

27 April 2020, Monday

1. The United States passes 1,000,000 cases of the coronavirus - 1/3 of all the cases in the entire world.

1. The United States had 23,196 new cases of the coronavirus and 1,384 new deaths reported.

28 April 2020, Tuesday

1. The United States has 25,409 new cases of the coronavirus and 2,470 new deaths.

2. Additional new coronavirus cases around the world:
          Brazil: 6,398
          Canada: 1,526
          Ecuador: 1,018
          France: 2,638
          India: 1,873
          Iran: 1,112
          Italy: 2,091
        Saudi Arabia: 1,266
          Spain: 2,706
          Turkey: 2,392
          United Kingdom: 3,996

29 April 2020, Wednesday

1. The United States has 28,429 new cases of the coronavirus and 2,390 new deaths.

2. The Unitd States have tested 5,954,311 people for the coronavirus. Russia has tested 3,303,717 people. Germany has tested 2,072,669 people. Italy has tested 1,846,934 people. Spain has tested 1,414,477 people.

3. There were 3,220,154 cases of the coronavirus worldwide, with 228,216 deaths and 1,000,333 recovered.

4. In the US, some meatpacking plants have closed due to COVID-19 concerns, raising questions about the industry's ability to supply grocery stores. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to keep chicken, pork and other meat plants open. Trump's order to open meat plants brings anxiety to one Iowa town where 90% of the 1,326 people testing positive for COVID-19 cases are tied to Tyson pork processing plant.

5. Curtis Loftin: "Are Tyson plants cloing around the country the reason I can't find my chicken livers at Wal-Mart?"

6. We've heard a lot about "herd immunity" over the past month. Waiting for herd immunity to develop through widespread COVID-19 infections alone would lead to a significant increase in the virus' projected death toll. Based on estimates, 70% of the population would need to be infected for herd immunity to develop and about 3,000,000 people would die. When the majority of the population has received an effective vaccine against the virus, herd immunity will develop rapidly.

30 April 2020, Thursday

1. Catawba County, NC, has 56 cases of the coronavirus and 1 death. Iredell County has 108 cases and 6 deaths. Lincoln County has 27 cases and 0 deaths. Burke County has 97 cases and 8 deaths. Alexander County has 4 cases and 0 deaths. Caldwell County has 33 cases and 0 cases. The county in North Carolina with the most cases is Mecklenburg County with 1,567 cases and 43 deaths. The county with the second largest number of coronavirus cases is Wake County with 814 cases abd 17 deaths,

2. COVID-19 cases in North Carolina pass 10,500 with an additional 24 deaths reported, bringing the state's death total to at least 378..

3. The United States has 30,829 new cases of the coronavirus and 2,201 new deaths.

4. There were 3,307,659 cases of the coronavirus worldwide, with 234,074 deaths and 1,039,179 recovered.

May 2020, Coronavirus Updates

1. US schools will look different when, and if, they reopen. Three-quarters of the US states have now officially closed their schools for the rest of the academic year - including North Carolina. In New York City alone, more than 60 educators have reportedly died from coronavirus. While remote learning continues, attention is alread starting to turn to next fall. Here are nine key ideas for what reopening might look like.
          a. Stepped-Up Health and Hygine Measures.
          b. Class Size of 12 or Fewer.
          c. Staggered Schedules - one group of kids might attend Monday, Wednesday & Friday then Tuesday & Thursday the following week.
          d. Younger Kids First - Denmark & Norway started with its day cares, kindergartens and primary schools first.
          e. New Calendars - There have been suggestions of starting school sooner next year or continuing through next summer, or both.
          f. Different Attendance Policies - Some parents might choose to keep their children at home.
          g. No Assemblies, Sports Games or Parent-Teacher Conferences.
          h. Remote Learning Continues Because of Staggered Schedules.
          i. Social, Emotional and Practical Help for Kids

2. Ten Ways Life Will Be Different After the Coronavirus Lockdown:
          a. Sports will be played in empty stadiums and arenas. Large gatherings are almost certain to be banned.
          b. Waiters will more than likely be wearing masks, with a disposable dinner minu, and with only half of the table in the restaurant in use.
          c. There will be no more handshaking - decreasing the number of coronavirus and flu cases.
          d. We'll still be wearing masks and standing far apart while practicing social distancing.
          e. There will be frequent and widespread testing for COVID-19. If you haven't been tested yet, expect to be tested in the next few months.
          f. There will be temperature taking every where even at grocery stores.
          g. Doctor visits will be via FaceTime, Skype and Zoom.
          h. COVID-19 snigging dogs will be monitoring public places.
          i. You'll continue to work from home. Companies are realizing that the cost of renting office spaces might be a waste of money.
          j. Robots will replace humans in factories. Automated robots replaing human employees is a trend that started long before COVID-19.

3. Can dogs sniff out the coronavirus? Dogs can sniff out illegal drugs, dangerous explosives and even some diseases in humans. They have already shown that they can (1) detect cancer in blood, urine or breath samples, (2) sniff out malaria, and (3) warn their owners when their blood sugar has dropped to low. Can they be trained to help detect the coronavirus, too. Researchers in countries like the US, Britain and France are trying to answer this intriguing question. Scientists say, "We do not know if COVID-19 has a specific odor yet, but we do know that other respiratory diseases change our body odor, so there is a chance that it does".

4. In an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, numerous countries have closed their airports to visitors, including: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bolivia, Cambodia, Canand, China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Phillippines, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland), United States, Ukraine, Vietnam.

5. China Backlash: Across the globe, a backlash is building against China for its initial mishandling of the crisis that helped loose the coronavirus on the world. Australia hs called for an inquiry into the origins of the virus. Britain and Germany are hesitating about investing in the Chinese tech giant Huawei. President Trump has blamed China for the contagion and is seeking to punish it. Some governments want to sue Beijing for damages and reparations. The Chinese government continues to deny that the coronavirus leaked from a research laboratory in Wuhan, CHINA (On 13 March the Chinese suggested that the American military created it).

6. Coronavirus Inconsistencies: Why does the virus hit some nations hard but barely touches another? The coronavirus had killed so many people in Iran that the country has resorted to mass burial, but in neighboring Iraq, the body count is fewer than 100. The Domican Republic has reported nearly 7,600 cases of the virus, but just across the border, Haiti has recorded only 85. In Indonesia, thousands are believed to have died from the coronavirus while in nearby Malaysia, a strict lockdown has kept fatalities to about 100. The coronavirus has touched almost every country on earth, but its impact has seemed inconsistent. Global metropolises like New York, Paris and Long have been devastated, while cities like Bangkok, Baghdad and New Delhi have, so far, largely been spared. The question of why the virus has overwhelmed some placdes and left others relatively untouched is a puzzle that has spawned numerous theories and speculations but no definite answers. Russia and Turkey appeared to be fine until, SUDDENLY, they weren't.

7. 05 May 2020: North Carolina is reporting 12,256 confirmed coronavirus cases with 452 deaths.

8. NC Phase 1 Re-Opening for May 9th:
          a. Phase 1 would allow for travel not currently defined as essential, allowing people to travel to businesses allowed to be open.
              This would include clothing stores, sporting goods stores, houseware stores and more, but would keep bars and salons closed.
              Theaters, music venues, bowling alleys, gymns and playgrounds will remain closed.

           b. Any open store must implement appropriate employee and consumer social distancing, enhanced hygiene and cleaning protocols,
              symptom screening of employees, and accomodations for vulnerable workers.
          c. Gatherings are limited to no more than 10 people.
          d. Face masks and social distancing will continue to be recommended in public spaces.
          e. Employers would be encouraged to continue teleworking policies
          f. Outdoor worship services are allowed.
          g. State parks and trails are encouraged to open.
          h. Restaurants may only continue to serve customers for drive-through, take out and delivery.
          i. Worship services of more than 10 people allowed outdoors if socially distanced.

9. 11 Ways You're Spreading Germs All Over Your Home Without Realizing It
          a. You're not sanitizing your cell phone when you return home. You're cross-contaminating your space if you do sanitize it when you get home.
          b. You're bring in your mail immediately. Coronavirus can live on some surfaces for up to three days, including your mail. It's suggested that you
              leave your mail outside or in a garage for a few days before bringing it tion your living space.
          c. You're opening packages in your living space. Open packages away from the living area and toss the packaging in the recycle bins, then wipe
              any surfaces they may have touched with either soap and water or a disinfectant cleaner.
          d. You're touching your face before washing your hands. If you don't immediately wash your hands or use hand sanitizer when you return home,
              your house could become cross-contaminated in no time.
          e. You're wearing the same gloves at home as you wore when you were out at the store.
          g. You're wearing shoes inside your home that you wore outside. Have a paire of slippers handy, but leave the shoes at the door or outside.
          h. You're wearing clothes you've worin in public inside your home.
          i. You're emptying your pocket or purse withoug cleaning its contents.
          j. You're using the same cotton cleaning cloth on every surface.
          k. You're using a mop bucket. To limit cross-contamination, spray cleaner directly onto your floor and regularly replace or launder you mop pad.
          l. You're using a not-HEPA vacuum. HEPA filters can capture dust, mold, bacteria and spores that are in your home.

10. Prices Americans paid for eggs, meat, cereal and milk were much higher in April as people flocked to grocery stores to stock up on food amid government lockdowns designed to slow the spread of COVID-19. On Tuesday, 12 May 2020, the Labor Department recorted that the prices US consumers paid for groceries jumped 2.6% in April, the largest one-month pop sind Feb 1974 - 46 years. More specifically, the price of meats, poultry, fish and eggs rose 4.3%, while fruits and vegetables climbed 1.5%; cereals and bakery products advanced 2.9% and dairy goods gained 1.5%.

11. 14 May 2020: US President Trump: Mobilizing military to "rapidly" distribute coronavirus vaccine when it's ready. The announcement comes as the Department of Defense has awarded a contract for prefilled syringes for future COVID-19 vaccine; more than 100 million syringes for distribution across the US by the end of 2020, with the ultimate production goal of over 500 million prefilled syringes in 2021.

12. 15 May 2020: Happy Birthday to my beloved Caroyn Weeks Loftin.

13. The CDC warns about a coronavirus-related illness in kids in 19 states. If child had a fever for more than 24 hours, call doctor's office immediately. Other symptoms: (a) Redness in both eyes, (b) Very red & swollen tongus, (c) Skin peeling, (d) rach, and (e) Swollen lymphnodes.

14. Chinese hackers trying to steal US coronnavirus vaccine.

15. President Donald Trump revelas the 6th branch of US military service. The US Space Force joins the US Army, US Navy, US Air Force, US Marines and US Coast Guards. Weeks ago, President Trump ordered NASA to put a man back on the moon in two years. We we soon have a missle that is 17 times faster than anything that we currently have.

16. 17 May 2020: Federal judge blocks NC governor's restrictions on religious services. A federal judge's order allows North Carolina religious leaders to open their doors to their congregations, in spite of the governor's warning that they risk spreading the coronavirus. Governor Roy Cooper said he wouldn't appeal the ruling blocking his restrictions on indoor religious services. Saturday's order pointed out that while only up to 10 people are allowed inside for religious services under Cooper's stay-at-home order, that same standard doesn't apply to other entities, such as businesses that are limited to 50% capacity, and funeral services, which allow up to 50 people. "Governor Cooper appears to trust citizens to perform non-religious activities indoors but does NOT trust them to do the same when they worship together indoors."

17. 20 May 2020: The CDC (Center for Disease Control) now says the coronavirus "Does NOT spread easily" via contaminated surfaces - but experts warn that doesn't mean it's no longer necessary to take "pratical and realistic" recautions in stopping the spread of COVID-19. The virus can be spread easily, (a) between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet), (b) through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks, (c) these droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs, and (d) COVID-10 may be spread by people who are not showing symptoms.

18. 22 May 2020: On Friday, 22 May 2020, at 5:00 pm, North Carolina will move from Stay-at-Home to Safer-At-Home Phase Two. Everyone is encouraged to continue practicing (a) 6-ft Social Distancing, (b) wear a face mask when we're out, and (c) wash our hands often. Teleworking is urged to continue when possible. Mass gathering limits in Phase 2 will be no more than 10 people indoors or 25 people outdoors. Some businesses will remain closed in Phase 2 including: bars, night clubs, gyms and indoor fitness facilities, indoor entertainment venues such as movie theatres and bowling alleys. Certain businesses will be open at limited capacity with other requirements and recommendations, including: (a) restaurants at 50% dine-in capacity with distancing and cleaning requirements, (b) personal care businesses, including salons and barbers, at 50% capacity with distancing and cleaning requirements, (c) pools at 50% capacity with distancing and cleaning requirements. Employees of personal care businesses will be required to wear face coverings. Childcare facilities, day camps and overnight camps will be open with enhanced cleaning and screening requirements. Retail businesses allowed to open in Phase 1 at 50% capacity will continue at that level. Public health recommendations are provided for worship services to practice enhanced social distancing and other cleaning and hygiene practices. The Safer-at-Home Phase 2 runs through at least Friday, June 26th. Public health recommendations are provided for worship services to practice enhanced social distancing and other cleaning and hygiene practices.

19. 28 May 2020: Carolyn & I got a haircut today! Thank the LORD! It's been 9 weeks since the last one. When we arrived at the salon, we had to stay in the car. Only one customer was allowed in the salon at a time. The stylist sprayed and wiped down everything before the next customer entered the salon. She had to wear a face mask and was required to take our temperature before she could cut our hair. I'm thankful that the coronavirus did not kill as many people as they first suspected, but we're not out of the dark yet. The US has had over 1, 700,000 cases of COVID-19 and 103, 000 deaths. Our church will resume services this next Sunday, but Carolyn & I will not be going for a while - maybe not at all due to Carolyn's other health conditions which could cause death if she gets COVID-19. We'll move slowly.

Countries With the Largest Number of New Cases in May:

01 May 2020: The United States has 36,007 new cases and 1,897 new deaths.

01 May 2020: New World Cases - Russia: 7,933 - Brazil: 6,729 - UK: 6,201 - Spain: 3,639 - Peru: 3,483 - India: 2,394 - Italy: 1,965

02 May 2020: The United States has 29,744 new cases and 1,691 new deaths.

02 May 2020: New World Cases - Russia: 9,623 - UK: 4,806 - Brazil: 4,450 - India: 2,442 - Peru: 2,075 - Italy: 1,900 - Canada: 1,653

03 May 2020: The United States had 27,348 new cases and 1,154 new deaths.

03 May 2020: New World Cases - Russia: 10,633 - Brazil: 4,588 - UK: 4,339 - Peru: 3,394 - India: 2,806 - Canada: 2,760 - Ecuador: 2,074

03 May 2020: Researchers are saying that an annual coronavirus vaccination will more that likely be needed, just like it is for the flu.

04 May 2020: The United States has 24,713 new cases and 1,324 new deaths.

04 May 2020: New World Cases - Russia: 10,581 - Brazil: 7,119 - UK: 3,985 - India: 3,932 - Ecuador: 2,343 - Saudi Arabia: 1,645

04 May 2020: The latest US model predicts 200,000 new cases each day by the end of May and 135,000 deaths by 01 Aug.

05 May 2020: The United States has 24,798 new cases and 2,350 new deaths.

05 May 2020: New World Cases - Russia: 10,102 - Brazil: 6,449 - UK: 4,406 - Peru: 3,817 - India: 2,963 - Spain: 2,260 - Turkey: 1,832

06 May 2020: The United States has 25,459 new cases and 2,528 new deaths.

06 May 2020: New World Cases - Russia: 10,559 - Brazil: 11,896 - UK: 6,111 - France: 3,640 - Peru: 3,628 - India: 3,587 - Spain: 3,121

07 May 2020: The United States has 29,631 new cases and 2,129 new deaths.

07 May 2020: New World Cases - Russia: 11,231 - Brazil: 9,082 - UK: 5,614 - Peru: 3,709 - India: 3,364 - Spain: 3,173 - Turkey: 1,977

08 May 2020: The United States has 29,162 new cases and 1,687 new deaths.

08 May 2020: New World Cases - Russia: 10,699 - Brazil: 10,199 - UK: 4,649 - India: 3,344 - Peru: 3,321 - Spain: 3,262 - Turkey: 1,848

09 May 2020: The United States has 25,524 new cases and 1,422 new deaths.

09 May 2020: New World Cases - Russia: 10, 817 - Brazil: 10,169 - UK: 3,896 - Peru: 3,168 - India: 3,113 - Spain: 2,665 - Mexico: 1,906

10 May 2020: The United States has 20,329 new cases and 750 new deaths.

10 May 2020: New World Cases - Russia: 11,012 - Brazil: 6,638 - India: 4,353 - UK: 3,923 - Peru: 2,292 - Mexico: 1,938 - S.Arabia: 1,912

11 May 2020: The United States 18,196 new cases and 1,008 new deaths.

11 May 2020: New World Cases - Russia: 11,656 - Brazil: 6,444 - UK: 3,877 - Spain: 3,480 - Saudi Arabia: 1,966 - Iran: 1,683 - Peru: 1,515

12 May 2020: The United States has 20,564 new cases and 1,466 new deaths.

12 May 2020: New World Cases - Russia: 10,899 - Brazil: 3,998 - India: 3,475 - UK: 3,403 - Peru: 3,237 - Saudi Arabia: 1,911

13 May 2020: The United States has 21,712 new cases and 1,772 new deaths.

13 May 2020: New World Cases - Brazil: 11,555 - Russia: 10,028 - Peru: 4,247 - India: 3,763 - UK: 3,242 - Chile: 2,660 - Pakistan: 2,624

14 May 2020: The United States has 27,246 new cases and 1,715 new deaths.

14 May 2020: New World Cases - Brazil: 13,761 - Russia: 9,974 - Peru: 4,298 - India: 3,942 - UK: 3,446 - Chile: 2,659 - Saudi Arabia: 2,039

15 May 2020: The United States has 26,692 new cases and 1,595 new deaths.

15 May 2020: New World Cases - Brazil: 15,305 - Russia: 10,598 - Peru: 3,891 - India: 3,787 - UK: 3,560 - Chile: 2,502 - Iran: 2,102

16 May 2020: The United States has 23,488 new cases and 1,218 new deaths.

16 May 2020: New World Cases - Brazil: 14, 919 - Russia: 9,200 - Peru: 4,864 - UK: 3,450 - S. Arabia: 2,840 - Mexico: 2,437 - Spain: 2,138

17 May 2020: The United States has 19,891 new cases and 865 new deaths.

17 May 2020: New World Cases - Russia: 9,709 - Brazil: 7,938 - India: 5,050 - Peru: 3,732 - UK: 3,534 - Saudi Arabia: 2,736 - Chile: 2,353

18 May 2020: The United States has 22,630 new cases and 1,003 new deaths.

18 May 2020: New World Cases - Brazil: 14,288 - Russia: 8,926 - India: 4,630 - UK: 2,711 - Peru: 2,660 - Saudi Arabia: 2,593 - Chile: 2,278

19 May 2020: The United States has 20,289 new cases and 1,552 new deaths.

19 May 2020: New World Cases - Brazil: 16,517 - Russia: 9,263 - India: 6,147 - Peru: 4,550 - Chile: 3,520 - Saudi Arabia: 2,509 - UK: 2,412

20 May 2020: The United States has 21,408 new cases and 1,461 new deaths. For the first time, another country passes us with # of new cases.

20 May 2020: New World Cases - Brazil: 21,472 - Russia: 8,764 - India: 5,553 - Peru: 4,537 - Chile: 4,038 - Mexico: 2,713 - S. Arabia: 2,691

21 May 2020: The United States has 28,179 new cases and 1,418 new deaths.

21 May 2020: New World Cases - Brazil: 17,564 - Russia: 8,849 - India: 6,198 - Peru: 4,749 - Chile: 3,964 - UK: 2,615 - S. Arabia: 2,532

23 May 2020: The United States has 21,929 new cases and 1,033 new deaths.

23 May 2020: New World Cases - Brazil: 16,508 - Russia: 9,434 - India: 6,629 - Peru: 4,056 - Chile: 3,536 - Mexico: 2,960 - UK: 2,959

24 May 2020: The United States has 19,608 new cases and 615 new deaths.

24 May 2020: New World Cases - Brazil: 16,220 - Russia: 8,599 - India: 7,113 - Peru: 4,205 - Chile: 3,709 - Mexico: 3,329 - UK: 2,405

25 May 2020: The United States has 19,790 new cases and 505 new deaths.

25 May 2020: New World Cases - Brazil: 13,051 - Russia: 8,946 - India: 6,414 - Chile: 4,895 - Peru: 4,020 - Mexico: 2,764 - SA: 2,235

26 May 2020: The United States has 15 691 new cases and 1,027 new deaths.

26 May 2020: New World Cases - Brazil: 15,691 - Russia: 8,915 - India: 5,843 - Peru: 5,772 - Chile: 3,964 - Mexico: 2,485 - UK: 2,004

27 May 2020: The United States has 20,546 new cases and 1,535 new deaths.

27 May 2020: New World Cases - Brazil: 22,301 - Russia: 8,338 - India: 7,293 - Peru: 6,154 - Chile: 4,328 - Mexico: 3,455 - Iran: 2,080

28 May 2020: The United States has 22,658 new cases and 1,223 new deaths.

28 May 2020: New World Cases - Brazil: 24,151 - Russia: 8,371 - India: 7,300 - Peru: 5,874 - Chile: 4,654 - Mexico: 3,463 - France: 3,325

June 2020, Coronavirus Updates & Other Pertinent Information

01. 08 Jun 2020: There have been a total of 36,484 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-10 in North Carolina. The state reports that there have been 1,006 virus-related deaths and a current number of 739 individuals remain hospitalized in NC.

02. 08 Jun 2020: Catawba County, NC, reported eight new confirmed COVID-19 cases today, putting the county total to 310 cases. Of the county's confirmed cases in Catawba County, 13 people have died.

03. 23 Jun 2020: America had absolutely gone crazy! A police officer in Minneapolis killed a black man, George Floyd, on 25 May 2020. As a result of the killing, the officer and the other three officers with him were charged with murder. After everyone had been confined to "stay-at-home" for months, "all hell broke loose". Floyd's death set off a series of protests in major cities around the country by Black Lives Matter demonstrators. The protests quickly turned to riots. Stores were robbed and burned. During all of this, police were ordered to "stand down" and not instigate any type of conflict. Mayors and other civil leaders even abandoned police stations to the rioters.
     A cry went out in the US to "de-fund" the police. How absolutely STUPID is that? Some cities are even talking about doing away with the police force completely.
     A group of militants took control of a 6-block section of Seattle. Two weeks after protesters cordoned off and occupied those parts of Capitol Hill, which became known as the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP) protestors named the area "The Independent Nation of CHOP". The mayor of Seattle "finally" announced yesterday, that it would be disbanded. Officials didn't share a specific timeline for clearing the area.
     But that's not all. With the recent outrage over Floyd's death, the protestors and rioters took things into their own hands tearing down statues around the country. At first it was statues of Civil War Confederate leaders. A statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis was toppled in Richmond, Virginia. The Robert E. Lee statue at the Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg, MD, and Old Slave Block" in the town were vandalized on 02 June. On June 8th, the city of Indianapolis began removing a monument that memorialized Confederate prisoners of war. On 03 June, the Mount Pleasant, SC police found a monument in a historic Confederate Cemetery vandalized. Protestors in Raleigh, NC, vandalized a Confederat statue at the state Capitol on 10 June.
     Some state officials have taken official steps to order the removal of Confederate statues. The city countil in Rocky Mounty, NC, voted to remove a Confederate monument on 08 June. The city plans to remove more Confederate monuments. State lawmakers in Sacramento, CA, announced on 17 June that statues of Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella would be removed from the Capital rotunda. Some cities have ordered statues removed, yielding to the demands of protestors while other cities have ordered statues removed and stored in "secure locations.
     But that wasn't enough. In San Francisco, rioters toppled a statue of Union General and former President Ulysses S. Grant. Statues of Christopher Columbus in Bodton, Miami and Virginia have been vandalised. Richmond saw a statue of Italian explorer Columbus pulled down, set on fire, and then thrown into a lake earlier last week. The statue of Columbus in Boston, was beheaded. A "school teacher" and two others were arrested after "allegedly" vandalizing a statue of Columbus on 13 Jun in Providence, RI. (This is the only arrest I've heard of thus far.) A statue of Juan Ponce de Leon was vandailized in Miami. The George Washington statue in Washington Park was vandalized. A statue depicting Don Juan de Onate was vandalized in El Paso. An attempt was made to tear down a statue of President Thodore Roosevelt. There was even an attempt to tear down a statue to Francis Scott Key, the author of the US National Anthem, "The Star Spangled Banner".
     Black Lives Matter demonstrators demanded that the US change the names of US military bases with Confederate-based names. President Trump refuses.
     And it doesn't end there. During a Black Lives Matter protest in LONDON last weekend, a statue of Sir Winston Churchill in Parliament Square was sprayed with grafitti.
     As of 08 June, Elmer Fudd will still be hunting "Wabbits", but both he and Yosemite Sam will no longer have guns in the new "Looney Tunes Cartoons". I did see a cute comic on Facebook of Elmer Fudd. He's saying, "They took my gun, but who only has ONE gun. LOL!"
     Personally, I'm ashamed at what I'm seeing in our country right now. Riots, tearing down historica staues, destorying the American flag, vandalizing cemeteries, attempting to defund our police and so much more. There are many countries in the world who would like to see the USA fall. It's never happoned from outside our borders. How shameful that it's happening by certain American citizens within our own borders.

04. 25 Jun 2020: We've learned that a couple who attends our church, and also part of our home group, has COVID-19. NC Governor Roy Cooper had mandated that everyone wear masks when they're out in public starting tomorrow at 5 p.m. I'm not sure how they are going to enforce that.

August 2020, Coronavirus Updates

01. 01 Aug 2020: My 20-year-old granddaughter Savanna Seese had COVID-19 and recovered.

02. 11 Aug 2020: There have been a total of 5,305,957 cases of COVID-19 in the US with 167,749 deaths.

03. 11 Aug 2020: There are 138,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in North Carolina with 2,238 deaths.

November 2020, Coronavirus Updates

01. Nov 2020: The number of COVID-19 cases in the US has exceeded 12,000,000 with over 285,000 deaths. The virus seems to move closer and closer to home. Our church has had 2 deaths associated with COVID-19 and numerous friends and relatives have had the disease. Carolyn & I continue to live our "isolated" life - connecting only with our children and grandchildren. We continue to order online and do pick-ups afterward at Walmart, Sams and our pharmacy. Other things we've needed, we've ordered from Amazon.

02. Nov 2020: According to recent information, Catawba County, NC, has the third highest COVID-19 infecton reate in NC. Alexander County is second. On Saturday, 21 Nov, Catawba County had 53 new cases, 56 in the hospital, 82 deaths thus far and 6,265 total cases thus far.

03. Nov 2020: The number of cases in the state of North Carolina continues to rise. As of Saturday, 21 Nov, 4,860, 430 residents of the state have been tested for COVID-19. I, personally, have been tested twice before I could have two sleep-apnea studies. Both came back negative. 332,261 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19, 3,415 newly reported cases, 1,590 currently hospitalized and 5, 005 deaths.

December 2020, Coronavirus Updates

01. Dec 2020: The number of COVID-19 cases in the US continues to increase. There are more cases and more deaths in North Carolina. Several folks from our church as well as several cousins have died from the virus.

When considering the number of infected and the number of deaths in various countries, you need to remember that the population of some countries is much larger than others. The top three countries in terms of population are CHINA, INDIA and the UNITED STATES. China and India have over 1 billion citizen where the US has only 331 million.

Countries in the World by Largest to Smallest Population - 22 Mar 2020

CHINA INDONESIA NIGERIA MEXICO PHILIPPINES TURKEY THAILAND

1,439,323,776 273,523,615 206,139,589 128,932,462 109,581,078 84,339,067 69,799,978

INDIA PAKISTAN BANGLADESH JAPAN EGYPT IRAN UK

1,380,004,385 220,892,340 164,689,383 125,476,461 102,334,404 83,992,949 67,886,011

US BRAZIL RUSSIA ETHIOPIA VIETNAM GERMANY FRANCE

331,002,651 212,559,417 145,934,462 114,963,588 97,228,579 83,783,942 65,273,511

Additional Countries in the World by Population - 22 March 2020

ITALY S. KOREA ARGENTINA CANADA PERU CHILE GREECE

60,461,826 51,269,185 45,195,774 37,742,154 32,971,854 19,116,201 10,423,054

S. AFRICA SPAIN IRAQ S. ARABIA VENEZUELA ECUADOR ISRAEL

59,308,690 46,754,778 40,222,496 34,813,871 28,435,940 17,643,054 8,655,535

The number of deaths from the Coronavirus/COVID-19 changes daily. South Korea was one of the first countries with cases of the coronavirus, but have managed to keep their total number of confirmed cases and deaths lower than most other countries. You would expect countries with the largest populationa (China, India & USA) to have the largest number of confirmed cases and the largest number of deaths. Some have speculated that some countries (like China and Iran) have not accurately reported their number of cases and deaths.

Twenty Countries with the Largest Number of Coronavirus Deaths - 22 Nov 2020

United States Brazil India Mexico United Kingdom Italy France Iran Spain Russia

261,939 1169,019 133,589 101,373 55,024 49,823 48,518 44,802 42,619 36,179

Argentina Peru Colombia South Africa Belgium Chile Germany Poland Ecuador Turkey

36,902 35,549 35,104 20,845 15,522 15,069 14,260 13,618 13,139 12,358

* Its been suspected that China has been repeadly reporting less cases of the Coronavirus then they actually have.
*China supposedly had NO additional deaths from June to August - the number staying at 4,634.
17 Apr 2020 China only reporting 50% of its coronavirus number of deaths in Whuhan.
24 Apr 2020 The number of coronavirus cases in China is expected to be four times higher than what they've reported.

Coronavirus is an evil genious. This is how it works in the body. The deadly virus is little more than a packet of genetic material surrounded by a spiky protien shell one-thousandth the width of an eyelash and it leads such a zombie-like existence that it's barely consider a living organism. But as soon as it gets into a human airway, the virus hijacks our cells to create millions more versions of itself. This is how the "evil genius" pathogen works: It finds easy access in humans with them knowing. Before its first host even develops symptoms, it is already spreading its replicas everywhere, moving onto its next victim. It is powerfully deadly in some but mild enough in others to escape containment.

Coronavirus Updates for the USA & World - 22 November 2020

USA ECUADOR JAPAN RUSSIA

Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths

12,475,647 261,939 184,876 13,139 130,179 1,974 2,089,329 36,179

AFGHANISTAN EGYPT JORDAN SAUDI ARABIA

Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths

44,706 1,687 112,676 6,535 183,429 2,236 355,258 5,780

ALGERIA ETHIAOPIA KENYA SINGAPORE

Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths

74,862 2,272 105,352 1,636 77,372 1,380 58,160 28

ARGENTINA FINLAND LEBANON SOUTH AFRICA

Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths

1,366,182 36,902 21,639 375 116,476 900 765,409 20,845

AUSTRALIA FRANCE MALAYSIA SOUTH KOREA

Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths

27,821 907 2,127,051 48,518 54,775 335 30,733 505

AUSTRIA GERMANY MEXICO SPAIN

Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths

247,188 2,388 922,829 14,260 1,032,688 101,373 1,589,219 42,619

BELGIUM GREECE MOROCCO SWEDEN

Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths

556,904 15,522 91,619 1,630 320,962 5,256 208,295 6,406

BOLOVIA HONG KONG NETHERLANDS SWITZERLAND

Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths

143,922 8,904 5,629 108 484,648 8,891 290,601 4,031

BRAZIL HUNGARY NEW ZEALAND SYRIA

Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths

6,052,786 169,016 174,618 3,800 2,028 25 7,154 372

CANADA ICELAND NORWAY TAIWAN

Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths

328,399 11,443 5,277 26 32,630 306 617 7

CHILE INDIA PAKISTAN THAILAND

Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths

540,640 15,069 9,129,003 133,589 374,173 7,662 3,913 60

CHINA IRAN PERU TURKEY

Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths

*86,431 *4,634 854,361 44,803 948,081 35,549 446,822 12,358

COLOMBIA IRAQ PHILIPPINES UNITED KINGDOM

Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths

1,240,493 35,104 535,321 11,958 418,818 8,123 1,512,045 55,024

CUBA IRELAND POLAND URUGUAY

Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths

7,846 132 70,143 2,022 861,331 13,618 4,564 69

CZECHIA ISRAEL PORTUGAL VENEZUELA

Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths

491,647 7,164 328,613 2,757 260,758 3,897 99,435 869

DENMARK ITALY ROMANIA VIETNAM

Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths Total Cases Deaths

70,485 784 1,408,868 418,645 10,047 1,307 35

2021 January 20: The number of coronavirus cases around the world (over 97,000,000), in the USA (over 25,000,000), and in North Carolina continue to increase as do the number of deaths (over 2,000,000 worldwide). There is now even a new strain of COVID-19. Several immunization for the virus have been developed under President Trump's administration but Carolyn & I haven't decided yet if we'll take one. One day we think we will, another day we think we don't. There have been some negative reactions to the immunization, some have died, and we're also concerned about moral issues if we take the vaccine. Much of the cutting-edge research relies on the use of material derived from human fetal tissue - something religious conservatives have spent years fighting against.

At this time, I do not plan to continue to update this page.

The Coronavirus, AKA COVID-19, became such a big "issue" that I decided to designate an entire page to information I collected.
To see the larger page, CLICK HERE

To see all the data I collected during the Coronavirus Pandemic - CLICK HERE

SOURCES

Adult Vaccines

https://vaccineinformation.org/adults/schedules.asp

Black Death of 1347

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death

Diarrhea & Dysentery

https://www.essentialcivilwarcurriculum.com/disease-in-the-civil-war.html

Flu Deaths By Year

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/index.html

Immunization Schedule

https://www.historyofvaccines.org/index.php/content/articles/development-immunization-schedule

Pandemics

https://www.history.com/news/pandemics-end-plague-cholera-black-death-smallpox

Polio

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polio

Rubella

https://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/articles/rubella

Spanish Flu of 1918

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_flu

Typhoid Fever

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoid_fever

World Coronavirus Data

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus

World Population By Country

https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/population-by-country