Staff Reporter

EPA official gets behind-the-scenes tour of WSSC Water’s testing lab

April 25, 2022 by Staff Reporter

The tour comes as the federal government decides how exactly to spend $50 million dollars earmarked for upgrading aging water infrastructure in President Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure law.

WSSC Water CEO Carla Reid and Laboratory Division Manager Clarence Beverhoudt provides a tour of the utility’s water testing lab in Silver Spring, Md., to Radhika Fox, Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water for the EPA on Monday, April 25, 2022.

WTOP/Mike Murillo

A new truck that can do more water testing at suspected spill sites is stationed outside of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission Water Consolidated Laboratory Facility in Laurel, Maryland.

WTOP/Mike Murillo

Visitors tour the laboratory guided by WSSC Water staff.

WTOP/Mike Murillo

A lab worker operates equipment at the WSSC facility in Laurel, Md.

WTOP/Mike Murillo

A lab worker operates equipment at the WSSC facility in Laurel, Md.

WTOP/Mike Murillo

The building is divided into four sections — administration, support, gas storage and the main labratory.

WTOP/Mike Murillo

The building is divided into four sections — administration, support, gas storage and the main labratory.

WTOP/Mike Murillo

A top-ranking Environmental Protection Agency official got a behind-the-scenes tour of one of the nation’s largest water utilities.

Radhika Fox, an assistant administrator for the EPA’s Office of Water, toured WSSC Water’s under-construction raw water pipeline and its Silver Spring laboratory, where 500,000 water and wastewater samples are tested each year.

“This laboratory facility is just really remarkable,” Fox said at the conclusion of her tour of the WSSC water lab.

Carla Reid, general manager and CEO of WSSC Water, said visits like this allow members of her team to speak directly with government officials and clarify each group’s needs and expectations.

A look inside the lab

Inside the laboratory just off Route 29 near the Intercounty Connector, workers in white lab coats poured samples of drinking water into vials. Those vials are checked for everything from bacteria to metal. In another section of the lab, treated water from the utility’s wastewater plants is tested before returning to area rivers.

“We have to make sure that we meet all the Maryland Department of Environment and EPA requirements before that treated water goes back into those rivers,” said Clarence Beverhoudt, laboratory division manager for WSSC Water.

Some team members begin collecting samples as early as 1 a.m. to meet fast-moving deadlines.

Fox also saw some of the tools WSSC Water has for responding to spills and other water emergencies like the 2016 Dickerson Power Plant oil sheen spill. One of those tools is a new specialized truck that can do 24/7 monitoring and field testing without driving samples back to Silver Spring.

Before visiting the laboratory, Fox toured a 48-inch raw water pipeline in Laurel, Maryland, that will stretch between the Rocky Gorge Raw Pumping Station and the Patuxent Water Filtration Plant. The over $9 million project is expected to be completed next summer.

“The project that we saw this morning, that is so essential to water supply reliability here, in Maryland, those are the types of investments we’ll be able to make and accelerate, really so that communities all across America can have clean, safe water,” Fox said.

The tour follows the signing of President Joe Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure bill which included $50 million for upgrading aging water infrastructure — it’s unclear how much of the $50 million WSSC Water will get.

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Originally Appeared Here

Protecting the Health, Safety and Livelihoods of CCA Members

April 25, 2022 by Staff Reporter

Exactly two years ago, the colleges of the South Orange County Community College District (SOCCCD) were heading into spring break, uncertain whether faculty and students would be returning to on-campus instruction after the break due to the surging novel coronavirus. It had just been declared a pandemic by the WHO, but the district was still debating the pros and cons of converting to fully online instruction. The SOCCCD Faculty Association, however, believed faculty and students would not be returning and had already begun work on the first in a series of five MOUs aimed at protecting the health, safety, livelihoods, and satisfactory working conditions of our members. In the two years since, the FA, like all faculty unions across the state, has had to work hard to ensure that the concerns and needs of faculty were addressed. As a wall-to-wall unit representing both full- and part-time faculty, this has been particularly difficult, but it has also increased the spotlight on the disparities between full- and part-time faculty, enabling us to negotiate a far better contract for our part-time members.

The first two MOUs, signed in March and April of 2020, were aimed at allowing faculty the most latitude in converting to the online methodologies of their choice. While the district has always had a strong online program, many of the faculty had never taught in this manner and were suddenly thrust into a new instructional reality. During this phase, the FA was also able to suspend other faculty obligations, including evaluations and college service. Most importantly, we were able to largely preserve part-time employment for the remainder of that semester and into summer, including for librarians and others whose hours might have been cut otherwise, and won significant concessions regarding the cancellation of low-enrolled classes.

The third and fourth MOUs were much more comprehensive and primarily addressed health and safety concerns related to working from home and to the possible return to on-campus instruction. We ensured that equipment needed to continue instruction, including computers and ergonomic chairs, was made available to all faculty. We established a process for continuing to work remotely due to illness or quarantine, extended the mandated 80 hours of additional sick leave beyond the expiration date, and established safety protocols related to maximum occupancy for classrooms, cleaning and disinfecting requirements, ventilation and air filtration upgrades, provision of PPE, and availability of vaccines, among other things. A final MOU concerned the impacts and effects of the districtwide vaccine mandate.

Although it seems that we may now be emerging from this pandemic, the impact on our membership continues as we all struggle with the new realities of living with COVID-19.

For example, it was just announced by the chancellor that the mask mandate for students will be lifted on April 11, two weeks after the return from spring break and the possible case spike from the inevitable congregations of students. SOCCCD FA, like all unions, will need to remain vigilant and prepared to return to the negotiating table to protect our membership as conditions change.

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Originally Appeared Here

Bluffton Company Assures Safety With Accredited Air Duct Cleaning

April 25, 2022 by Staff Reporter

Bluffton, SC – Bluffton-based Ugly Duct Cleaning assures clients to have clean and safe air quality at home with their Accredited Air Duct Cleaning services. Ugly Duct Cleaning says that every home they cater to will have a cleaner and safer indoor air quality through air duct cleaning.

“With our air duct cleaning services, we can help eliminate dust, pollens, spores, fungi, and other pollutants in the heating and cooling system of any home. We assure to get rid of these pollutants can build up in the air duct systems over time and trigger allergies and other respiratory issues,” says Ugly Duct Cleaning.

The family-owned and operated business not only offers air duct cleaning they also perform Dryer Vent Cleaning, Dryer Vent Rerouting, Dryer Vent Installation, and Dryer Line Replacement. The company adds, “We know how to properly clean your vents and dryer vents to help maintain the air quality you need. We have done this for years and love what we do. This is why so many people give us their 5-Star rating.”

Additionally, Ugly Duct Cleaning surely knows how to show their care for their customers. The company has required all their “duckies” or staff to be Covid-vaccinated to ensure that they offer optimum health safety with all their services. The Bluffton company also ensures to follow the strict health standards in performing their job. Their duckies wear a mask and perform proper sanitation at work. Ugly Duct Cleaning also uses a coronavirus-fighting bacterial solution approved by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Ugly Duct Cleaning is committed to providing excellent service and maintaining a solid work ethic. “We are trustworthy and will provide timely and effective service. We’re here to assist you. We have a staff of experienced, trained, skilled, and courteous air duct and vent cleaning professionals,” they continue.

Their hard work has not gone unnoticed. Ugly Duct Cleaning has the trust not just of SC homeowners but also of big companies, including Beach Properties of Hilton Head, Seashore Vacations Hilton Head Islands, Goode Vacation Rentals, and Wyndham Vacation Rentals.

Additionally, the Bluffton business provides clients free, no-obligation estimates. Through their website, https://uglyductcleaning.com/, customers can quickly get a free quotation for their chosen service. The client submits a web form, and the business contacts them.

To discover more about the Best Air Duct Cleaning, clients may visit https://uglyductcleaning.com/. They may likewise contact the business through phone at (843) 816-0537 or via email at [email protected]. Ugly Duct is situated at 7 Allyan Court in Bluffton, South Carolina 29910.

###

For more information about Ugly Duct Cleaning, contact the company here:

Ugly Duct Cleaning
Ugly Duct Cleaning
843-816-0537
[email protected]
7 Allyan Court Bluffton, SC 29910

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April 25, 2022 by Staff Reporter

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Originally Appeared Here

How to Reduce Overspray in a Paint Booth

April 25, 2022 by Staff Reporter

Q: How can my shop reduce overspray in our paint booth?

A: Overspray occurs when a spray coating lands on an unintended surface. While this may be inevitable during the painting process, there are some best practices for technicians to know. By following good spraying techniques and paint booth maintenance, painters can reduce the amount of overspray while painting.

Why reducing overspray matters

When overspray gets onto unintended areas, it can cause issues with lighting and filters within the paint booth, as well as paint defects on the surface being painted.

When filters become clogged, their performance and airflow can be affected. For example, filters may not bring clean air into the booth and dirty air out of the cabin as well as if they were clean. Unclean filters can also cause higher concentrations of vapors, airborne particulate, and contamination, making it an unsafe environment for painters as well as unideal for painting itself. Shops can also lose a lot of money over time, as congested filters require replacements more frequently.

Lighting is extremely important in the painting process, especially for color matching. Having the best bulbs installed doesn’t matter much if they’re covered in overspray. This can affect the booth’s lighting and, therefore, the coloring within the cabin, causing metamerism.

During the actual painting process, overspray from improper spraying can cause paint defects, such as unwanted dirt, dry spray, and others. Some defects can be spotted right away, while others won’t be noticed until after a coating has dried. Either way, paint defects can cause bottlenecks in production due to having to redo a paint job.

What are the best spraying techniques?

Every technician should know and follow these best spraying techniques to help reduce overspray. Of course, we all know that application between some paint lines varies greatly but sticking to your product’s application method from training needs to be followed. Before spraying, make sure the spray gun is at the optimal distance away from the surface being painted, which, depending on the gun and whether you’re spraying water or solvent, can vary from 6-10″.

Also, the spray gun tip should remain perpendicular to the surface at all times. Anything at the wrong angle can result in more overspray than wanted outward of the panel and darker areas where the nozzle is closer to the panel due to the tilt. Correcting this by itself can help save “haloing” in blends. It’s common for many newer painters to have issues in their blends due to application problems. Improper blending with the gun and blends being “dry” causes poor repairs and costly redoes.

Finding the correct spray pressure

The correct spray pressure is also important when trying to reduce overspray. Having low pressure can result in a thick and orange peeled finish, as well as the possibility of over-application of the coating. Having high pressure can result in streaks, dry spray, or over-atomization of the paint and a lot of paint going everywhere. The correct pressure level will result in an even coating and coverage with no visible defects.

To get the right spray pressure, technicians must consider their gun setup, nozzle size, and coating temperature. We recommend always checking your materials technical data sheet (TDS) to see what recommended settings are for your gun and performing a spray test on a low setting to get a feel of the spray gun and its coverage. From there, slowly increase the pressure over time until an even coverage is achieved.

Pro Tip: Always set the pressure at the wall about 5 psi higher than wanted. Keep the spray gun set as wide open as possible at the gun itself to not choke the gun down and take advantage of all the CFM (cubic feet per minute) coming to the gun.

Keeping the spray gun clean

The spray gun itself is vital to reducing overspray, as a technician cannot achieve the right finish if their spray gun is unclean. The spray nozzle can become clogged over time and cause an uneven coating. We’ve all seen when a gun is spraying more on one side or the other. It’s imperative to keep the gun and all air passages clean.

The hose can also become covered in overspray and those same hoses tend to break down over time. Remember to change your booth hoses once a year, and if you are using a fresh air system, be sure you have a non-wicking hose for your breathing airline.

Ironically, overspray can also build up on spray guns and therefore should be taken apart and have all parts regularly cleaned.

Best paint booth setup to reduce overspray

Downdraft airflows are best at producing cleaner paint jobs and reducing overspray due to their top-down airflow direction. After clean air comes from the top of the booth, it flows directly down into the floor filters. For this reason, technicians should work from high to low to follow the airflow within the booth.

Cross and semi draft booths are more prone to overspray since their airflow moves from side to side. In a cross booth, it’s best to paint against the airflow of the booth and spray starting closest to the filters at one end of the booth. Doing so will ensure the overspray lands in the wet paint you have sprayed and not landing on a dry surface that you are about to paint over. The wet surface will allow the overspray to melt in resulting in much less “dust” on the surface.

How paint booth maintenance affects overspray

It’s important to perform paint booth maintenance upkeep, as it can play a direct role in reducing overspray. Both an air makeup unit and exhaust fan parts greatly impact the amount of overspray that stays within a booth’s cabin. Performing routine diagnostic checks can help catch problems early on or even prevent big equipment failure issues from occurring. Cleaning the AMU and exhaust fan will ensure they are at peak performance and working as they should.

Best way to reduce overspray

To ensure your shop is following the best ways to reduce overspray, start with your paint booth set up. Invest in a downdraft booth if possible and keep up with its maintenance, including air makeup units, exhaust fans, filters, and lighting. From there, train technicians on overspray-reducing spray techniques and spray gun cleaning.

About the Author

Jeremy Winters

Jeremy Winters is a marketing and content creator for Accudraft Paint Booths. Visit accudraftpaintbooths.com.

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Originally Appeared Here

College of Innovation & Technology’s inaugural class ends first year with a celebration

April 25, 2022 by Staff Reporter

The College of Innovation and Technology (CIT) recently celebrated the end of its first official year. Students, staff, faculty, and industry partners connected over conversation and delicious food, revisiting all of the great things the CIT community has accomplished, and recognizing the innovation that our inaugural class brought with them into UM-Flint.

As part of the CIT celebration, many student projects were featured, providing an opportunity for students to showcase their hard work outside of the classroom, giving industry partners a snapshot of what creativity, technical skills, and some faculty guidance can allow them to accomplish. These projects were part of the Internet of Things (ITI-150) class and were under the supervision of Assistant Professor Yasser Aboelkassem. Below are some of the projects that were presented.

Dover: A robot for carbon footprint and air quality monitoring

By Jordan Boling

This robot is equipped with sensors to monitor indoor air quality such as ozone levels, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and carbon dioxide. The robot will also be equipped with a messaging system to inform users of the air quality and their carbon footprint, as well as propose ways to reduce it.

Measuring biodata from plants

By Jo Sokoloski

This project uses state-of-the-art Arduino microcontrollers with some high-sensitivity electrodes to record electrical activity within plants (biodata). The project is considered a first step toward building a well-designed plant sonification device.

Barista Bot

By Sal Dimaggio and Nathaniel Miller

This is a personalized robotic barista that is fully controllable from the cloud. The design integrates several pumps with a custom-built wifi Arduino circuit capability. Code was written to time the flow rate from each pump and prepare the coffee ingredients. An ultrasonic sensor also detects the placement of a cup to prevent coffee spills. A fully functional barista that you can control from the comfort of your bed!

Smart Plant Care System

By Amanda Binu and Caleb Long

The system automatically measures the moisture level of the soil for a plant and ensures it’s within the ideal range for plant growth. It uses a 12V water pump connected to an Arduino (IoT) carrier. The system was tuned to respond efficiently to the water needs when moisture drops below the set threshold and starts watering the plant automatically. The system is capable of monitoring the temperature, light intensity, and humidity levels as well.

Dr. Pearson, dean of the College of Innovation & Technology noted that “the accomplishments of the CIT students in this inaugural year have been outstanding. The projects on display from these first-year students show a level of achievement beyond their years. CIT’s future is very bright indeed with these students and faculty leading the way.”

CIT also works very closely with industry partners to create experiences such as leadership training, entrepreneurship opportunities, networking, and internships to help our students grow both personally and professionally as they advance through their academic careers into the workforce. These industry partners have made incredible contributions throughout the year. Lear Corporation, Automation Alley, Hurley Medical Center, and Laser Marking Technologies, LLC joined students, faculty, and staff at the end-of-year celebration. These partnerships are valuable for both students and industry in providing open channels and communications between the current and future workforce.

We look forward to what our CIT students will accomplish in future years!

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Originally Appeared Here

The case for continued universal indoor masking and training too!

April 25, 2022 by Staff Reporter

Masks in many workplaces may no longer be mandatory, but they remain a necessary protection against COVID-19 transmission just the same.

For this reason, in early April, Public Health Ontario (PHO) raised the issue of “re-implementing universal indoor masking in public settings,” singling out schools, students, families and educators as especially benefiting from this measure. In their most recent COVID-19 projections report the Ontario Science Table also stated unequivocally, “Community benefits from masking are most pronounced when adopted widely in public spaces, schools and workplaces.”

Both PHO and the Science Table emphasized though the need for superior fit and filtration, such as can be attained with an N95 or equivalent respirator. Citing a U.S. study, the Science Table highlighted the fact that wearers of N95 or KN95 respirators lowered their odds of testing positive for COVID-19 by 83 per cent.

However, how long the protection of respirators lasts is in large part dependent on the quality of masks others around them are wearing or not wearing. For instance, scientists have estimated those wearing a non-fit tested N95 respirator when confronted by an infectious person who is wearing no mask to be protected against COVID-19 for only 1.25 hours. When both persons are wearing non-fit tested respirators, protection was estimated to last 6.25 hours. This estimation was made prior to more infectious variants though. Why additional layers of protection such as improved ventilation and filtration and third or fourth COVID-19 vaccines are so important. And why masking is not just a simple matter of choice. Someone’s choice not to wear a mask can potentially harm another. In their recent report the Science Table also documented the emerging data on the range of serious medical conditions increased in the first year after COVID infection.

Masking and training for protection

With this evidence in mind and Science Table COVID-19 modelling which “indicates that hospital occupancy is likely to continue to rise for some time,” Workers Health & Safety Centre is once again scheduling our training program on non-fit tested respirators in virtual classrooms.

Register now to secure your seat!
https://www.whsc.on.ca/Training/Training-Registration

COURSE:	Non-fit-tested respirators — virtual
WHEN:	Wednesday, May 4, 2022 8:30AM to 10:30AM OR 11:00AM to 1:00PM OR 2:00PM to 4:00PM Additional courses will be scheduled upon demand.
COST:	$15.00

What to expect and bring to training?

Participants will learn critical information regarding respirator selection, use, care and limitations. How respirators work within much needed layers of protection will also be covered. Finally, this training will help ensure participants achieve the best possible respirator fit and seal short of formal fit testing.

This course also offers a superior online health and safety learning experience in a WHSC virtual classroom. Delivered over a secure Zoom platform and led by a highly qualified WHSC-trained instructor, course participants learn together in small, engaging classes — much like our traditional, learner-centred, in-person training courses. Training participants will need a high-speed internet connection and a computer with a properly functioning camera, microphone and speakers.

Participants will also need to bring to the course a N95 respirator or equivalent/superior respirator, as a central course activity will focus on each participant demonstrating respirator donning and doffing, plus how to perform a proper seal check. Haven’t secured a respirator yet? Check out the Masks4Canada tip sheet and retailer listing.

Employers’ OHS obligations

Under health and safety law, employers are charged the greatest legal responsibilities for ensuring safe work, including the duty to take every precaution reasonable for the protection of workers. During this sixth wave of the pandemic in addition to respirators, the situation still demands a comprehensive workplace safety plan that also includes the ability to work remotely when possible, screening and rapid tests before entering the workplace, assured enhanced ventilation, physical distancing, contract tracing, adequate paid sick time, and vaccination requirements (The latest Ontario Science Table report also provided evidence documenting how COVID-infected persons with a third vaccine are less likely to be admitted to hospital and dramatically less likely to transmit the virus to others.).

Quality training offers a layer of protection too. As Ontario’s designated health and safety training centre, WHSC is the leading provider of training for workers, workplace representatives and supervisors. We continue to offer training essentials in virtual classrooms – training such JHSC Certification training, Supervisor Health and Safety training, Globally Harmonized WHMIS and Indoor Air training. We are also expanding locations for in-person Working at Heights training as well.

Don’t see what you need? Beyond the scheduled classes, and where participant numbers warrant, we can work with you to coordinate inhouse training for almost any of our training courses.

To learn more
Ontario Science Table COVID-19 Projections, April 14, 2022
What can masks do? The science behind COVID-19 protection

Call: WHSC training services representative in your area.
Email: [email protected]
Visit: www.whsc.on.ca
Follow us too on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.

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Jal Jeevan Mission fulfills piped water dream of Palli residents

April 25, 2022 by Staff Reporter

On the occasion of National Panchayat Raj Day 2022, the residents of Palli village in Samba district have expressed gratitude to Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, for materializing their dream of piped water through Jal Jeevan Mission.

Nestled in the wheat fields on right side of Jammu and Punjab national highway, the mood in the village looked festive as the Man of the Moment, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, was in their locality to address PRI representatives of the country. He had launched this ambitious scheme which provided the Palli residents with clean piped drinking water.

Under this ambitious project of Jal Jeevan Mission, Palli village of Samba has been fully saturated with 448 FHTCs at a cost of Rs. 143.40 lakh. The Palli village water supply project also included a tube well of 6000 Gallons of discharge capacity per hour.

“We have also constructed the sump tank as part of the scheme which is 30,000 gallons of capacity. The water will be stored in a 30,000-gallon capacity sump tank which will suffice the water requirement of Palli village,” a senior engineer of J&K Jal Shakti Department said.

Randhir Sharma, Sarpanch of Palli Panchayat expressed gratitude to PM Narendra Modi for providing piped water connection to every household in his village which was definitely a daunting task.

“We are very happy that we got running water taps for the first time after independence. Earlier, it was a hard task to get water from hand pumps which were a source of various water-borne diseases,” Sharma said.

“We were also trained to check water quality on our own. This is the best gift we could get from PM Modi.” he added.

A school teacher and Pani Samiti member of Palli village, Sunaina hailed the Government’s initiative to save women from drudgery, particularly school going girls who had to fetch water from long distances.

“Palli village has witnessed massive development after the inception of Jal Jeevan Mission in 2019. Girls can now invest the time, which they used to spend in fetching water from distant areas, in studies for brighter careers,” she said.

A sixteen year old Nandini Sharma of Palli village says she has stopped bringing bottled water from home after her school was provided pure drinking water supply under Jal Jeevan Mission.

Pertinently, on 15th August 2019, Prime Minister launched the Jal Jeevan scheme to bring piped water to all households in the coming years. In his Independence Day address, PM Modi had said half of the country’s households do not have access to piped water. To ensure that every household gets clean piped water in rural areas, Prime Minister set the target of covering all households by 2024 despite certain challenges. However, Jammu and Kashmir set the target of completion of tap water connections to all households by the year 2022.

According to official figures, 4,86000 households have been provided with functional tap water connections since the launch of the scheme- on 15 August 2019.

To ensure potable drinking water supply, J&K Jal Shakti Department has opened 97 water quality testing laboratories across the UT for the general public to test water samples at a nominal rate.

Jal Jeevan Mission has already achieved the target of providing tap water to all 22,422 schools and 23,926 Anganwadi centres ahead of time.

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Pandemic updates: Covid-19 cases continue to climb in King County

April 25, 2022 by Staff Reporter

Updated news about the coronavirus pandemic in Seattle and Washington state.

As of Monday, April 25, 2022, the King County and Washington state departments of health report:

Covid cases have risen 21% in King County over the last seven days, with a daily average of 701 new cases.
Hospitalizations in King County have increased by 86% in the past week, with an average of eight people hospitalized each day.
Covid deaths have declined by 19% over the past week in King County, with an average of one person dying each day.
84.9% of eligible King County residents are fully vaccinated; 72% of eligible Washingtonians have been fully vaccinated; 58.5% of eligible Washingtonians have received a booster shot.
1% death rate across Washington state since the beginning of the pandemic.
91 Covid cases per 100,000 people across Washington state.

MONDAY, APRIL 25

Pierce County business fined $56k over failure to enforce masking, leaving one employee dead

The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries fined a fish processing plant after the company failed to enforce indoor masking rules during a meeting last fall, leaving 16 people sick, including a person who died.

Shining Ocean Inc. has paid a $56,000 fine for allowing employees to go without masks during a Nov. 4, 2021 meeting attended by 23 people, despite state and local mask mandates being in effect at the time. The company did not have a vaccination verification process in place at the time, according to a press release published by the Department of Labor and Industries.

Officials say money collected from the fine will go into the state workers’ compensation supplemental pension fund for workers and the families of people who have died on the job.

—Liz Brazile

Covid-19 cases continue to climb in King County

While Covid cases remain far lower than they were during the peak of the winter omicron surge, they’ve risen from an average of roughly 165 new cases per day in mid-March to 692 new cases per day.

As more people test at home, it’s harder to get a full picture of exactly how many new are emerging in the community.

But those that are recorded have reached levels that have pushed the county over the threshold into the CDC’s “medium” community levels category. However, officials say they’re not ready to tighten Covid restrictions again.

“The CDC ‘medium’ risk category is not a magic threshold meaning the Covid-19 pandemic locally is suddenly or fundamentally different, or that we’re approaching a crisis level. But it does tell us that Covid-19 infection risk is increasing for individuals and for our community,” Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officer with Public Health – Seattle & King County, said during a media briefing Monday.

The county was in the “low” community levels category for weeks as cases and hospitalizations declined sharply following the winter surge.

Duchin stressed that it’s important for community members to remember Covid is still present.

He said precautions can be taken to help lower risk, like staying up to date with all vaccines and boosters, wearing good quality and well-fitted masks, improving indoor air quality, and using rapid tests.

“We are in a much better place than we have been in the past couple of years during the early days of the outbreak with respect to the severe impacts, hospitalizations, and deaths,” Duchin said.

However, he said a lot remains to be learned about what’s known as “long Covid,” and even a minor infection is worth avoiding.

Along with increasing cases, the county’s data dashboard on Monday appeared to show an increase in hospitalizations. However, Duchin said the current numbers may be inflated as staff are still going through the process of filtering cases from new admissions to weed out any cases where someone is admitted for an unrelated reason and happens to test positive for Covid while in hospital. He said Covid-19 hospitalizations have remained steady at low levels in recent weeks. Deaths in King County continue to decline.

Duchin said the county is not issuing new recommendations or restrictions at this time, citing a more steady rise in Covid cases than in previous waves, fewer hospitalizations, and an increase in the number of high-risk people who are vaccinated.

However, he said an increase in severe disease and hospitalizations could trigger the return of measures like indoor masking mandates in the future.

Covid-19 cases have been rising across Washington state, but hospitalizations statewide remain steady at low levels.

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Possible Case of Mysterious Liver Disease in Kids Reported in Illinois Amid CDC Warning – NBC Chicago

April 25, 2022 by Staff Reporter

NOTE: Watch interviews with experts as they discuss what parents need to know on NBC 5 at 4 p.m. Tune in live on TV and in the player above.

A possible case of a mysterious liver disease affecting some children in the U.S. is being investigated in a child in Illinois, officials with Advocate Healthcare said Monday, days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put out a nationwide alert about the infections.

A 4-year-old boy was brought to Advocate Children’s Hospital in Park Ridge roughly two weeks ago with hepatitis, or “inflammation of the liver,” Dr. Vincent Biank, who specializes in pediatric gastroenterology, told NBC Chicago. Biank said the child also tested positive for adenovirus, a test they conducted following the CDC warning, but health officials are still awaiting further test results to determine if he had the same strain of adenovirus as previous cases reported in the U.S.

“His liver numbers spiked to over 3,000 and we followed him in the hospital for three, four days and actually got a liver biopsy to kind of see how bad the injury was on his liver and it was pretty severe,” Biank said.

The good news is that the child’s condition improved and his liver started recovering on its own, not requiring a transplant, as in some cases reported previously. He was discharged from the hospital last week.

The liver processes nutrients, filters the blood and fights infections. The infections caused symptoms like jaundice, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Hepatitis can be life-threatening if left untreated.

The CDC on Thursday issued a public health alert to physicians nationwide, asking doctors to be on the look out for unusual cases of severe liver disease in children.

The agency said in its advisory that nine cases of hepatitis, or liver inflammation, have been reported in Alabama in children aged 1 to 6, and NBC News reports an additional two have been identified in North Carolina, according to the state’s health department.

The U.K. Health Security Agency has recorded 111 cases of unexplained hepatitis in children under 10 since January. Ten of the children needed liver transplants. The U.N. health agency said it has so far received reports of at least 169 cases of “acute hepatitis of unknown origin,” and that one death had been reported.

While it isn’t clear what’s causing the illnesses, a leading suspect is adenovirus, which was detected in 75% of the confirmed cases tested, the U.K. agency said in statement Monday.

“Mild hepatitis is very common in children following a range of viral infections, but what is being seen at the moment is quite different,” said Graham Cooke, a professor of infectious diseases at Imperial College London. Some of the children in the U.K. have required specialist care at liver units and a few have needed a liver transplant.

Adenovirus, a common group of viruses, is now circulating in children at higher than average levels after dropping to unusually low levels during the pandemic. One avenue of inquiry being explored is that the outbreak may be linked to a surge in common viral infections after COVID-19 restrictions were phased out. Children who weren’t exposed to adenovirus over the last two years may now be getting hit harder when they are exposed to the viruses.

“Information gathered through our investigations increasingly suggests that this rise in sudden onset hepatitis in children is linked to adenovirus infection,’’ said Dr Meera Chand, director of clinical and emerging infections at UKHSA. “However, we are thoroughly investigating other potential causes.”

The usual viruses that cause infectious liver inflammation — hepatitis A to E — weren’t detected in any of the 111 cases being investigated in the U.K.

Though there are dozens of adenoviruses, many of them associated with cold-like symptoms, fever, sore throat and pink eye, U.S. authorities said the nine Alabama children tested positive for adenovirus and officials there are exploring a link to one particular version — adenovirus 41 — that’s normally associated with gut inflammation.

“It’s been found in these kids and in a good portion of the kids in Britain, but it’s also very common so I can’t say for sure cause and effect. It’s certainly a possible cause,” said Dr. Sharon Welbel, director of hospital epidemiology and infection control at Cook County Health.

Public health officials ruled out any links to COVID-19 vaccines, saying none of the affected children were vaccinated.

The CDC’s advisory Thursday urges pediatric doctors to consider adenovirus testing.

It was that alert that led to Advocate Children’s Hospital’s recent discovery, Biank said. It’s possible additional cases may have been gone undetected prior to the CDC’s alert, he added.

The WHO noted that although there has been an increase in adenovirus in Britain, the potential role of those viruses in triggering hepatitis is unclear. WHO said there were fewer than five possible cases in Ireland and three confirmed cases in Spain, in children aged 22 months to 13 years.

The U.N. health agency said that given the jump in cases in the past month and heightened surveillance, it was “very likely” more cases will be detected.

Still, experts say the risk of severe hepatitis in healthy children remains rare.

“It’s still very unusual, you know,” Welbel said. “So far we’ve seen very, you know, a very small handful of cases, some of those cases were severe and a couple did require liver transplant in the U.S., but so far it’s still what I would call rare.”

So what should parents be watching for?

“The symptoms of hepatitis in childhood can be vague at first – abdominal pain, loss of appetite, severe fatigue – but then, as it progresses, the children do start to have dark urine, pale stools, yellowing of the whites of their eyes,” said Dr. Estella Alonso, a hepatologist at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago. “These are the things that parents notice. And if parents do notice that they should seek medical attention from their pediatrician or in an emergency or urgent care setting as soon as possible.”

According to Lurie Children’s Hospital, the most common symptoms of acute hepatitis include:

Flu-like symptoms
Fever
Nausea and/or vomiting
Decreased appetite
Not feeling well all over
Abdominal pain or discomfort
Diarrhea
Later symptoms include dark-colored urine and jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes). The symptoms of hepatitis may resemble other conditions or medical problems. Always consult your child’s physician for a diagnosis.

The hospital notes that symptoms will likely vary by child.

Experts say the public health protocols in place from coronavirus are the best measures for preventing adenovirus as well.

That includes washing hands properly, avoiding close contact with people who are sick, staying home when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze, disinfecting surfaces and keeping hands away from faces and eyes.

“Those are just the basic public health precautions,” Alonso said. “If a child or a friend, a sibling member has a viral gastroenteritis with vomiting or diarrhea, that child should be kept to themselves not attending playdates not attending school, so that the virus doesn’t spread. Because our thinking is that this adenovirus may actually spread in several children where they don’t have hepatitis, but then in certain individuals, it causes an infection that does become the hepatitis. So in general, it’d be good to practice public health measures that reduce the spread of adenovirus in general in our community.”

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Originally Appeared Here