***NON-POLITICAL COVID-19 Discussion Thread***

[JakeF]

A couple of reminders...

Originally Posted by Bwana

Once again, don't come in this thread with some kind of political agenda, or you will be shown the door. If you want to go that route, there is a thread about this in DC.

Originally Posted by Dartgod

People, there is a lot of good information in this thread, let's try to keep the petty bickering to a minimum.

We all have varying opinions about the impact of this, the numbers, etc. We will all never agree with each other. But we can all keep it civil.

Thanks!

Click here for the original OP:

Spoiler!

Apparently the CoronaVirus can survive on a inanimate objects, such as door knobs, for 9 days.

California coronavirus case could be first spread within U.S. community, CDC says
By SOUMYA KARLAMANGLA, JACLYN COSGROVE
FEB. 26, 2020 8:04 PM

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating what could be the first case of novel coronavirus in the United States involving a patient in California who neither recently traveled out of the country nor was in contact with someone who did.

“At this time, the patient’s exposure is unknown. It’s possible this could be an instance of community spread of COVID-19, which would be the first time this has happened in the United States,” the CDC said in a statement. “Community spread means spread of an illness for which the source of infection is unknown. It’s also possible, however, that the patient may have been exposed to a returned traveler who was infected.”

The individual is a resident of Solano County and is receiving medical care in Sacramento County, according to the state Department of Public Health.

The CDC said the “case was detected through the U.S. public health system — picked up by astute clinicians.”

Officials at UC Davis Medical Center expanded on what the federal agency might have meant by that in an email sent Wednesday, as reported by the Davis Enterprise newspaper.

The patient arrived at UC Davis Medical Center from another hospital Feb. 19 and “had already been intubated, was on a ventilator, and given droplet protection orders because of an undiagnosed and suspected viral condition,” according to an email sent by UC Davis officials that was obtained by the Davis Enterprise.

The staff at UC Davis requested COVID-19 testing by the CDC, but because the patient didn’t fit the CDC’s existing criteria for the virus, a test wasn’t immediately administered, according to the email. The CDC then ordered the test Sunday, and results were announced Wednesday. Hospital administrators reportedly said in the email that despite these issues, there has been minimal exposure at the hospital because of safety protocols they have in place.

A UC Davis Health spokesperson declined Wednesday evening to share the email with The Times.

Since Feb. 2, more than 8,400 returning travelers from China have entered California, according to the state health department. They have been advised to self-quarantine for 14 days and limit interactions with others as much as possible, officials said.

“This is a new virus, and while we are still learning about it, there is a lot we already know,” Dr. Sonia Angell, director of the California Department of Public Health, said in a statement. “We have been anticipating the potential for such a case in the U.S., and given our close familial, social and business relationships with China, it is not unexpected that the first case in the U.S. would be in California.”

It is not clear how the person became infected, but public health workers could not identify any contacts with people who had traveled to China or other areas where the virus is widespread. That raises concern that the virus is spreading in the United States, creating a challenge for public health officials, experts say.

“It’s the first signal that we could be having silent transmission in the community,” said Lawrence Gostin, director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center on National and Global Health Law. “It probably means there are many more cases out there, and it probably means this individual has infected others, and now it’s a race to try to find out who that person has infected.”

On Tuesday, the CDC offered its most serious warning to date that the United States should expect and prepare for the coronavirus to become a more widespread health issue.

“Ultimately, we expect we will see coronavirus spread in this country,” said Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. “It’s not so much a question of if, but a question of when.”

According to the CDC’s latest count Wednesday morning, 59 U.S. residents have tested positive for the new strain of coronavirus — 42 of whom are repatriated citizens from a Diamond Princess cruise. That number has grown by two since Messonnier’s last count Tuesday, although the CDC was not immediately available to offer details on the additional cases.

More than 82,000 cases of coronavirus have been reported globally, and more than 2,700 people have died, with the majority in mainland China, the epicenter of the outbreak.

But public health leaders have repeatedly reminded residents that the health risk from the novel coronavirus to the general public remains low.

“While COVID-19 has a high transmission rate, it has a low mortality rate,” the state Department of Public Health said in a statement Wednesday. “From the international data we have, of those who have tested positive for COVID-19, approximately 80% do not exhibit symptoms that would require hospitalization. There have been no confirmed deaths related to COVID-19 in the United States to date.”

CDC officials have also warned that although the virus is likely to spread in U.S. communities, the flu still poses a greater risk.

Gostin said the news of potential silent transmission does not eliminate the possibility of containing the virus in the U.S. and preventing an outbreak.

“There are few enough cases that we should at least try,” he said. “Most of us are not optimistic that that will be successful, but we’re still in the position to try.”

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by Mr_Tomahawk

No Bueno!

Yeah, I think we need to take that with a grain of salt with yesterday being Sunday. Yesterday was the lowest death count for NY in a while but I noticed they never had an evening update. Or at least it didn't appear that way. They are only ahead today by 4 so all things considered if it stayed that way it's a sign that maybe things are starting to flatten out there a skosh.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

It will die out (in theory) over an extraordinary timeline. And if we haven't been able to do that will literally dozens of infectious diseases, why should we expect we can here? Again, I don't think that's the plan because it simply never has been.

And because of the novel nature of this one, it's going to even more difficult/impossible to pull off. I mean getting it below 2 seems plenty doable, but the idea that we're putting policies in place with the idea of driving it below 1 over any timeline of less than 2-3 years seems completely out there to me. That's ambitious to the point of folly.

I have had doctors tell me they don't think this thing is every going away. We just have to adapt to it like we have the flu with vaccines and treatments, etc.

Admittedly they could be wrong but I know that just because hardly anyone gets the measles we still lose almost 75k people a year world wide to it. And we have been vaccinating for that since before I was born.

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by petegz28

Yeah, I think we need to take that with a grain of salt with yesterday being Sunday. Yesterday was the lowest death count for NY in a while but I noticed they never had an evening update. Or at least it didn't appear that way. They are only ahead today by 4 so all things considered if it stayed that way it's a sign that maybe things are starting to flatten out there a skosh.

They had a small evening update yesterday but it wasn’t much

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by SAUTO

They had a small evening update yesterday but it wasn’t much

Well that's going in the right direction then....

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by petegz28

Well that's going in the right direction then....

Here’s hoping this evening update isn’t crazy high

[SuperBowl4]

Notice that most of these dying from this virus are being reported as having "underlying health conditions"?

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by petegz28

I have had doctors tell me they don't think this thing is every going away. We just have to adapt to it like we have the flu with vaccines and treatments, etc.

Admittedly they could be wrong but I know that just because hardly anyone gets the measles we still lose almost 75k people a year world wide to it. And we have been vaccinating for that since before I was born.

Yeah, "well just get the R0 down below 1" seems like quite the throwaway given that we manage to pull that off...well, never. Especially not with something that seems fairly transmittable on its own.

Getting it to 2 seems reasonable, or even a tick below that. I just cannot imagine they're hand-waiving something as rare as driving a disease out of existence through naturally mitigation. Especially not over a timeline that isn't substantially longer than any potential vaccine would take.

That being the underlying premise just doesn't pass the sniff test to me.

[Monticore]

Originally Posted by SuperBowl4

Notice that most of these dying from this virus are being reported as having "underlying health conditions"?

It is a long list, they are mentioned at the bottom of the daily deaths breakdown chart that has been posted before.

I think somebody mentioned earlier 82million Americans fell under that category.

[Tnerped]

Virus is spreading in my town now and everyone wants to come to the post office evidently. We've had a line out the door since we opened and I don't see it slowing down. Pretty sure this thing has already gotten into my office too.

Never had problems before last week with having a tightness in my chest, fatigue, and an atypical heart beat.

But no coughing and fever so I guess I'm good.

[BleedingRed]

New cases world wide are dropping last three days. But then again minus USA no one is testing fast enough.

(PS not saying we are amazing but we are averaging 100k a day tested)

[BleedingRed]

Originally Posted by Tnerped

Virus is spreading in my town now and everyone wants to come to the post office evidently. We've had a line out the door since we opened and I don't see it slowing down. Pretty sure this thing has already gotten into my office too.

Never had problems before last week with having a tightness in my chest, fatigue, and an atypical heart beat.

But no coughing and fever so I guess I'm good.

No you probably have it and are not "Good" please get tested.... And stay away from work till you have results

[SuperBowl4]

The ONLY ones happy about this Pandemic are the prisoners being released. And Bill Gates.

[Tnerped]

Originally Posted by BleedingRed

No you probably have it and are not "Good" please get tested.... And stay away from work till you have results

Can't get tested unless my temperature is over 103, along with other qualifiers, and I can't leave work unless I'm exhibiting symptoms like a cough.

[stumppy]

Originally Posted by Tnerped

Virus is spreading in my town now and everyone wants to come to the post office evidently. We've had a line out the door since we opened and I don't see it slowing down. Pretty sure this thing has already gotten into my office too.

Never had problems before last week with having a tightness in my chest, fatigue, and an atypical heart beat.

But no coughing and fever so I guess I'm good.

Or, you may have some heart problems.

[Fat Elvis]

Originally Posted by petegz28

Bad day for Ks, 25 new cases and 3 new deaths. Mo has 3 new deaths but no reported new cases as of yet.

KS had 98 new cases registered today; MO doesn't post their info until 2pm.