***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.”

[stumppy]

Originally Posted by petegz28

What's the matter pete? You no longer have a problem with political posts in here?

[loochy]

Originally Posted by petegz28

How to manufacture a high %positive number....

Ideally what we'd want is the blue bar going up and the orange bar going down

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by Pants

I don't understand that graph.

Are you saying more testing leads to a higher percentage of positive results? I thought it was the opposite.

Look at the chart again. The testing is being done less and less. The Sentinel busted KS for doing this over the weekend. They are testing less people and the people they are testing are symptomatic or have been exposed to those people.

In other words you are reducing the testing and the people you are testing are already skewed towards the probability of being positve.

KS has the 2nd lowest testing in the country. If I want a high percentage I test less and test people already skewed towards the result I want. Get it?

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by loochy

Ideally what we'd want is the blue bar going up and the orange bar going down

Correct. But when you want the %positive to stay higher you test less so each positive has a larger impact to the end result.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by stumppy

What's the matter pete? You no longer have a problem with political posts in here?

I love you in the chat, stump but in here you are just ****ing laughable at times.

[Pants]

Originally Posted by petegz28

Look at the chart again. The testing is being done less and less. The Sentinel busted KS for doing this over the weekend. They are testing less people and the people they are testing are symptomatic or have been exposed to those people.

In other words you are reducing the testing and the people you are testing are already skewed towards the probability of being positve.

KS has the 2nd lowest testing in the country. If I want a high percentage I test less and test people already skewed towards the result I want. Get it?

I get it, but I thought we already talked about the fact that they are not testing people without symptoms, even the exposed ones.

Are you saying this is due to an agenda? Someone wants a result and is skewing the data intentionally?

[Donger]

Seems completely agenda-less and unbiased...

https://sentinelksmo.org/kdhe-hides-...itivity-scare/

[Pants]

Originally Posted by Donger

Seems completely agenda-less and unbiased...

https://sentinelksmo.org/kdhe-hides-...itivity-scare/

Interesting article. Unless Gov. Kelly has a side business selling masks, I don't see how mandating masks benefits her?

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by Pants

I get it, but I thought we already talked about the fact that they are not testing people without symptoms, even the exposed ones.

Are you saying this is due to an agenda? Someone wants a result and is skewing the data intentionally?

I think there is an agenda because they are using that very number to justify not opening schools.

In fact that Dr. Areola from JCDOE said based on that number we can assume 10% of the people in JoCo are positive which is just flat out absurd.

[Pants]

Originally Posted by petegz28

I think there is an agenda because they are using that very number to justify not opening schools.

In fact that Dr. Areola from JDOE said based on that number we can assume 10% of the people in JoCo are positive which is just flat out absurd.

Why do they want to keep schools closed?

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by Pants

Why do they want to keep schools closed?

Unions want it. Vast majority of Teachers want it opened. Union was supposed to have some kind of rally at the Olathe school board today. They want 14 days of %positive under 5%. I don't know how you get that when you only test people who are already skewed towards the positive and then claim it's a meaningful number.

I know what your trying to do but the numbers do not lie. They are using a skewed set of numbers to propagate a misleading result as justification to close the schools.

Why? You can go ask but that is the net-net regardless.

[Donger]

In case anyone wants to look at the Kansas positivity rates:

https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/testing/...-states/kansas

[Pants]

Originally Posted by petegz28

Unions want it. Vast majority of Teachers want it opened. Union was supposed to have some kind of rally at the Olathe school board today. They want 14 days of %positive under 5%. I don't know how you get that when you only test people who are already skewed towards the positive and then claim it's a meaningful number.

I know what your trying to do but the numbers do not lie. They are using a skewed set of numbers to propagate a misleading result as justification to close the schools.

Why? You can go ask but that is the net-net regardless.

No, I'm truly curious about who benefits from these COVID mandates and how. Whether it's mandating masks or closing schools, I want to know.

[stumppy]

Originally Posted by petegz28

I love you in the chat, stump but in here you are just ****ing laughable at times.

I notice you didn't answer my question. That's alright, there's no need to point out what most posters in here know about you anyways.

[Bob Dole]

Originally Posted by loochy

uh, congrats? That's an odd way to put it.

I just find it odd that it took this long for me to know someone who succumbed to this deadly pandemic.