***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.”

[wazu]

Didn't see this mentioned yesterday, but sounds like "Type A" blood is now being called out as a risk factor: https://nypost.com/2020/03/17/people...s-study-finds/

[stumppy]

Originally Posted by Kman34

I have to admit as a guy who just turned 56 and is a former smoker I am getting a bit nervous.... I was under the opinion that I should just get it and get it over with but now... ???

Same here. About all we can do is take precautions against being exposed to it.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by loochy

Aren't they pretty much packed as is?

Of course but 90% are non-critical patients.

We need to think out of the box. It's a nation wide crisis. We should just delay non-life threatening surgeries and treatment that take up beds in the hospitals. The civilian hospitals could pledge to help get the vets back on track with their treatments and recovery after the crisis is over.

[RINGLEADER]

Originally Posted by Kman34

Can I use my CPAP as a respirator??

I remember reading a story about the Seattle nursing care facility that had all the problems early on and they said that they had used CPAP and nebulizers to assist breathing and all it ended up doing was aerosolizing the virus which is why so many got so sick.

Can’t vouch for such a conclusion beyond being what one of the medical people who work their said (the closest I’ve gotten to a CPAP are those William Shatner commercials so I have no clue if such a thing is likely or even possible).

[BigRedChief]

There is a "defense production act" that allows the president to order a factory to build in this case ventilators or increase production. The government could step in right now and increase the production of ventilators in the USA. If only one makes it into a hospital during the crisis, it'd be worth it.


I think most will agree that America should have the capacity to build this life saving machines anyway. This wont be the last time we face a pandemic.

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by notorious

You have bald eagles out there?

That's freaking cool as hell!

At least 6 nesting pairs that we’ve found.

Yeah they are awesome to watch

[Rain Man]

Minor thought that I don't think has been covered yet.

If they're expecting half or more to get the virus, and most of those will recover. Those people will be immune and not contagious, right? Or am I missing something? If so, it seems like they could get back on track and get the economy moving again. Go on cruises, go on flights, whatever you want, right?

But how do you know if someone has recovered? Maybe you could get a government card or something if you've been definitively diagnosed, but if you haven't (and most people haven't), is there any way to retroactively test whether you had it and recovered?

[Dartgod]

Originally Posted by O.city

Go wwii and have some of these other manufacturing companies here start making respirators

I didn't catch the whole story, but on the news this morning they were talking about having the automobile manufacturers helping out with this.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by neech

Well, the Govt has to draw a line in the sand somewhere, we could argue all day where it should be at. Everyone has a violin story of sorrow and woe even people that make decent money.

Granted, on the surface $65k is actually generous considering (I believe) the median household income is closer to $50k... I'd think there's more creative solutions. After all, they have to have all kinds of stats down to the zip code to determine such things.

Or other solutions that aren't just handing over money (tax relief, loan relief, etc.).

[wazu]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

Granted, on the surface $65k is actually generous considering (I believe) the median household income is closer to $50k... I'd think there's more creative solutions. After all, they have to have all kinds of stats down to the zip code to determine such things.

Or other solutions that aren't just handing over money (tax relief, loan relief, etc.).

One other idea is to maybe not order the complete shutdown of the entire economy.

[LTL]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Talked to my Respiratory Therapists buddies yesterday. The USA companies and the government waited too long and cant buy more ventilators any time soon. Other countries have over 100K ventilators on order in front of us. The hospitals were told what we have is it for the crisis. Thats why the military announced their 2000 ventilators can be used by the civilian hospitals.

I guess we could bribe some countries to give us their order but if their citizens found out you sold out their citizens for money.....

If we run we out we out we use a Vortran. Single patient use disposable. Have used one for transport. We have a couple old birds that we could use as well. If it came to it we might to resort to that.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Minor thought that I don't think has been covered yet.

If they're expecting half or more to get the virus, and most of those will recover. Those people will be immune and not contagious, right? Or am I missing something? If so, it seems like they could get back on track and get the economy moving again. Go on cruises, go on flights, whatever you want, right?

But how do you know if someone has recovered? Maybe you could get a government card or something if you've been definitively diagnosed, but if you haven't (and most people haven't), is there any way to retroactively test whether you had it and recovered?

Three novel variables that need clarfication, authoritative instruction.

1. Longer asymptomatic carrier status.
2. Anecdotes of recurrence in the recovered
and related
3. No data on whether weathering a bout lends immunity going forward.

ALSO, the details are sketchy at this point regarding how climate conditions affect.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by RINGLEADER

I remember reading a story about the Seattle nursing care facility that had all the problems early on and they said that they had used CPAP and nebulizers to assist breathing and all it ended up doing was aerosolizing the virus which is why so many got so sick.

Can’t vouch for such a conclusion beyond being what one of the medical people who work their said (the closest I’ve gotten to a CPAP are those William Shatner commercials so I have no clue if such a thing is likely or even possible).

Thats a total BS story. We shouldn't be scaring people from using their CPAP or inhalers.

CPAP just blows air into your lungs. Same air that's already in the patients lungs and in the ambient air. Nursing home patient is already inhaling and exhaling that air, no different from us. But, without CPAP, no stage III sleep, a compromised elderly patient in a nursing home could die in days.

Now, if you dont clean the CPAP tubing, you can get all kinds of bugs in it that will cause you to get infections. But that true with all the Planeteers on here using CPAP too. If they are confirmed to have the virus, just treat it as an infected area.

Nebulizers are used by people with COPD and Asthma to breathe in medicine that has been broken down into a mist that it crosses over into your blood stream faster. The patient gets more relief faster. Again, the patient is exhaling their own air anyway.

[Discuss Thrower]

If I hear/read 'unprecedented' one more time..

[LTL]

Originally Posted by RINGLEADER

I remember reading a story about the Seattle nursing care facility that had all the problems early on and they said that they had used CPAP and nebulizers to assist breathing and all it ended up doing was aerosolizing the virus which is why so many got so sick.

Can’t vouch for such a conclusion beyond being what one of the medical people who work their said (the closest I’ve gotten to a CPAP are those William Shatner commercials so I have no clue if such a thing is likely or even possible).

We had a patient that was suspected of it and instead of nebs we did inhalers.