***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.”

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by ReynardMuldrake

Go out in public, wear gloves, come home, throw them away. That way it doesn't matter whether you touch your face or not. Assuming the virus can't penetrate the glove.

Or just wash your hands.

[BIG_DADDY]

Originally Posted by BWillie

Before I post a reply, do you acknowledge graphs as data or not? If so, I will post some graphs to help illustrate the benefits of social distancing & precautions.

Don't waste your time, I have seen everything. I am in SF at the epicenter of this in the US. We had 3 one off exposures in our family in a 24 hour period. I'm going to get it. I am ready to get it.

I see the importance of slowing the process. We are not going to stop this though. You too will have the Wuhan virus at some point BWillie. I would say work on your immunity system but nobody believes in that shit here so I am not going to post on it.

[Loneiguana]

Well, after some MU students who were exposed interned at the MO Capital Monday and Tuesday, the MO House and Senate have basically closed for two weeks.

I would be looking at a 2 week paid vacation starting tomorrow (during session!!!!), but the House wants to finish the budget and send it to the Senate before they bug out. May have to work a day or two next week (my office proofs, sets up, and prints them). Then I'll enjoy that sweet free leave.

[suzzer99]

https://www.theguardian.com/science/...oms-scientists

An analysis of infections in Singapore and Tianjin in China revealed that two-thirds and three-quarters of people respectively appear to have caught it from others who were incubating the virus but still symptom-free.

The finding has dismayed infectious disease researchers as it means that isolating people once they start to feel ill will be far less effective at slowing the pandemic than had been hoped.

“This is one of the first things we were worried about when the outbreak began,” said Steven Riley, professor of infectious disease dynamics at Imperial College London, who was not involved in the work. “It was certainly unhoped for. This is one thing we really didn’t want to go this way.”

Researchers in Belgium and the Netherlands drew on data from outbreaks in Singapore and Tianjin to work out the “generation interval” for Covid-19. The generation interval is the time between one person getting infected and them infecting another. The figure is valuable for estimating the speed at which an outbreak will unfold.

The mean generation interval was 5.2 days in the Singapore cluster and 3.95 days in the China cluster, according to the analysis which is under review at an infectious disease journal. The scientists went on to calculate what proportion of infections were likely spread from people who were still incubating the virus and had yet to develop symptoms.

The finding confirms recent comments from Maria Van Kerkhove, head of the World Health Organization’s emerging diseases and zoonoses unit, who said preliminary data showed patients shed more virus in the early stages of the disease, including when presymptomatic. A separate study that tracked nine patients in Germany found that levels of the virus might already be in decline when symptoms come on.

This is not good news. If people w/o symptoms can still show up positive on tests - this could explain how S. Korea is being so effective. They're catching some people before they even get symptoms and stopping them from spreading it.

[SupDock]

Originally Posted by ReynardMuldrake

Go out in public, wear gloves, come home, throw them away. That way it doesn't matter whether you touch your face or not. Assuming the virus can't penetrate the glove.

People touch their faces with the gloves on.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by ReynardMuldrake

Go out in public, wear gloves, come home, throw them away. That way it doesn't matter whether you touch your face or not. Assuming the virus can't penetrate the glove.

Again, the key is to not touch your face, pick your nose, rub your eyes, etc. AT ALL until your wash your hands or use sanitizer. If you don't, it makes no difference wearing gloves or not.

[ReynardMuldrake]

Originally Posted by DaFace

Or just wash your hands.

Is that 100% effective though? I don't know. I'd like to read up and see which is more effective.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by BIG_DADDY

I am in SF at the epicenter of this in the US.

SF isn't the epicenter at all. The Seattle area was and still is.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by ReynardMuldrake

Is that 100% effective though? I don't know. I'd like to read up and see which is more effective.

Essentially, yes. Or at least as effective as trying not to touch your face with gloves on would be.

[stumppy]

Just got back from Walmart, not a roll of TP in sight. They still had a few bottles of rubbing alcohol and bleach but no hand sanitizer.

[jd1020]

Originally Posted by ReynardMuldrake

Is that 100% effective though? I don't know. I'd like to read up and see which is more effective.

I havent read up on any tests but Lysol, Clorox, and Purrell were added to some list of what kills the virus.

[SupDock]

Originally Posted by DaFace

Essentially, yes. Or at least as effective as trying not to touch your face with gloves on would be.

Think of all the surfaces you contaminate with the gloves.

[Loneiguana]

Originally Posted by ReynardMuldrake

Is that 100% effective though? I don't know. I'd like to read up and see which is more effective.

A good article on it.

How soap absolutely annihilates the coronavirus
You’re not just washing viruses down the drain. Soap destroys the coronavirus, a chemistry professor explains

https://www.vox.com/science-and-heal...d-soap-is-dope

[Pablo]

Originally Posted by Donger

SF isn't the epicenter at all. The Seattle area was and still is.

People in CA think the world stretches from one end of their state to another. They don't know any better.

[BleedingRed]

Originally Posted by Loneiguana

A good article on it.

How soap absolutely annihilates the coronavirus
You’re not just washing viruses down the drain. Soap destroys the coronavirus, a chemistry professor explains

https://www.vox.com/science-and-heal...d-soap-is-dope

I've read that temperatures above 80 degrees will also kill the virus. Which is why i guess you supposed to use soap and hot water while washing your hands.