***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]

Italy averaged about 23K deaths per year from flu between 2014 and 2017 (https://t.co/4LzslBK0UG)
Equivalent per capita number in US would be about 125K, well above annual mortality here. What explains this? Smoking? Age distribution? (Italians are older.)

— Russell Roberts (@EconTalker) March 24, 2020

[BigRedChief]

US coronavirus deaths via @CNN:

100 deaths: March 17, 4 p.m.
200 deaths: March 20, 12 p.m.
300 deaths: Saturday, 8 p.m.
400 deaths: Sunday, 6 p.m.
500 deaths: Yesterday, 3 p.m.
600 deaths: Today, 12 p.m.
700 deaths: Today, 8 p.m.

— Ryan Struyk (@ryanstruyk) March 25, 2020

[Monticore]

Originally Posted by KCChiefsFan88

Go try to find a similar tweet bringing attention to the five pediatric deaths from the seasonal flu two weeks ago.

Five pediatric deaths in one week from the seasonal flu and no mention on Twitter or in the media.

Maybe parents should have given them a flu shot.

[Monticore]

Originally Posted by wazu

Italy averaged about 23K deaths per year from flu between 2014 and 2017 (https://t.co/4LzslBK0UG)
Equivalent per capita number in US would be about 125K, well above annual mortality here. What explains this? Smoking? Age distribution? (Italians are older.)

— Russell Roberts (@EconTalker) March 24, 2020

Without flu shot influenza unchecked would kill hundreds of thousands a year in the us and this is conservative estimate 2x worse , left unchecked without vaccine could be 300k per year

[SupDock]

Originally Posted by petegz28

Italy is a ****ing anomaly by the very definition.

No it isn't. We don't have a "standard normal" for this.

[Monticore]

If you want to talk about the flu or H1N1 you can start a thread about it. Not the same family of virus.

[Hammock Parties]

About to tick over to 800 deaths.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by SupDock

No it isn't. We don't have a "standard normal" for this.

They are absolutely off the ****ing charts compared to everyone other country.

[Bearcat]

People die from relatively minor diseases that already have cures, so there's no reason to invest all that money into curing cancer.

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by stevieray

I call BS

link?

...it comes from the Animal Kingdom.

Alpha male exist in mankind just like the animal kingdom, the perception of what an Alpha is or the importance is just misunderstood but thats another argument for another thread.

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by petegz28

They are absolutely off the ****ing charts compared to everyone other country.

Yea people act like we dont have 100 other countries to compare it too.

[BryanBusby]

A kid who licked toilets as part of the #CoronaVirusChallenge says he's now in the hospital with coronavirus. @gayshawnmendes was also just suspended from twitter pic.twitter.com/lfG2NBlTrs

— Pardes Seleh (@PardesSeleh) March 23, 2020

[SupDock]

Originally Posted by petegz28

They are absolutely off the ****ing charts compared to everyone other country.

We don't have enough data to call anything an anomaly. So far you have called both New York and Italy anomalies.

[PAChiefsGuy]

Originally Posted by Hammock Parties

About to tick over to 800 deaths.

Fear-monger!

[petegz28]

FYI, HCQ is in low supply. Our health system is currently using only for treatments of serious cases.