***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 lewdog

Dumbass post has already been discussed. Old news from March which was mostly used as a measure to stop people from hoarding masks from front line workers and because at that time it was believed COVID-19 was more of a surface virus.

It's also been shown in the past month that this is more of an airborne transmission than a surface transmission like previously thought. Masks help stop the spread of the airborne virus if the person wearing it were contagious.

another dumb **** that didn't actually read the article ......good job, lew

See today is May 21. Yesterday was May 20. tomorrow will be May 22. The linked article with the tweet in it was posted yesterday. Do I need to explain how a calendar works to you?

[Monticore]

Originally Posted by DaFace

Why do you post information from nearly three months ago as if our understanding hasn't changed?

In general people still don't understand though.

[Monticore]

Originally Posted by petegz28

another dumb **** that didn't actually read the article ......good job, lew

See today is May 21. Yesterday was May 20th. The linked article with the tweet in it was posted yesterday. Do I need to explain how a calendar works to you?

Mask still help people who are infected from launching it through the ****ing air does it not?

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by Monticore

In general people still don't understand though.

In general none of you actually read the article. The tweet was embedded in the article as part of a timeline.

But none of you perfect people actually bothered to read it so you wouldn't know that. Just saw pictures and went off....

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by Monticore

Mask still help people who are infected from launching it through the ****ing air does it not?

Read the article.

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by petegz28

May 20th was 3 months ago?

The main message from that article is that mask wearers shouldn't feel like they're invincible because they are wearing a mask. This is correct as it likely isn't super protective in your ability to not contract the virus. It is, however, important for people to be wearing a mask if they are contagious. Since many are asymptomatic, mask wearing is still VERY important.

Here's how the article ends, which is a great takeaway.

The message she thinks people should take from face masks is: "Don't count on it."

"Don't spend any time close to people," she said. "Don't stop the distancing."

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by Monticore

In general people still don't understand though.

This whole thing has to be terribly disheartening to people in public health. These days, it's not just a matter of saying "Here's the optimal advice we can give based on the evidence we have." You have to consider how much what you say will cause people to freak out and hoard supplies that are needed by hospitals. You have to consider what tiny pieces of the information you provide will be misconstrued and twisted to mean something else. You have to hedge on everything (often to the point of not giving the advice you feel is best) because you know that anything you say that ends up being different than reality in the future will be used by people to point and say that you can't be trusted. And then you have to consider that just about anything you recommend that causes the tiniest bit of inconvenience for people might be blown up to the point that people are literally getting shot because of it.

I can't imagine how they keep going every day.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by lewdog

The main message from that article is that mask wearers shouldn't feel like they're invincible because they are wearing a mask. This is correct as it likely isn't super protective in your ability to not contract the virus. It is, however, important for people to be wearing a mask if they are contagious. Since many are asymptomatic, mask wearing is still VERY important.

Here's how the article ends, which is a great takeaway.

You didn't even read it so what the **** would you know about the main message? Dumb ass.

[Monticore]

Originally Posted by petegz28

Read the article.

condoms aren't 100 % effective so why bother wearing them.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by Monticore

condoms aren't 100 % effective so why bother wearing them.

Nice try......just admit you went off without reading first. It's okay. Several of you did and now you're all trying to make yourself feel smart about doing sucha stupid thing.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by petegz28

Nice try......just admit you went off without reading first. It's okay. Several of you did and now you're all trying to make yourself feel smart about doing sucha stupid thing.

Have you been wearing a mask recently, pete?

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by Monticore

condoms aren't 100 % effective so why bother wearing them.

I'm not sure why we bother debating Pete on this one at this point. He's clearly convinced that no one should be wearing them because all they do is make us sicker. The conclusions of pretty much every public health agency out there aren't enough to convince him, so I don't think anything will.

I guess the answer to a virus that has been proven to be primarily transmitted through the air through person-to-person contact is to do nothing.

[Monticore]

Originally Posted by DaFace

This whole thing has to be terribly disheartening to people in public health. These days, it's not just a matter of saying "Here's the optimal advice we can give based on the evidence we have." You have to consider how much what you say will cause people to freak out and hoard supplies that are needed by hospitals. You have to consider what tiny pieces of the information you provide will be misconstrued and twisted to mean something else. You have to hedge on everything (often to the point of not giving the advice you feel is best) because you know that anything you say that ends up being different than reality in the future will be used by people to point and say that you can't be trusted. And then you have to consider that just about anything you recommend that causes the tiniest bit of inconvenience for people might be blown up to the point that people are literally getting shot because of it.

I can't imagine how they keep going every day.

It is a fine line giving enough info to have the patient be concerned enough to take precautions and not inducing panic or dismissing it all together, in the end they blame you anyways for not giving enough or giving too much.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by Donger

Have you been wearing a mask recently, pete?

Not playing the Donger today, sorry.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by DaFace

I'm not sure why we bother debating Pete on this one at this point. He's clearly convinced that no one should be wearing them because all they do is make us sicker. The conclusions of pretty much every public health agency out there aren't enough to convince him, so I don't think anything will.

I guess the answer to a virus that has been proven to be primarily transmitted through the air through person-to-person contact is to do nothing.

Clearly you went off before you read the article and now can't admit it but want to go on as if you did and now want to put words in my mouth as you have a tendency to do (as has been pointed out by multiple people) so you can then argue about something I didn't say and make yourself feel good about doing something dumb in the first place.

I never what you claim but please go on....

And you obviously still haven't read the article