***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.”

[BleedingRed]

Originally Posted by PAChiefsGuy

There's always one at every gym. Guess Pete is proud of his status. At least he doesn't deny it.

Feel free to take this the wrong way.... but are you gay? Who the hell doesn’t check women out at a gym?

[dirk digler]

Can't say I am surprised.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/alabama-st...ry?id=71552514

Alabama students throwing 'COVID parties' to see who gets infected: Officials

Students in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 have been attending parties in the city and surrounding area as part of a disturbing contest to see who can catch the virus first, a city council member told ABC News on Wednesday.

Tuscaloosa City Councilor Sonya McKinstry said students have been organizing "COVID parties" as a game to intentionally infect each other with the contagion that has killed more than 127,000 people in the United States. She said she recently learned of the behavior and informed the city council of the parties occurring in the city.

She said the organizers of the parties are purposely inviting guests who have COVID-19.

"They put money in a pot and they try to get COVID. Whoever gets COVID first gets the pot. It makes no sense," McKinstry said. "They're intentionally doing it."

Tuscaloosa Fire Chief Randy Smith told the City Council on Tuesday that he has confirmed the students' careless behavior.

In a briefing to the City Council, Smith expressed concern that in recent weeks there have been parties held throughout the city and surrounding Tuscaloosa County, "where students, or kids, would come in with known positive," according to a video recording of the meeting obtained by ABC affiliate station WBMA in Birmingham.

"We thought that was kind of a rumor at first," Smith told the council members. "We did some research. Not only do the doctors' offices confirm it but the state confirmed they also had the same information."

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

Can't say I am surprised.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/alabama-st...ry?id=71552514

But are they doing it in a bar?????

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by petegz28

But are they doing it in a bar?????

Yeah, I know I was dumb and crazy at that age but I would like to think I wasn't this dumb and crazy.

[BleedingRed]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

Yeah, I know I was dumb and crazy at that age but I would like to think I wasn't this dumb and crazy.

Well I mean COVID19 is less dangerous to that age group than the flu so I mean they are just selfish.... not really endangering themselves honestly

[petegz28]

Agree or not, I thought this was funny...

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by petegz28

Agree or not, I thought this was funny...

You'll just say I have a stick up my ass, but that doesn't even make sense. The importance of masks increases as the number of infections grows.

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by petegz28

We are gonna top 50k new cases today. I think increased testing has a lot to do with it. I saw that in JoCo tests results are getting delayed because the labs are swamped. So that's a good thing. The other good thing is it is still looking like cases and deaths are going in opposite directions. Fingers crossed that we see that continuing.

Someone thinks the rate of testing is growing exponentially.

[alnorth]

Scary article from an exhausted COVID doctor in Arizona

http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinio...-catastrophic/

[loochy]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Scary article from an exhausted COVID doctor in Arizona

http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinio...-catastrophic/

Sick people in the hospital are sick. Right now there are more than usual. Got it.

[ChiefRocka]

Originally Posted by petegz28

Agree or not, I thought this was funny...

Long time Pete listener, first time replyer.

This is dumb. Masks are like requiring Africans to wear condoms.

You spend too much time on the Internet.

Thanks for having me on.

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by loochy

Sick people in the hospital are sick. Right now there are more than usual. Got it.

It's not that simple.

Staffing shortages are real and so is the burnout from treating COVID patients. Weeks/months with no days off. Spending entire shifts in full PPE is exhausting for everyone. ICU nurses are being asked to do things rarely done before as instead of treating 1-2 patients they are being asked to treat up to 4 patients at a time. I have a friend who worked a 12 hour night shift as an RN at the largest hospital in AZ on the ortho trauma floor. She had no CNA her entire shift. She was the sole caregiver for 7 patients. That's NOT normal for an RN in a hospital. It's stretching the quality of care by every means possible. One hospital network has brought in 200 out-of-state contract nurses to help but it's very hard to juggle daily changes in staffing/equipment needs when you are running hospitals near capacity, which is not normal either. Respiratory therapy is the other big shortage as ventilator patients increase. Training nurses or other disciplines to run them is scary and again just increases staff workload, thus providing lower quality of care.

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by cdcox

Someone thinks the rate of testing is growing exponentially.

Mid May the turn around times for results were pretty quick, like 24-48hrs, now we are back to the same time frames as we were during the lockdown. Most people are getting their results back in a week or more because we have so much more infections.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by lewdog

It's not that simple.

Staffing shortages are real and so is the burnout from treating COVID patients. Weeks/months with no days off. Spending entire shifts in full PPE is exhausting for everyone. ICU nurses are being asked to do things rarely done before as instead of treating 1-2 patients they are being asked to treat up to 4 patients at a time. I have a friend who worked a 12 hour night shift as an RN at the largest hospital in AZ on the ortho trauma floor. She had no CNA her entire shift. She was the sole caregiver for 7 patients. That's NOT normal for an RN in a hospital. It's stretching the quality of care by every means possible. One hospital network has brought in 200 out-of-state contract nurses to help but it's very hard to juggle daily changes in staffing/equipment needs when you are running hospitals near capacity, which is not normal either. Respiratory therapy is the other big shortage as ventilator patients increase. Training nurses or other disciplines to run them is scary and again just increases staff workload, thus providing lower quality of care.

Just curious if layoffs added to this? I know there were layoffs and such in AZ at hospitals like there have been pretty much everywhere else. Banner Health comes to mind but I don't know how big they are.

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[petegz28]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

Mid May the turn around times for results were pretty quick, like 24-48hrs, now we are back to the same time frames as we were during the lockdown. Most people are getting their results back in a week or more because we have so much more infections.

You mean because we have so much more testing.

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