***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.”

[Monticore]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

You could start by not throwing them into nursing homes filled with infected people.

Wher do you put them then?as long as you have staff going in and out it’s hard to keep it out , put them in hospitals ? That’s even worse , hotels ? They still need care and someone has to pay the bill , back at home with family who are not qualified to care for them or even able to take to the do it.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Monticore

Wher do you put them then?as long as you have staff going in and out it’s hard to keep it out , put them in hospitals ? That’s even worse , hotels ? They still need care and someone has to pay the bill , back at home with family who are not qualified to care for them or even able to take to the do it.

It’s not about keeping it out. It’s about not putting people of any age, let alone the most vulnerable of us, into a place that’s already infected.

[KCUnited]

We could start by actually caring about our elderly instead of pretending to after a virus starts taking them out.

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

It’s not about keeping it out. It’s about not putting people of any age, let alone the most vulnerable of us, into a place that’s already infected.

If you need care there’s two places you can go if you’re older.

A hospital or a skilled nursing facility, BOTH of which contain COVID currently. What’s your solution for this then?

[Monticore]

They lockdown homes during influenza outbreaks but staff are vaccinated and it’s easier to tell when you have it or are contagious it with this walk has people are getting infected on the outside it will get inside via staff . It’s not like we were not trying to protect them .

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by KCUnited

We could start by actually caring about our elderly instead of pretending to after a virus starts taking them out.

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by KCUnited

We could start by actually caring about our elderly instead of pretending to after a virus starts taking them out.

People still don’t care about them as obvious by many not taking basic precautions in public. Many seniors don’t have social support and have to go to the grocery store just like the rest of us. The stores where too many idiots won’t even wear a mask.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by lewdog

If you need care there’s two places you can go if you’re older.

A hospital or a skilled nursing facility, BOTH of which contain COVID currently. What’s your solution for this then?

Here they had triage units outside of the nursing home proper so that could get similar care without having to enter the actual facility. Convert some vacant public housing to nursing home space. There’s lots of options but they require ingenuity and investment. We have other examples where alternatives were available but weren’t used.

[Monticore]

Originally Posted by lewdog

If you need care there’s two places you can go if you’re older.

A hospital or a skilled nursing facility, BOTH of which contain COVID currently. What’s your solution for this then?

I wonder where you got your covid from , dine in ? Protest? Golfing?

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Here they had triage units outside of the nursing home proper so that could get similar care without having to enter the actual facility. Convert some vacant public housing to nursing home space. There’s lots of options but they require ingenuity and investment. We have other examples where alternatives were available it weren’t used.

Decent idea, where’s here?

Who sets that up and pays for it?

It’s almost like there should be federal guidelines for this......

[Monticore]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Here they had triage units outside of the nursing home proper so that could get similar care without having to enter the actual facility. Convert some vacant public housing to nursing home space. There’s lots of options but they require ingenuity and investment. We have other examples where alternatives were available but weren’t used.

They also require people, who happen to carry the disease, so unless you can get staff to coming to a year + long bubble with no outside contact it is going to be hard.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by lewdog

People still don’t care about them as obvious by many not taking basic precautions in public. Many seniors don’t have social support and have to go to the grocery store just like the rest of us. The stores where too many idiots won’t even wear a mask.

Truth. In general, the average person really doesn’t care about many outside of themselves and maybe immediate family member.

[jdubya]

Originally Posted by lewdog

Decent idea, where’s here?

Who sets that up and pays for it?

It’s almost like there should be federal guidelines for this......

Federal? Nope. It all starts at home my friend. Each city should be responsible for itself and then county and then state.

Federal is last on the list for responsibility...

(Sorry, accidental slip into politics)

[KCUnited]

Originally Posted by lewdog

People still don’t care about them as obvious by many not taking basic precautions in public. Many seniors don’t have social support and have to go to the grocery store just like the rest of us. The stores where too many idiots won’t even wear a mask.

Agreed, its all mostly pretend to score covid virtue points in internet arguments.

The flipside is in cultures that value their elderly, they're mostly living at home with their kids and grandkids which might be deadlier than a facility just due to our daily lives. Facilities are fine but we need to start treating them with an ICU level of urgency and not staff them with people that aren't fit to even care for themselves let alone someone more susceptible. Obviously that comes at a cost so there are no easy answers.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by lewdog

Decent idea, where’s here?

Who sets that up and pays for it?

It’s almost like there should be federal guidelines for this......

Central Iowa. The city close to me opened up some unused public housing for “overflow” effectively segregating the exposed from those coming in.

Of course, there isn’t nearly enough in many cases so yeah. state and federal cooperation could definitely help.