***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.”

[ChiliConCarnage]

[bigdaddychieffan]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

makes sense. Why not. The one vaccine that just needs normal medical refrigeration would do well in those offices. They already know how to store drugs properly.

This is the vaccine that I see being the prevalent one once out. The Pfizer one that requires extremely low temperatures is not gonna be universally used.

[loochy]

Originally Posted by jdubya

Just got off the phone with a friend of mine who lives in Strasbourg France and he says although they are back in lockdown, kids remain in school as that is considered "essential".

That makes sense. Schools should be among the very last things to close.



I don't know why Americans are so deadset on closing schools. You're setting these kids back a good year with this nonsense.

[Kidd Lex]

Originally Posted by loochy

That makes sense. Schools should be among the very last things to close.



I don't know why Americans are so deadset on closing schools. You're setting these kids back a good year with this nonsense.

Shortage of teachers, staff, and subs. Then you close schools and you put pressure on health care workers who have kids in the school system. If you compensate (money: respect) teachers properly you fix the problem from the foundation but we do things like no child left behind and take educational pillars for granted so now we will have a generation of feral children with limited social skills and chaotic educations. Winning.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by ChiliConCarnage

The Lancet had an update on the Oxford phase 2 results. It seems promising. We should get early phase 3 results before the years end. This will be much easier to mass distribute if it's effective. Takes two shots and time

If its at a 95% effective rate like the others and there is a choice, why would anyone in Britain or America chose a vaccine that takes two shots over the one and done vaccine?

[Fish]

Originally Posted by Kidd Lex

Shortage of teachers, staff, and subs. Then you close schools and you put pressure on health care workers who have kids in the health care system. If you compensate (money: respect) teachers properly you fix the problem from the foundation but we do things like no child left behind and take educational pillars for granted so now we will have a generation of feral children with limited social skills and chaotic educations. Winning.

Yeah, we as a country are not paying teachers enough to deal with what it takes, along with ensuring that we'll keep them from catching it. They're just gonna throw their hands up and walk away. It's easy to say "These kids have to be in school." But if we cannot do it in a manner safe enough to keep faculty, staff, and support from getting sick it doesn't matter. Sure the kids will catch it and have a sniffle and be fine. The adults in the school aren't going to fair so well. That's why many schools are going back to online. Because of the adult staff. Not the kids.

[Kidd Lex]

Originally Posted by Fish

Yeah, we as a country are not paying teachers enough to deal with what it takes, along with ensuring that we'll keep them from catching it. They're just gonna throw their hands up and walk away. It's easy to say "These kids have to be in school." But if we cannot do it in a manner safe enough to keep faculty, staff, and support from getting sick it doesn't matter. Sure the kids will catch it and have a sniffle and be fine. The adults in the school aren't going to fair so well. That's why many schools are going back to online. Because of the adult staff. Not the kids.

That’s the unfortunate truth, and the pandemic has exposed our flawed education system. We need to rethink how we invest and compensate in education and educators as a whole after this is over, but we probably won’t.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Fish

Yeah, we as a country are not paying teachers enough to deal with what it takes, along with ensuring that we'll keep them from catching it. They're just gonna throw their hands up and walk away. It's easy to say "These kids have to be in school." But if we cannot do it in a manner safe enough to keep faculty, staff, and support from getting sick it doesn't matter. Sure the kids will catch it and have a sniffle and be fine. The adults in the school aren't going to fair so well. That's why many schools are going back to online. Because of the adult staff. Not the kids.

My wife is teaching remotely. Only 2 teachers are teaching remotely out of 35 in her school. Right now its a parents choice to stay online or in the classroom.

She was told they were expecting the Florida governor to ban remote learning soon. Threaten school districts with a loss of funds. Remote is cheaper and the parents are choosing that option. It's just politics.


She has 30 years of experience. She's still doing it out of a love of teaching. It's who she is. She will be forced to quit if they ban online learning.

[stevieray]

Closing schools for a 99 percent survival rate?

Thank God WWII isn't on the horizon.

[Kidd Lex]

Originally Posted by stevieray

Closing schools for a 99 percent survival rate?

Thank God WWII isn't on the horizon.

It’s a staffing problem in my school district. There having immense trouble finding enough people to cover the classrooms. They have yard signs out for subs.

[arrowheadnation]

Originally Posted by stevieray

Closing schools for a 99 percent survival rate?

Thank God WWII isn't on the horizon.

There it is again. That stupid 99% argument. The focal point is not the kids. We know that they generally tolerate the virus well. It's the high risk people that they can take it home to as well as the high risk teachers that are expected to be in the classrooms with them everyday...it's those people that decisions like these are made for.

[stevieray]

Originally Posted by arrowheadnation

There it is again. That stupid 99% argument.

Truth hurt?

have fun presuming negatives.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Kidd Lex

It’s a staffing problem in my school district. There having immense trouble finding enough people to cover the classrooms. They have yard signs out for subs.

Thats what people need to understand. This country has a finite amount of healthcare workers and teachers, You just cant produce more people in those fields in a year.

Schools were not built with a pandemic in mind. They could be upgraded, retrofitted to improve ventilation, spread the kids out, keep physical distance, lessen class sizes but no school district has any extra money.

If they want to force schools to learn in person, the federal government and state government need to pony up the money to do it safely. Or your going to lose your best teachers, How does that help anyone's kids?

[stevieray]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Schools were not built with a pandemic in mind.

Nor should they be.

[BigBeauford]

Originally Posted by stevieray

Closing schools for a 99 percent survival rate?

Thank God WWII isn't on the horizon.

Yeah, thank God. People like you wouldn't have done the bare minimum of sacrifices to keep this country going. Speaking of war, we are basically in the last month of a deployment knowing that vaccines are on the horizon. Every COVID death is a tragedy knowing that a solution to normalcy is right around the corner.