***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.”

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

To some extent, though, that process may be self-governing. If I'm the first person to get the vaccine, it may cut my odds of getting the virus by 90+ percent, but that's still a 10 percent chance. And those who get the vaccine early will likely be the vulnerable ones or the ones with a lot of contact. I think the effect of the vaccine won't be fully felt until you get enough people vaccinated to stunt the spread.

when they first started talking about the vaccine they were hoping for a 70% effective vaccine. So we could have had a situation where we all have a 30% chance of getting the Covid even after being vaccinated.

Would have been a huge difference from the current 5% on my post vaccination activities.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

when they first started talking about the vaccine they were hoping for a 70% effective vaccine. So we could have had a situation where we all have a 30% chance of getting the Covid even after being vaccinated.

Would have been a huge difference from the current 5% on my post vaccination activities.

And I think that it'll be 5 percent for the first vaccinated person, but the total risk will go down as more and more people get vaccinated. Vaccinations will make it harder for the virus to spread, so we'll be less likely to encounter the virus in the first place to face those 5 percent odds. If everyone gets vaccinated, it seems like we'll more or less stop the virus completely.

[Rain Man]

I recognize that it'll actually be a gradual return to normal as people get vaccinated, but as a hypothetical question, tell me about your first week after the Great Unmasking. If we got everyone vaccinated in one day and all of a sudden the sun comes out and birds start singing and amusement parks and music concerts ramp back up, what will your first week be like?

For me, I'll schedule a massage on Day One. Man, my back and shoulders are tight. Then I'll go to the mall for a day to do my office work while I eat Panda Express orange chicken and people watch all of the shoppers. Then I'll start planning a trip somewhere and will pull my jeans out of the closet to start going back to the office every day.

[TLO]

Pfizer officially filed for EUA today. There's some interesting info at the link.

https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-re...-authorization

[TLO]

In other, not so great news.

WHO recommends against the use of remdesivir in COVID-19 patients

WHO has issued a conditional recommendation against the use of remdesivir in hospitalized patients, regardless of disease severity, as there is currently no evidence that remdesivir improves survival and other outcomes in these patients.

This recommendation, released on 20 November, is part of a living guideline on clinical care for COVID-19. It was developed by an international guideline development group, which includes 28 clinical care experts, 4 patient-partners and one ethicist.

The guidelines were developed in collaboration with the non-profit Magic Evidence Ecosystem Foundation (MAGIC), which provided methodologic support. The guidelines are an innovation, matching scientific standards with the speed required to respond to an ongoing pandemic.

Work on this began on 15 October when the WHO Solidarity Trial published its interim results. Data reviewed by the panel included results from this trial, as well as 3 other randomized controlled trials. In all, data from over 7000 patients across the 4 trials were considered.

The evidence suggested no important effect on mortality, need for mechanical ventilation, time to clinical improvement, and other patient-important outcomes.

The guideline development group recognized that more research is needed, especially to provide higher certainty of evidence for specific groups of patients. They supported continued enrollment in trials evaluating remdesivir.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

I recognize that it'll actually be a gradual return to normal as people get vaccinated, but as a hypothetical question, tell me about your first week after the Great Unmasking. If we got everyone vaccinated in one day and all of a sudden the sun comes out and birds start singing and amusement parks and music concerts ramp back up, what will your first week be like?

For me, I'll schedule a massage on Day One. Man, my back and shoulders are tight. Then I'll go to the mall for a day to do my office work while I eat Panda Express orange chicken and people watch all of the shoppers. Then I'll start planning a trip somewhere and will pull my jeans out of the closet to start going back to the office every day.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by TLO

In other, not so great news.

WHO recommends against the use of remdesivir in COVID-19 patients

WHO has issued a conditional recommendation against the use of remdesivir in hospitalized patients, regardless of disease severity, as there is currently no evidence that remdesivir improves survival and other outcomes in these patients.

This recommendation, released on 20 November, is part of a living guideline on clinical care for COVID-19. It was developed by an international guideline development group, which includes 28 clinical care experts, 4 patient-partners and one ethicist.

The guidelines were developed in collaboration with the non-profit Magic Evidence Ecosystem Foundation (MAGIC), which provided methodologic support. The guidelines are an innovation, matching scientific standards with the speed required to respond to an ongoing pandemic.

Work on this began on 15 October when the WHO Solidarity Trial published its interim results. Data reviewed by the panel included results from this trial, as well as 3 other randomized controlled trials. In all, data from over 7000 patients across the 4 trials were considered.

The evidence suggested no important effect on mortality, need for mechanical ventilation, time to clinical improvement, and other patient-important outcomes.

The guideline development group recognized that more research is needed, especially to provide higher certainty of evidence for specific groups of patients. They supported continued enrollment in trials evaluating remdesivir.

That's funny because I have heard from the top of our leadership all the way down to the doctors that they are fairly happy with remdesivir.

[dlphg9]

Originally Posted by TLO

In other, not so great news.

WHO recommends against the use of remdesivir in COVID-19 patients

WHO has issued a conditional recommendation against the use of remdesivir in hospitalized patients, regardless of disease severity, as there is currently no evidence that remdesivir improves survival and other outcomes in these patients.

This recommendation, released on 20 November, is part of a living guideline on clinical care for COVID-19. It was developed by an international guideline development group, which includes 28 clinical care experts, 4 patient-partners and one ethicist.

The guidelines were developed in collaboration with the non-profit Magic Evidence Ecosystem Foundation (MAGIC), which provided methodologic support. The guidelines are an innovation, matching scientific standards with the speed required to respond to an ongoing pandemic.

Work on this began on 15 October when the WHO Solidarity Trial published its interim results. Data reviewed by the panel included results from this trial, as well as 3 other randomized controlled trials. In all, data from over 7000 patients across the 4 trials were considered.

The evidence suggested no important effect on mortality, need for mechanical ventilation, time to clinical improvement, and other patient-important outcomes.

The guideline development group recognized that more research is needed, especially to provide higher certainty of evidence for specific groups of patients. They supported continued enrollment in trials evaluating remdesivir.

I'd like to see a breakdown of the studies.

[IowaHawkeyeChief]

Originally Posted by bigdaddychieffan

I sure see a lot of empathy for people dealing with the effects of this virus.����

Probably as much as those showing empathy for the stagnant education of our children, increases in child and domestic violence, mental health and suicides, and the poverty level across the globe at the highest levels in years due to the effects of shutdowns and this virus...

[IowaHawkeyeChief]

Originally Posted by Pants

Goodness. That is just brutal. $36K didn't even make sense in 2001.

Please... I was on my local school board for 10 years and know the system.
Someone just graduating college, with most positions on 180 day contracts with every Holiday and break off... make 36k. I get it, be outraged, but the $36k which is similar to many states in the Midwest is Step 1 on a salary scale. Each additional year they get a step increase in addition to an association negotiated raise on those steps. Also, many have the Cadillac of healthcare plans and their retirement benefits are unbelievable. These benefits in costs equal about 35-50% of their pay.

[BigCatDaddy]

Originally Posted by IowaHawkeyeChief

Please... I was on my local school board for 10 years and know the system.
Someone just graduating college, with most positions on 180 day contracts with every Holiday and break off... make 36k. I get it, be outraged, but the $36k which is similar to many states in the Midwest is Step 1 on a salary scale. Each additional year they get a step increase in addition to an association negotiated raise on those steps. Also, many have the Cadillac of healthcare plans and their retirement benefits are unbelievable. These benefits in costs equal about 35-50% of their pay.

There are also a lot of stipends to be had. 5k for a HC and 3K for an asst coach around here. I have no clue how that would end up breaking down hourly.

[dlphg9]

It's blowing my mind how some of you are going "herp ****ing derp masks don't work cuz I see everyone wearing one", but come to podunk rural Missouri and you barely see anyone with a mask. The local God damn lumber store is run by a family and one of the owners has covid, but is still there working.

It's the rural areas that are getting hit hard, because no one around here believes that it's real. God damn sick of ****ing dimwits acting like they know anything when they barely passed high school. I'm sick of this ****ing hospital/clinic not wearing masks. Stupid ****ing idiots with little to no education running things there.

[loochy]

Originally Posted by dlphg9

It's blowing my mind how some of you are going "herp ****ing derp masks don't work cuz I see everyone wearing one", but come to podunk rural Missouri and you barely see anyone with a mask. The local God damn lumber store is run by a family and one of the owners has covid, but is still there working.

It's the rural areas that are getting hit hard, because no one around here believes that it's real. God damn sick of ****ing dimwits acting like they know anything when they barely passed high school. I'm sick of this ****ing hospital/clinic not wearing masks. Stupid ****ing idiots with little to no education running things there.

It's nice to be so superior to everyonelse, eh?

[Bob Dole]

Originally Posted by TLO

In other, not so great news.

WHO recommends against the use of remdesivir in COVID-19 patients

WHO has issued a conditional recommendation against the use of remdesivir in hospitalized patients, regardless of disease severity, as there is currently no evidence that remdesivir improves survival and other outcomes in these patients.

This recommendation, released on 20 November, is part of a living guideline on clinical care for COVID-19. It was developed by an international guideline development group, which includes 28 clinical care experts, 4 patient-partners and one ethicist.

The guidelines were developed in collaboration with the non-profit Magic Evidence Ecosystem Foundation (MAGIC), which provided methodologic support. The guidelines are an innovation, matching scientific standards with the speed required to respond to an ongoing pandemic.

Work on this began on 15 October when the WHO Solidarity Trial published its interim results. Data reviewed by the panel included results from this trial, as well as 3 other randomized controlled trials. In all, data from over 7000 patients across the 4 trials were considered.

The evidence suggested no important effect on mortality, need for mechanical ventilation, time to clinical improvement, and other patient-important outcomes.

The guideline development group recognized that more research is needed, especially to provide higher certainty of evidence for specific groups of patients. They supported continued enrollment in trials evaluating remdesivir.

I think I’ve mentioned it before, but **** the WHO.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by loochy

It's nice to be so superior to everyonelse, eh?

Outside of the tone, which aspects of his post do you disagree with?

• Mask usage is lower in rural areas than urban areas.
• People in rural areas are less likely to believe that COVID is a problem at all.
• Rural areas are being hit disproportionately hard by COVID in the past month.
• Educational attainment is much lower in rural areas than in urban areas.