***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.”

[Pitt Gorilla]

Originally Posted by Nirvana58

How many freedoms do you need to lose before you think it is a problem?

Which freedoms have you lost?

[MahomesMagic]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

Every company I've seen that's requiring vaccinations for employees has an out... either have a legit medical reason, some have (IMO, bullshit) religious outs, and some will employ unvaccinated people under testing protocols.

If you're talking about walking into a private business, denying entry doesn't deny a freedom any more than "no shoes, no shirt, no service".

I personally don't like the idea of anyone stepping in to tell people to get vaccinated "or else", but I also don't like any number of other restrictions put on people that you have to deal with when you live in a society or the thought of having to find another hospital if I need an ICU bed and there are none available.

Screw your freedom to get vaccinated if you're unvaccinated, on a vent, and I'm being denied my "freedom" to healthcare.

Why are hospitals lowering capacity then?

[Nirvana58]

Originally Posted by lawrenceRaider

It was an either or thing. Not an actual mandate. Vaccination or testing.

This is wrong. All government employees or companies with government contracts have to get vaccinated. No testing and no exceptions.

[Nirvana58]

Originally Posted by Pitt Gorilla

Which freedoms have you lost?

If you have to ask this after a year of lock downs and now moving forward with vaccine mandates. I don't know what to tell you.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by Nirvana58

This is wrong. All government employees or companies with government contracts have to get vaccinated. No testing and no exceptions.

The internet seems to think that's false... the order itself says vaguely "unless exempt under law" and found this bit...

“An agency may be required to provide a reasonable accommodation to employees who communicate to the agency that they are not vaccinated against COVID-19 because of a disability or because of a sincerely held religious belief, practice or observance,” said the guidance. “Determining whether an exception is legally required will include consideration of factors such as the basis for the claim; the nature of the employee’s job responsibilities; and the reasonably foreseeable effects on the agency’s operations, including protecting other agency employees and the public from COVID-19.”

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by MahomesMagic

Why are hospitals lowering capacity then?

Given I'm not going to research every hospital in America to determine what you're talking about, you would need to be a bit more specific with the hospital and how the reduction of capacity doesn't make sense.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

Every company I've seen that's requiring vaccinations for employees has an out... either have a legit medical reason, some have (IMO, bullshit) religious outs, and some will employ unvaccinated people under testing protocols.

If you're talking about walking into a private business, denying entry doesn't deny a freedom any more than "no shoes, no shirt, no service".

I personally don't like the idea of anyone stepping in to tell people to get vaccinated "or else", but I also don't like any number of other restrictions put on people that you have to deal with when you live in a society or the thought of having to find another hospital if I need an ICU bed and there are none available.

Screw your freedom to get vaccinated if you're unvaccinated, on a vent, and I'm being denied my "freedom" to healthcare.

I wish to wander verdant fields and valleys, relaxing and watching clouds, and only return to society at the end of the day to eat barbecue and sleep on clean sheets in air conditioning created by people who work for me. Living in a society greatly interferes with my freedom to do that.

[Rain Man]

Honestly, the "freedom" argument is simply invalid in the modern world. Like it or not, we all live within a very large and complicated set of rules that are necessary on a crowded planet, and if we can't live by those rules we have problems ourselves and create problems for others. The "freedom" argument about vaccines is just a false front for other motivations. If you want to fight for "freedom", stop paying your taxes and drive on the left side of the road and walk out of a restaurant without paying, and let's see how long the revolution lasts.

[Kiimo]

Originally Posted by Nirvana58

If you have to ask this after a year of lock downs and now moving forward with vaccine mandates. I don't know what to tell you.

231 million cases

4.7 million deaths


If you have to ask this after a year of lockdowns and vaccine mandates I don't know what to tell you.

People have been very tolerant and patient with you but it's been obvious for weeks now that you're shit posting.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Honestly, the "freedom" argument is simply invalid in the modern world. Like it or not, we all live within a very large and complicated set of rules that are necessary on a crowded planet, and if we can't live by those rules we have problems ourselves and create problems for others. The "freedom" argument about vaccines is just a false front for other motivations. If you want to fight for "freedom", stop paying your taxes and drive on the left side of the road and walk out of a restaurant without paying, and let's see how long the revolution lasts.

Nailed it.

[MahomesMagic]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

Given I'm not going to research every hospital in America to determine what you're talking about, you would need to be a bit more specific with the hospital and how the reduction of capacity doesn't make sense.

I don't have access to that data either.


What is curious is that we get this constant doom and gloom on hospital capacity when they are doing things like this in Massachusetts.

Shouldn't they be adding capacity in the middle of a deadly pandemic?

No, Massachusetts ICU capacity is fine & mask mandates haven't helped mitigate CoV2 spread anywhere. If it's ICU capacity you're panicked about though, maybe you could suggest that MA hospitals add back the 622 (32%) staffed ICU beds they took offline 10 months ago. https://t.co/Oh4OrnKJm3 pic.twitter.com/2tdvuHUHVN

— Don Wolt (@tlowdon) September 22, 2021

[lawrenceRaider]

Originally Posted by Nirvana58

If you have to ask this after a year of lock downs and now moving forward with vaccine mandates. I don't know what to tell you.

What lock downs? We had a short one in Kansas, but nothing since.

Where do you live that you have lock downs right now?

Your vaccine mandate is a falsehood, or misnomer at best. The exemptions are broad and people can do testing instead.

[WhawhaWhat]

Originally Posted by Nirvana58

If you have to ask this after a year of lock downs and now moving forward with vaccine mandates. I don't know what to tell you.

Nice side step.

[Monticore]

Originally Posted by lawrenceRaider

What lock downs? We had a short one in Kansas, but nothing since.

Where do you live that you have lock downs right now?

Your vaccine mandate is a falsehood, or misnomer at best. The exemptions are broad and people can do testing instead.

Even in our commie hospitals the option for testing over vaccines is available.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by MahomesMagic

...

Shouldn't they be adding capacity in the middle of a deadly pandemic?

More than half the country is vaccinated now, and Massachusetts has one of the highest rates in the country. Good for them.