***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.”

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by Katipan

Big assumption. I know of no one specifically that has to wear a mask that can make one disposable last all day.

Don't get me started on teenagers and kids.

Fair enough.

[Lzen]

One more item for today and then I'll leave you all alone because I know some of you won't be convinced no matter if reality hits you in the face.

CDC: Schools With Mask Mandates Didn’t See Statistically Significant Different Rates

In particular, the CDC’s findings are not helpful to politicians and bureaucrats who continue to argue that students must be masked during school.

“Whether [students] are vaccinated or not, they need to wear a mask,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said during a recent panel discussion streamed online.

For this reason or some other, the CDC determined to not include its finding that “required mask use among students was not statistically significant compared with schools where mask use was optional” in the summary of its report, which has received very little media attention to date.

Masks are no longer simply a matter of individual or public health. Bear in mind, children face a low risk of falling sick or being hospitalized with COVID—with or without a face mask. Small children are far more likely to die of the flu, a car accident, a swimming pool, cancer or some other ailment than COVID-19, CDC data show. The battle of school masks mandates has now become a political conflict, part of a larger struggle between the individual and collectivism.

Martin Kulldorff, a professor at Harvard Medical School who studies infectious diseases, recently observed that the way we’re treating the spread of COVID-19 is unique compared to other pandemics throughout human history.

“For thousands of years, disease pathogens have spread from person to person. Never before have carriers been blamed for infecting the next sick person,” Kulldorff noted on Twitter. “That is a very dangerous ideology.”

Indeed it is.

Whether masks promote health is unclear—many Europeans without mask mandates have far lower COVID mortality rates than the US. What is far more certain—in light of the lessons of history—is that a healthy society is one that empowers individuals with choice and freedom.

https://fee.org/articles/cdc-schools...2020_FEEWeekly

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by Lzen

One more item for today and then I'll leave you all alone because I know some of you won't be convinced no matter if reality hits you in the face.

CDC: Schools With Mask Mandates Didn’t See Statistically Significant Different Rates







https://fee.org/articles/cdc-schools...2020_FEEWeekly

Are you under the impression that that site is trying to provide an unbiased opinion? Or did you read the CDC study they're referencing? I mean, the key findings of the study include:

COVID-19 incidence was 37% lower in schools that required teachers and staff members to use masks and 39% lower in schools that improved ventilation. Ventilation strategies associated with lower school incidence included dilution methods alone (35% lower incidence) or in combination with filtration methods (48% lower incidence).

Why do you think the article you posted ignored the overall findings and cited one specific statistic among many in the article? If you want to stop being confused by biased reporting, stop reading sites that have no interest in being unbiased.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by Lzen

One more item for today and then I'll leave you all alone because I know some of you won't be convinced no matter if reality hits you in the face.

CDC: Schools With Mask Mandates Didn’t See Statistically Significant Different Rates

The main problem is these things often come from places like "fee.org" or medium, etc... no idea what fee.org is or why I should believe them over anyone else,, but many others are basically blogs made to look like professional research done by people who obviously have axes to grind.

And not that the CDC or anyone else is 100% objective, but there's also a difference between recommending things out of extreme caution and people who hate the mandates finding data that supposedly supports their opinion.

You can take a clump of dirt and throw it through a screen door and it'll stop something, even if it's only stopping 1% of the dirt... that's basically the same reasoning for masks and even just a bandana, that it's better than nothing as long as everyone is following the mandates, aren't constantly touching their face and taking off their mask, etc.... and we know that stuff isn't happening.

Taking a quiz made specifically for confirmation bias won't change the science around the effectiveness of masks, even if the true effectiveness isn't met in real life situations. A motorcycle helmet can be 95% effective (no idea if that's true and masks are like 30%) in saving the life of every test crash dummy, but IRL if your (or mine or anyone) dumb ass doesn't put it on correctly or decides to drive 100mph in the rain or randomly takes it off and constantly fidgets with it, no one would be surprised when you're part of the 5%. That doesn't make the helmet less effective from it's intended use in a vacuum with no human idiocy to skew the numbers.

[NotDonger]

Originally Posted by Lzen

“For thousands of years, disease pathogens have spread from person to person. Never before have carriers been blamed for infecting the next sick person,” Kulldorff noted on Twitter. “That is a very dangerous ideology.”

That's actually not accurate:

https://www.history.com/news/1918-pa...alth-campaigns

[penguinz]

Originally Posted by NotDonger

That's actually not accurate:

https://www.history.com/news/1918-pa...alth-campaigns

Don't let facts get in the way of a good conspiracy.

[jdubya]

My daughter in high school with mask mandates says there is a cold going around. Kids are sniffling in class but cant wipe or blow their noses while wearing masks and mucous is running out until it starts escaping the masks under the chin. Thats pretty disgraceful

[O.city]

Making it a moral outrage if you get covid is dumb. It’s no ones fault

[Rasputin]

Over 56 thousand replies I hope this doesn't affect the server

[loochy]

Originally Posted by jdubya

My daughter in high school with mask mandates says there is a cold going around. Kids are sniffling in class but cant wipe or blow their noses while wearing masks and mucous is running out until it starts escaping the masks under the chin. Thats pretty disgraceful

Wait, how is a cold bypassing the all-protective masks?

[Discuss Thrower]

Originally Posted by O.city

Making it a moral outrage if you get covid is dumb. It’s no ones fault

[penguinz]

Originally Posted by loochy

Wait, how is a cold bypassing the all-protective masks?

Viruses that cause colds can spread from infected people to others through the air and close personal contact. You can also get infected through contact with stool (poop) or respiratory secretions from an infected person.

https://www.cdc.gov/features/rhinoviruses/index.html

[R Clark]

Was in drs office the other day ( masks required) my oxygen level was 85 percent with a mask 97 percent without it . He had me remove the mask .

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by loochy

Wait, how is a cold bypassing the all-protective masks?

Originally Posted by jdubya

My daughter in high school with mask mandates says there is a cold going around. Kids are sniffling in class but cant wipe or blow their noses while wearing masks and mucous is running out until it starts escaping the masks under the chin. Thats pretty disgraceful

(I assume that was TiC and found it amusing)

[Bearcat]

And WTF are kids in school spreading colds? ****in' parents, if it's one thing we should have learned in the past year and a half is to stay the **** home if you're sick.