***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.”

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

That's a terribly sad story.

It is and very frustrating. He could have gotten better care if it wasn't for the unvaxed taking up critical ICU beds.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Chief Pagan

This is what a collapse of the hospital system looks like.

No, it doesn't have to mean the doors are shut and people are bleeding to death in the parking lot.

It means the system can't provide the level of critical care that it used to and real people suffer real consequences.

This is why in the short term we want to spread out the current wave of cases.

And in the medium/long term it would probably be useful if society could figure out how to entice more medical workers into and staying in the system.

One way they could entice more medical workers is to lighten the load.

One way they could lighten the load is to stop spreading so much ****ing fear.

I was at the doctor (sick) the other day and they said 90% of their appointments that day were requests for COVID tests. They said about HALF of those were people with no symptoms - people that were going to the doctor because they were scared they might have COVID because somebody they knew had it.

The media is doing our healthcare workers a great disservice by continuing to harp on this like it's some great plague. There's difference between an informed public and an inflamed public.

[eDave]

On a side note, a friend of mine was experiencing chest pains along with her illness that made her feel uncomfortable. 8 hours she waited to see a Dr. Who didn't find anything so they sent her on. Another 6 hours she waited to see a Dr.

[WilliamTheIrish]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

My next door neighbor died the other day, not because of covid directly. He had a fall, busted his knee bad and had some issues because of it. He was in the hospital a couple of weeks and they tried to find him an ICU bed but none were open in the 6 state region.

While his wife was visiting the other evening he coded from a blood clot and died right there. They don't call the hospital Death valley for nothing and why people try to go elsewhere.

He was a very good guy and huge Chiefs fan. He went to the Vegas game earlier this year and was planning on going to the Pro Bowl. just terrible.

Sorry about your neighbor, dirk. That’s just tragic.

This is but one example. All over the metro area, over the last 7 days, there are about 50 similar stories.

Most facilities are limiting elective surgeries. To be more accurate, elective surgeries that require a 1 or 2 night stay. If you can handle a total knee or shoulder as an outpatient at a surgery center, you shouldn’t have much trouble.

Do that, and spike a fever? Risk sepsis? That’s where you got problems.

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

One way they could entice more medical workers is to lighten the load.

One way they could lighten the load is to stop spreading so much ****ing fear.

I was at the doctor (sick) the other day and they said 90% of their appointments that day were requests for COVID tests. They said about HALF of those were people with no symptoms - people that were going to the doctor because they were scared they might have COVID because somebody they knew had it.

The media is doing our healthcare workers a great disservice by continuing to harp on this like it's some great plague. There's difference between an informed public and an inflamed public.

Nonsense. The issue is stupid people not getting vaccinated and over running the system. My daughter's last day was this weekend at Research and she is moving on to something less stressful, been on the Covid ICU unit since the beginning. But for the last couple of weeks they had the Feds in helping them because they are so short staffed. Herself and her fellow co workers have had enough.

https://www.kansascity.com/news/coro...257151042.html

As hospital resources around the metro have become strained in response to a new wave of COVID-19 patients and staffing shortages, a small team of medical professionals has been dispatched to Kansas City’s Research Medical Center through a federally-run program.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has sent a 15-member team with the National Disaster Medical System to assist health care workers at Research Medical Center. The team is being brought in to “help care for patients during this most significant surge of COVID-19 in our region,” HCA Midwest Health, which runs the hospital, said in a news release Friday.

“HCA Midwest Health’s leadership has never been prouder to work alongside such a dedicated and committed family of physicians, clinicians and colleagues,” the news release said. “We are incredibly grateful and humbled for these resources — and this demonstrates that as a community, and nation, we are indeed stronger, together.”

The medical professionals are to be assigned to the hospital’s COVID-19 Unit and Emergency room along with other areas. The team includes physicians, nurses, paramedics, pharmacists, safety logistics specialists, and administrative and support staff specialists.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

One way they could entice more medical workers is to lighten the load.

One way they could lighten the load is to stop spreading so much ****ing fear.

I was at the doctor (sick) the other day and they said 90% of their appointments that day were requests for COVID tests. They said about HALF of those were people with no symptoms - people that were going to the doctor because they were scared they might have COVID because somebody they knew had it.

The media is doing our healthcare workers a great disservice by continuing to harp on this like it's some great plague. There's difference between an informed public and an inflamed public.

Are there not public testing sites in your area, or are people just dumb and going to their primary doc instead? There are probably 20 free testing sites in the Denver metro, so I don't really know why anyone would bog down the healthcare system just to get a test.

[4th and Long]

Originally Posted by eDave

8 hours she waited to see a Dr. Who didn't find anything so they sent her on.

I'm pretty sure that Dr. Who isn't a licensed medical professional.

[prhom]

Originally Posted by DaFace

Are there not public testing sites in your area, or are people just dumb and going to their primary doc instead? There are probably 20 free testing sites in the Denver metro, so I don't really know why anyone would bog down the healthcare system just to get a test.

Could be due to timing. I live in Denver and when I needed a test two weeks ago I was scheduled 4 days out. By the time I had results saying I was positive I was already done with the 5 day isolation period. My kids had the same symptoms but I didn’t bother testing (scheduling 5 days out by then) because I knew what they had since we had been isolating.

Maybe a PCP can get people in for a test in a more timely manner?

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by DaFace

Are there not public testing sites in your area, or are people just dumb and going to their primary doc instead? There are probably 20 free testing sites in the Denver metro, so I don't really know why anyone would bog down the healthcare system just to get a test.

Only public testing sites are in the Des Moines metro and the lines are so long it takes hours to get a 5 minute test.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

Nonsense. The issue is stupid people not getting vaccinated and over running the system. My daughter's last day was this weekend at Research and she is moving on to something less stressful, been on the Covid ICU unit since the beginning. But for the last couple of weeks they had the Feds in helping them because they are so short staffed. Herself and her fellow co workers have had enough.

I know of 3 people who were in ICU because of COVID, 2 of whom have since died. All 3 of them were vaccinated.

It isn't some black and white issue like you're making it out to be. Vaccinated people are getting sick too.

By the way, I got my information from the health care professionals directly. They TOLD ME why they're so overrun. So if you have issue with that, I'll give you their contact info and you can take it up with them.

We have ICU beds open here. We don't have doctor's offices.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by prhom

Could be due to timing. I live in Denver and when I needed a test two weeks ago I was scheduled 4 days out. By the time I had results saying I was positive I was already done with the 5 day isolation period. My kids had the same symptoms but I didn’t bother testing (scheduling 5 days out by then) because I knew what they had since we had been isolating.

Maybe a PCP can get people in for a test in a more timely manner?

I went to the walk-in clinic on a Thursday morning while most people are at work. I went in at 9 even though they open at 10 and managed to be first in line. It took me 15 minutes tops to get a quick exam and the test.

My daughter and wife went at 1:30 and they got home at FOUR. There were 24 people ahead of them - the office they went to has 1 ARNP and 3 rooms.

[IowaHawkeyeChief]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

It is and very frustrating. He could have gotten better care if it wasn't for the unvaxed taking up critical ICU beds.

You need to catch up on the Science...

[ghak99]

Originally Posted by DaFace

Are there not public testing sites in your area, or are people just dumb and going to their primary doc instead? There are probably 20 free testing sites in the Denver metro, so I don't really know why anyone would bog down the healthcare system just to get a test.

I was curious and googled my local info and shot a text to a nurse. 3 options listed. The local health center is open for testing on Tuesday and Thursday from 9-10am. One other testing location is a pharmacy that offers appointment only one day a week and the other closed their testing site months ago. The nurse at the hospital, which is only a few blocks from the health center, tells me primaries are testing people daily and "everyone in the ER thinks they have covid". This is obviously not a metro area, but the hospital is owned by the big name in the metro area. You'd think the health center could take on some of the pressure but having experience with getting the hospital and health center to work together on blood testing, it's probably a monumental task that most likely involves a line in the accounting department.

I did get a laugh out of the health center offering vaccination hours that overlap their testing hours. I'm sure they're separated somehow, but inviting the unvaccinated to the same place the suspected sick are being tested just seems like a great idea.

[emaw1979]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

Nonsense. The issue is stupid people not getting vaccinated and over running the system. My daughter's last day was this weekend at Research and she is moving on to something less stressful, been on the Covid ICU unit since the beginning. But for the last couple of weeks they had the Feds in helping them because they are so short staffed. Herself and her fellow co workers have had enough.

Sorry, but you couldn’t be more wrong. The fear is pushing people to overload walk in clinics, doctors offices and ERs for a scratchy throat, cough or other cold symptoms. They have people believing COVID is a death sentence when it’s barely got a higher chance than the flu to kill.

I’ve got a doctor and 2 ER nurses in the family. They work in local hospitals and yes, they are exhausted and stressed. It’s causing irrational fear that is driving people to the ER in bus loads (practically) demanding life saving Miracle treatments for the sniffles. 24x7 covid reporting is causing mothers to put their covid positive children in their trunks FFS.

[Katipan]

Originally Posted by DaFace

Are there not public testing sites in your area, or are people just dumb and going to their primary doc instead? There are probably 20 free testing sites in the Denver metro, so I don't really know why anyone would bog down the healthcare system just to get a test.

We send people to get tested every day.
We even pay for rapid tests.

I’m sure there are spots that are overloaded but we haven’t had any trouble testing people.