***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.”

[007]

Now you can't even order groceries online all slots are taken up all the time. This is getting very ridiculous.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by PAChiefsGuy

Life is definitely going to change. Life changed after WW2, it changed after 9/11 and it will change after this. How much or how little is anyone's guess we will have to wait and see.

In reality little will change from this aside from people maybe doing things they should have been doing before like washing their hands and staying home when they don't feel good. What else is really going to change? Bars and gyms and theaters going to limit crowds to 50 people and keep everyone 6ft apart?

I am not sure what is going to change compared to things that changed with say 9/11?

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by petegz28

Why not? Dude, Dr. Fauci is human. Just because he is a doctor doesn't making infallible.

It's true that he's not infallible, but it's also not relevant to the discussion we were having. Let's say that Fauci claimed that it was a public health emergency on January 21 and that we should ban all foreign travel, initiate temperature screenings, ban all public gatherings over 10 people, and institute a national lockdown with the one (known) case we had at that time.

Would you have supported that? Your presence here suggests that you don't even support a lockdown of non-NYC/NJ areas, and you don't believe that we will tolerate a national lockdown for much longer. I don't see how you are able to reconcile these two contradictory stances.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by petegz28

We'll agree to disagree.

Feel free to explain why in the DC.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

It's true that he's not infallible, but it's also not relevant to the discussion we were having. Let's say that Fauci claimed that it was a public health emergency on January 21 and that we should ban all foreign travel, initiate temperature screenings, ban all public gatherings over 10 people, and institute a national lockdown with the one (known) case we had at that time.

Would you have supported that? Your presence here suggests that you don't even support a lockdown of non-NYC/NJ areas, and you don't believe that we will tolerate a national lockdown for much longer. I don't see how you are able to reconcile these two contradictory stances.

I don't think you've really read much if what I have said, specifically pertaining to NY\NJ. That being said I am not so sure why my supporting it has to do with it? It's not like it matters one way or another if I support it or not.

And there were other things that could have been done if you want to go back in hind sight, build up of masks\ventilators, etc.

Again, I am not bashing Fauci. I am however pointing out that just because experts say things doesn't make them right. Or maybe in this case very short sighted.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by Donger

Feel free to explain why in the DC.

Go on over there and wait for me. If I'm not there in 5 minutes, just wait longer.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by 007

Now you can't even order groceries online all slots are taken up all the time. This is getting very ridiculous.

That sucks!

[Donger]

Originally Posted by petegz28

Go on over there and wait for me. If I'm not there in 5 minutes, just wait longer.

Avoiding answering that question seems to be a common affliction.

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by cdcox

You continually try to localize this. There are a lot of states that new cases are growing at a rate of more than 10% a day, event though they have been on lockdown for a couple of weeks. It has never been confined to 2 or 3 states. There are places it is more active and less active. Most of the less active are becuase of measures that have been put it place not because a very infectous virus "isn't there".

Should we even look at new cases at this point because that data is super old? All the testing sites have backlogs of hundreds of thousands of tests

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by Donger

Avoiding answering that question seems to be a common affliction.

Nope, just not playing the Donger game in here......

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by petegz28

Why not? Dude, Dr. Fauci is human. Just because he is a doctor doesn't making infallible.

Such a straw man. Of course he is not infallible. But most epidemiologists are on the same page has him and that is the best information that we have. Are you suggesting that we go against the best science and just hope all of the experts are wrong?

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by cdcox

Such a straw man. Of course he is not infallible. But most epidemiologists are on the same page has him and that is the best information that we have. Are you suggesting that we go against the best science and just hope all of the experts are wrong?

Not only am I not suggesting that I even said we need to listen to him. Again, you are reading what you want and not what I said.

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

Should we even look at new cases at this point because that data is super old? All the testing sites have backlogs of hundreds of thousands of tests

It goes without saying that we need more testing capability, both to make decisions and to control flare ups after we partially open things up.

[O.city]

I’m kinda past the point of worrying about testing positives

It’s everywhere and it’s been everywhere. Biggest thing now is get the hospitalizations down then get on testing

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by cdcox

It goes without saying that we need more testing capability, both to make decisions and to control flare ups after we partially open things up.

Absolutely. We need the rapid testing everywhere prior to opening back up.

Originally Posted by O.city

I’m kinda past the point of worrying about testing positives

It’s everywhere and it’s been everywhere. Biggest thing now is get the hospitalizations down then get on testing

Agreed