***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.”

[tk13]

Originally Posted by Bugeater

Applaud all you want, but I damn well know the total number of people in this world who have my best interest in mind is 1.

That's 100% true but that also doesn't mean Grandma Betty knows her nose from her rectum when talking about how viruses spread.

The reality is people have always been like that though, the internet just gives them a microphone. It's even worse today because people's opinions on this are largely based on what their political views are and little to do with the actual facts. Go team, rah rah rah.

[stevieray]

Originally Posted by limested

too big a self centered pussy

Interesting.

Curious, do you watch yourself work out while wearing your mask?

[Bugeater]

Originally Posted by Fish

It DOES exist in a vacuum. That's essentially the point of the scientific process. It's independent of any single person's opinion. And it's subject to peer review, which means it must prove itself to other people's testing who want nothing more than to prove the claim untrue. That's the entire point. The scientific process is dependent on the entirety of information. If it can be proven untrue, it deserves to be and every effort should be taken to do so.

And we should be able to take that information and make our own decisions based on it.

[Bugeater]

Originally Posted by Kidd Lex

Fair enough, and meant no disrespect to you. I personally operate under the mindset to seek to learn the vast amount I don’t know and surround myself with people of varying strengths & perspectives. Wisdom is not knowing all the answers, but being sage enough to see problems through different perspectives and with that knowledge make good decisions. Too many people throw the science to the side and say “my freedom means I’m not wearing a mask in Costco” or wherever. Right but the most recent science says you increase the odds of infecting others if you don’t wear the mask, and we can decrease 80% of infections if everyone plays along so wear the mask. Im all for ending the lockdowns to open the economy, but we have to do it responsibly and in a manner that limits risks to others, or we will regress with poor outcomes.

Fair enough and I agree with limiting risk, while still understanding we'll never fully eliminate it.

[BleedingRed]

Originally Posted by Bugeater

And we should be able to take that information and make our own decisions based on it.

It’s a simple concept that some people seem incapable of grasping

[Bugeater]

Originally Posted by BleedingRed

It’s a simple concept that some people seem incapable of grasping

I should have added that we need to add the appropriate measure of responsibility when making those decisions. That seems to be where a lot of people go off the rails.

[BleedingRed]

Originally Posted by Bugeater

I should have added that we need to add the appropriate measure of responsibility when making those decisions. That seems to be where a lot of people go off the rails.

I stop at using government force to make people do as I seem fit... to a certain point.

[Bugeater]

I certainly prefer that is doesn't come down to that as well.

[KC_Connection]

Only in America could wearing a mask during a pandemic become politicized.

[POND_OF_RED]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

Only in America could wearing a mask during a pandemic become politicized.

It may not be politicized, but it sounds like the same divisive thinking is in Canada as well. It sounds like they’re just making the smart decision to leave politics out of it and letting stores and people decide for themselves.

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5582892

But others believe wearing a face mask should be a personal choice.

Patsy Massoudi, another Edmontonian out on Sunday, said they should be worn in smaller spaces, but otherwise it should be a personal decision.

"I'm all about choice," Massoudi said.

In Alberta, the provincial government doesn't have any plans to make face masks mandatory. On Friday, Premier Jason Kenney said his government strongly encourages their use, but that making them mandatory creates too large of an enforcement problem.

"Our approach has been more of an advisory approach than a heavy-handed restriction approach," Kenney said on Friday. "There obviously have been some restrictions, but we want to trust people to exercise personal responsibility rather than policing everybody in a heavy-handed way."

[Gravedigger]

My wife had a miscarriage around Christmas with our first expected child since we got married last July. Now, four months later, we're lucky to be expecting again but hopeful for a different result. I saw how it affected her, so if I can do anything in my power to not have that happen for her, or myself, again, I will do it.

Do I know that Corona will affect us negatively? No, there's a chance it could pass through easily on both of us. However it could have the exact opposite effect, and that risk is too much for me to take at this time. But I have to get out, we have to go to the grocery store, we have to eat, eventually we have to get haircuts, we have to have some social interaction with our friends to remind us that we aren't alone in the world and that there is an end to the tunnel. I get both sides, I apologize if anyone feels attacked by my comments in this or other threads, but for me there's no question why I do what I do. Rather safe than sorry is the name of the game for me, but I get why there was a massive party at Lake of the Ozarks on one of the only nice weather days of that weekend. I wouldn't do it, but I get why others would. Try not to shame others for what they do, but respect my choice to wear a mask and take risk averse actions to keep my family as safe as possible. Everyone you see out there has a reason to believe what they believe in this pandemic, but don't think you have the right to tell someone to believe something different then what they know is the right situation for them.

[POND_OF_RED]

Not sure if this has been brought up before but I found an interesting piece of history about the anti-mask league of San Francisco. Seems like we’re definitely just repeating history in a way.

The first mask requirement law in San Francisco was in place from October 25-November 21st 1918. Fun to note that the city health official and mayor paid fines for not wearing masks to a boxing match during this time. When another wave hit in January the masks were required again on January 17, 1919. This is when the anti-mask league of San Francisco was formed.

The group presented a signed petition to the cities Board of Supervisors on January 27th, 1919 requesting the mask ordinance be repealed. February 1st 1919 it was officially repealed.

Just found that to be pretty interesting. It sounds like people had similar ways of thinking about the masks 100 years ago.

https://www.history.com/.amp/news/19...ing-resistance

[KregWillis]

Originally Posted by Gravedigger

My wife had a miscarriage around Christmas with our first expected child since we got married last July. Now, four months later, we're lucky to be expecting again but hopeful for a different result. I saw how it affected her, so if I can do anything in my power to not have that happen for her, or myself, again, I will do it.

Do I know that Corona will affect us negatively? No, there's a chance it could pass through easily on both of us. However it could have the exact opposite effect, and that risk is too much for me to take at this time. But I have to get out, we have to go to the grocery store, we have to eat, eventually we have to get haircuts, we have to have some social interaction with our friends to remind us that we aren't alone in the world and that there is an end to the tunnel. I get both sides, I apologize if anyone feels attacked by my comments in this or other threads, but for me there's no question why I do what I do. Rather safe than sorry is the name of the game for me, but I get why there was a massive party at Lake of the Ozarks on one of the only nice weather days of that weekend. I wouldn't do it, but I get why others would. Try not to shame others for what they do, but respect my choice to wear a mask and take risk averse actions to keep my family as safe as possible. Everyone you see out there has a reason to believe what they believe in this pandemic, but don't think you have the right to tell someone to believe something different then what they know is the right situation for them.

Totally agree! We've never been faced with such a disease before, that's why people do the best to cope with the situation as much as they can. Wish you all the best to you and your family!

[Monticore]

Originally Posted by Bugeater

I should have added that we need to add the appropriate measure of responsibility when making those decisions. That seems to be where a lot of people go off the rails.

When your decision can affect others even if it is just perception , not just this virus , the environment, politics etc.. that is when things go off the rails .

in this case it is not just perception unfortunately .

[lewdog]

Department of health is paying for my antibody testing.

Not sure this will mean much as studies on antibodies for this look weak and scattered with what it means.