***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.”

[Kiimo]

Or more importantly how many parents are going to get infected from their kids

[stumppy]

Originally Posted by TLO

Schools are about to become just as politicized as masks.

I hate this. I hate everything about this. I hate the people trying to fan the flames of fear. I hate the people that say "it's just the flu". I don't know who or what to believe from any source whatsoever. Everything has to be a politicized pissing match.

This is what I just don't get. Accurate (as it can be right now) and reliable info is available. A little common sense and listening to long time reputable news sources for info will solve that problem. Quit paying attention to every other blowhard on twitter and facebook and CPDC.

[TLO]

Originally Posted by stumppy

This is what I just don't get. Accurate (as it can be right now) and reliable info is available. A little common sense and listening to long time reputable news sources for info will solve that problem. Quit paying attention to every other blowhard on twitter and facebook.

Long time reputable news sources seem to have an agenda to push. Left, right, or otherwise.

So do the people with the Twitter and Facebooks.

[Bob Dole]

Originally Posted by Kiimosabi

How many is an acceptable number to die

The children? The noisy, messy little shits that run around making everything sticky? All of them.

[jdubya]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

Let's see....a large group of people with little social distancing all indoors. What could go wrong?

I have a daughter in high school. She says there are parties every week with 40+ people all drinking and hanging with each other indoors and outdoors in swimming pools etc. If that is happening already, why not go to school? I see folks in my hood that have 7-10 kids all jumping on trampolines and bounce houses for birthday parties......why not let them go to school? Those who are nervous about it should home school or distance learn as they wish.

[Demonpenz]

If a student an employee is in contact with tests positive, will teachers need to quarantine? If so, do They lose 10-14 sick days?
How will immune-compromised teachers or students be affected? Will we be required to lose sick days if we test positive?
How will social distancing work in classrooms with more than 10-15 students?
If a teacher's child needs to quarantine will the educator parent be required to use their sick days?
Will the state attendance laws be changed so students/families aren't compelled to come to school sick?
Will teachers need to sign a waiver to work?
Will students sign a waiver protecting teachers/administrators in the event a student gets sick while in their class?
What happens in buildings with no AC and no windows to open?
What happens to fire drills? Active shooter drills? Evacuation drills? These are done multiple times per month and require close proximity.
The guidelines recommend keeping doors propped open. Will Covid precautions overrule active shooter precautions?
Who will be responsible for cleaning shared materials and supplies like computers?
If teachers have children in other districts that choose different models of school with split sessions or etc. how would that be handled? What accommodations will be made for educators/their families?
What about classes/grade levels that require close contact and collaboration for content and social-emotional development?
What happens when parents choose to home school their child(ren) and then enroll after the deadline?
What safety measures will be put in place for non-teaching staff such as school counselors? Our offices are not large enough for social distancing
How will we address the mental health needs of our students in a safe and effective manner?
For someone who has health issues has an office/classroom with no windows and poor ventilation, wearing a mask all day will be impossible. What options will they have to maintain their full-time status?
Will teachers be provided with the necessary PPE? What about masks for unprepared students? Will we be provided with the necessary cleaning products?
What if a teacher or assistant needs to use Crisis prevention intervention (CPI) with a student?
What about teachers, staff, or students in behavioral rooms?
If students are allowed the option to stay home, can teachers who are compromised, or live with someone compromised, also opt to teach from home?
Why are students given an option to not wear a mask? If students are required to wear a mask in retail stores (regardless of social distancing), why are schools different?
Who is going to pay for all the PPE and cleaning supplies? I imagine that when students leave a class the desks will have to be wiped down. Teachers spend an enormous amount of money every year on tissues, paper, pens, pencils, etc. Can they require students to have all of that even if they are Title 1?
What will be the protocol for Pre-K and special educators? They provide playtime, reading time, and also toilet training. What will be the transition for these types of classes?
How will teacher evaluations be handled?
Some schools are not allowed to use things like Lysol; they are only supposed to use the district approved cleaner. (Which doesn’t seem to be on the list of cleaners that kills Covid) Will they be able to use every precaution in the classroom to clean surfaces including necessary cleaning agents?
Will there be an option for parents to continue remote learning (following the school academics)?
What will the protocol be a classroom with no sink and the requirement to monitor bathroom numbers in situations where many students share a single bathroom?
Who is building the barriers between the students if there is not enough room to space them 6 feet apart.
How will staff and student health be protected if students do not have a mask? If a student is not wearing a mask then will the teacher help that student from a 6-foot distance, as otherwise the teacher will be put at risk?
Will face shields be an acceptable face covering for students and staff?
Many educators and support staff travel between schools. How will this be handled?
Will districts be provided the funds to hire more teachers so that there will be enough "manpower" to teach both in-person and remote classes?
Will there be additional teacher/staff lounges available so that adults can also be distanced while eating?
How will events like Back to School Night and parent-teacher conferences be handled?
What about specialists who teach every child in the school or multiple schools? How can we safely teach hundreds of students each week?
If teachers are in class instructing students all day, who is responsible for online instruction for the students whose parents choose to keep them home?
What if a teacher travels between different classrooms and has no control over the classroom setting from room to room?
What will happen with classrooms that we set up with tables and have flex seating like bouncy balls? There is no way to spread out tables or quickly sanitizer those seats between the switching of classes.
What will be done for older buildings without air conditioning on hot humid days and the old radiators that blast lots of dry heat in the winter to accommodate those students and faculty members who are trying to breathe through a mask?
Will there be temperature checks upon entry? What will happen with students who are sent to the nurse with fevers or other Covid-19 symptoms?
Will districts provide classrooms with amplification systems for hearing impaired students to hear their masked teachers? What about hearing impaired teachers who rely on lip-reading and will have a hard time hearing both students/staff who are wearing masks? How can these teachers be accommodated?
We have class sets of textbooks for a lot of our courses, how is the sharing/cleaning of shared resources being handled? (Desks, books, pencil sharpeners, art supplies etc)
What about Art teachers-how do we share supplies? Even if teachers have to divide up the supplies they will need a bigger budget to ensure each child gets all supplies AND storage for each class/child's materials.
How are they going to implement social distancing with specials? Is it possible to keep specials on remote because of large class sizes and have the smaller classes go back? There can be up to 30 kids in one class. Sometimes more.
Will schools be hiring more school nurses, custodial staff, and counselors?
Will there be specialized, paid training for staff to prepare before the first day of school for all these changes?
If a staff member or student comes down with a fever will they be required to get tested for COVID-19 and provide the school with documentation of the results?
How should science labs be handled?
How will grading work (especially if some students remain at home)? Online assessments vs in-person assessments are entirely different.
Do families need to sign waivers of disclosure if they’ve been exposed, tested, results? Do we violate privacy laws by asking?
What about staff bathrooms? Will someone be sanitizing them in between uses or will the staff members be required to do so?
Can teachers who have breathing issues use face shields in place of masks?
If we aren't comfortable going to school to teach once plans are laid out in our district, can we opt to do so remotely?
Will there be an aide on every bus to monitor distancing and mask use, since the bus driver will be focused on driving?
Will there be a cap on sick day usage for older teachers who have accumulated more than 50 days? 75? 100?
Will individual teachers be allowed to require that students wear masks in their classroom?
Will bathrooms have monitors to ensure only X amount of children enter at a time?
If a student tests positive, what does that mean for the rest of the students in the class?
Will all specialists/support staff still push-in? Will they push-in to multiple classrooms?
Will fans and/or AC units be installed in all classrooms to ensure the air is circulating and the room stays at a decent temperature for those who are wearing masks?
Will there be a nurse in the building every day?
If students are allowed the option to stay home, can teachers who are compromised, or live with someone compromised, also opt to teach from home?
If a student on class tests positive, will teachers and families be told?
Will there be dual offices for nurses, one to handle covid symptoms and another to handle first aid and other health issues?
If students pretend to cough or sneeze on each other or a staff member, how should this be handled at a disciplinary level?
How will physical education classes happen? PE uniforms/lockers? If students can’t share equipment what will the class expectations be? If class is held outdoors what happens in bad weather?
When it comes to younger students, our curriculum is play-based and hands-on. How will play-based learning work? (Blocks, games, manipulatives, puzzles, kitchen, puppets, play-doh, cars, etc) Also, who will be required to clean all these? And how often?
This is a quote from a state restart plan: "Staff roles will also have to expand to accommodate new health and safety regulations." What exactly does this mean? Are we cleaning and disinfecting classrooms?
And what exactly does this quote mean: "Instructional and non-instructional staff schedules may also include designated time to support school building logistics required to maintain health and safety requirements." Does taking temperatures become a duty?
How do lockers work? In many buildings students share lockers (or they are on top of each other). If they opt out of using them, do they just carry around a book bag all day congesting the halls even more?
If split sessions are used to help with social distancing/decrease class sizes, will the minimum number of hours be waived to count a half-day of instruction? For example, if a half-day is 4 hours and one group of students attends in-person morning session while a different group attends the afternoon session, that will go past the normal contractual teaching hours.
Will sign language interpreters be required to wear masks? Facial expressions and mouth morphemes are a big part of ASL; some students rely on lip-reading to support their understanding of sign language.
Will we be following guidelines provided by groups like EdTA (International Thespian Organization) for activities like theater and band?
Is it possible that for the duration of the pandemic state testing is suspended and the monies school districts allot for testing be diverted to funding district readiness?
Schools do not permit students to wear hats, hoods and the like because student identity is concealed; if students can not be socially distanced, masks are required, for health reasons. Student faces are concealed which poses a safety issue within the dwelling.

[jdubya]

Originally Posted by Kiimosabi

How many is an acceptable number to die

I didnt ask the question to be an ass......I was genuinely curious if there is a growing or high rate of death in children. The last I heard this virus is killing the elderly and frail in the high 90% range....

[Donger]

Originally Posted by jdubya

I have a daughter in high school. She says there are parties every week with 40+ people all drinking and hanging with each other indoors and outdoors in swimming pools etc. If that is happening already, why not go to school? I see folks in my hood that have 7-10 kids all jumping on trampolines and bounce houses for birthday parties......why not let them go to school? Those who are nervous about it should home school or distance learn as they wish.

That's pretty stupid, too. So is opening a high school that has 1,500 kids when cases are increasing.

This isn't difficult to understand.

[eDave]

WTF Penz?!

[Demonpenz]

Originally Posted by eDave

WTF Penz?!

What? I have some questions to ask.

[jdubya]

Originally Posted by Donger

That's pretty stupid, too. So is opening a high school that has 1,500 kids when cases are increasing.

This isn't difficult to understand.

So you dont know how many kids are dying either? Thats ok

[O.city]

How many kids die each year from the flu? That’s apparently an acceptable number so let’s start there.

There are a lot of resources out of Europe and Asia where they’ve found kids are not vectors to adults at much of a high rate at all. Kids also aren’t at a high risk of this thankfully.

You’ve got teachers and staff that are more likely to get it from each other or at home than the kids and that’s the biggest issue.

[eDave]

Originally Posted by Demonpenz

What? I have some questions to ask.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by Kiimosabi

Or more importantly how many parents are going to get infected from their kids

straw man.......I know you don't like looking at things outside of a vacuum but school is very important to kids and learning remotely for most kids is not learning at all. They don't retain anything and they learn little. Every Parent I know says kids need to be in school so apparently we value our children being educated properly.

[Monticore]

Originally Posted by eDave

WTF Penz?!

Is Donger going to answer all those questions with one big question or and equal amount of questions.