***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.”

[O.city]

https://twitter.com/j_g_allen/status...244347392?s=21

[O.city]

Hopefully I’m not overwhelming everyone woth all my posts here. I can post less if this bothers anyone

[IA_Chiefs_fan]

Originally Posted by O.city

Hopefully I’m not overwhelming everyone woth all my posts here. I can post less if this bothers anyone

Please keep it coming.

[lewdog]

A lot we don’t know about kids but here’s my take so far.

Kids are NOT super spreaders of this like originally though. They can spread it but it’s no where correlated with the viral loads they’re showing (more RNA in kids but that doesn’t equate to spreading ability). Also kids are having less symptoms overall so they spread for a shorter duration than adults.

The next 2 months should tell us a ton about schools and kids spreading.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by lewdog

A lot we don’t know about kids but here’s my take so far.

Kids are NOT super spreaders of this like originally though. They can spread it but it’s no where correlated with the viral loads they’re showing (more RNA in kids but that doesn’t equate to spreading ability). Also kids are having less symptoms overall so they spread for a shorter duration than adults.

The next 2 months should tell us a ton about schools and kids spreading.

I think that’s true.

Plus, for me, the trade offs of getting them back in school is just too much (specifically say, 6th grade and under) to not give it the best chance we can.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by lewdog

A lot we don’t know about kids but here’s my take so far.

Kids are NOT super spreaders of this like originally though. They can spread it but it’s no where correlated with the viral loads they’re showing (more RNA in kids but that doesn’t equate to spreading ability). Also kids are having less symptoms overall so they spread for a shorter duration than adults.

The next 2 months should tell us a ton about schools and kids spreading.

It kind of makes sense if you think about it. Can this be spread with no symptoms? Sure. But it's a hell of a lot more likely that droplets are being flung out by coughs and sneezes than by breathing. And kids are less likely to cough and sneeze from it.

[BigCatDaddy]

Originally Posted by O.city

Hopefully I’m not overwhelming everyone woth all my posts here. I can post less if this bothers anyone

**** no. I'd take a million of your post as opposed to a Donger/Pete semantics marathon.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by DaFace

It kind of makes sense if you think about it. Can this be spread with no symptoms? Sure. But it's a hell of a lot more likely that droplets are being flung out by coughs and sneezes than by breathing. And kids are less likely to cough and sneeze from it.

It’s just different than our usual influenza dynamics and I’m not sure why yet.

[O.city]

The biggest problem I’ve had with all this is how we based everything on this “novel virus” as being and acting completely different than any other respiratory viruses.

We should have started with “this is how we KNOW” other respiratory viruses act/spread/etc so the assumption is this will be the same. Let’s work back from that.

Instead we had people wiping down food containers and groceries.

Some of that is on scientific people putting out things without truly defining it for people with non scientific backgrounds. But my bigger issue is those without any background reading stuff and running with it without truly understanding or looking into it.

They see things like “this lives for x amount of hours on this surface” and think they need to bathe in bleach. When in reality, “living on” and “being transmissible” are two different things .

Again, some of that is on the people writing it, but for ****s sake, take some time to read and digest info you read.

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by lewdog

A lot we don’t know about kids but here’s my take so far.

Kids are NOT super spreaders of this like originally though. They can spread it but it’s no where correlated with the viral loads they’re showing (more RNA in kids but that doesn’t equate to spreading ability). Also kids are having less symptoms overall so they spread for a shorter duration than adults.

The next 2 months should tell us a ton about schools and kids spreading.

I would love to be wrong, but I think we are going to find out that kids get this and transmit it just like everyone else. Kind of like they do with the cold (another coronavirus) and the flu. The little rugrats are always spreading shit. The good thing so far is doesn't appear they get the worst symptoms for the vast majority anyway.

There is still a ton of unanswered questions about covid and it will probably be years before we have a good understanding of it's total effects especially long term.

[kgrund]

Originally Posted by O.city

The biggest problem I’ve had with all this is how we based everything on this “novel virus” as being and acting completely different than any other respiratory viruses.

We should have started with “this is how we KNOW” other respiratory viruses act/spread/etc so the assumption is this will be the same. Let’s work back from that.

Instead we had people wiping down food containers and groceries.

Some of that is on scientific people putting out things without truly defining it for people with non scientific backgrounds. But my bigger issue is those without any background reading stuff and running with it without truly understanding or looking into it.

They see things like “this lives for x amount of hours on this surface” and think they need to bathe in bleach. When in reality, “living on” and “being transmissible” are two different things .

Again, some of that is on the people writing it, but for ****s sake, take some time to read and digest info you read.

Absolutely spot on. We have treated this thing as if it was from Mars from the very beginning.

[dirk digler]

BREAKING: Great news.

SalivaDirect received approval this morning from the @US_FDA.

This could be one the first major game changers in fighting the pandemic. Rarely am I this enthusiastic. Here’s why.

Follow if interested.

— Andy Slavitt @ 🏡 (@ASlavitt) August 15, 2020

[Hawker007]

Not sure if this has been posted previously, but there are some thoughts/research that the MMR vaccine is helping younger children either not get COVID or not get as sick from it. I know we all have had this vaccine, but there may be something to how recent the younger kids have gotten it and its effectiveness to limiting the seriousness of the virus.

[ChiliConCarnage]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

BREAKING: Great news.

SalivaDirect received approval this morning from the @US_FDA.

This could be one the first major game changers in fighting the pandemic. Rarely am I this enthusiastic. Here’s why.

Follow if interested.

— Andy Slavitt @ 🏡 (@ASlavitt) August 15, 2020

I was just coming to post about it! This is great. The tests are only 88-94% effective but cheap and fast.

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

I would love to be wrong, but I think we are going to find out that kids get this and transmit it just like everyone else. Kind of like they do with the cold (another coronavirus) and the flu. The little rugrats are always spreading shit. The good thing so far is doesn't appear they get the worst symptoms for the vast majority anyway.

There is still a ton of unanswered questions about covid and it will probably be years before we have a good understanding of it's total effects especially long term.

Currently nothing supports children transmitting this like adults and the high spreaders of this have symptoms and many kids aren’t getting those.

Problem with schools simply could be sheer volume in one space and the fact kids can’t follow social distancing guidelines.