***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 O.city

It’s not two different strains. Technicality wise maybe But it’s different lineages of the same strain.

Also the second time they caught it they were asymptomatic and only found thru screening

They say the strain from the first infection was completely different than the second and not from the same lineage. The good news is he was asymptomatic the 2nd time unlike the first. The bad news is he got reinfected and they don't believe herd immunity will eliminate covid and that it will linger around like other coronaviruses. We will all have to probably take a vaccine every year for this I imagine.

Some main parts from the report, if someone wants to read it thoroughly. pic.twitter.com/JIC8coiML7

— Lilian Cheng (@cwylilian) August 24, 2020

[dirk digler]

What is interesting about the strains is that the first one is closely associated with what we are seeing here in the US and the patient had to be hospitalized but the other strain was more closely associated with England\Switzerland.

Makes me wonder now if we got the worse strain which is why we are seeing so many cases\deaths\hospitalizations and other countries aren't.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

They say the strain from the first infection was completely different than the second and not from the same lineage. The good news is he was asymptomatic the 2nd time unlike the first. The bad news is he got reinfected and they don't believe herd immunity will eliminate covid and that it will linger around like other coronaviruses. We will all have to probably take a vaccine every year for this I imagine.

Some main parts from the report, if someone wants to read it thoroughly. pic.twitter.com/JIC8coiML7

— Lilian Cheng (@cwylilian) August 24, 2020

We have HI to the common cold. It doesn't mean that you won't get it again though.

Just in this case he/she had neutralizing immunity to make the 2nd infection asymptomatic.

Calm down

[O.city]

Sars Cov 2 will never be eliminated from circulation. We all need to understand that.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

What is interesting about the strains is that the first one is closely associated with what we are seeing here in the US and the patient had to be hospitalized but the other strain was more closely associated with England\Switzerland.

Makes me wonder now if we got the worse strain which is why we are seeing so many cases\deaths\hospitalizations and other countries aren't.

Item 450 I held my tongue on while everyone was moaning 'us 'merkins suck at everything, don't we.'

[O.city]

It's apparently a mutation in ORF8 which would theoretically help it evade an immune response.

So like I said, technically a mutated strain but still the same "bug". Usually, the mutated strains are gonna be less virulent/infectious so again, I don't think this is abnormal or anything to get up in arms about.

[mr. tegu]

Originally Posted by O.city

Sars Cov 2 will never be eliminated from circulation. We all need to understand that.

Yeah that’s been obvious from the beginning. There’s a good chance many current coronaviruses started out as localized pandemics as well. I think people underestimate how often things like this have occurred throughout history.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by mr. tegu

Yeah that’s been obvious from the beginning. There’s a good chance many current coronaviruses started out as localized pandemics as well. I think people underestimate how often things like this have occurred throughout history.

At one point, every current virus did. It's how they work.

It'll eventually go endemic.

Yes, inevitably, we'll have people who will get it again. It's the way these things go. But, if you have a normal functioning immune system, you'll have recognition and likely your 2nd one will be very mild or asymptomatic. Look at this 2nd infection. It was attenuated by the immune system and the patient remains asymptomatic. Thats whats supposed to happen.

I'm not sure this really says much about vaccines as well.

[O.city]

A first case of #COVID19 reinfection from HKU, with distinct virus genome sequences in 1st and 2nd infection (142 days apart). Kudos to the scientists for this study.

This is no cause for alarm - this is a textbook example of how immunity should work.

(1/n) https://t.co/oekESn0Uhq

— Prof. Akiko Iwasaki (@VirusesImmunity) August 24, 2020

Heres a good breakdown.

I was also wrong on the initial HI claim to the common cold, so I'm gonna take my lumps on that one

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by O.city

We have HI to the common cold. It doesn't mean that you won't get it again though.

Just in this case he/she had neutralizing immunity to make the 2nd infection asymptomatic.

Calm down

Originally Posted by O.city

Sars Cov 2 will never be eliminated from circulation. We all need to understand that.

As I said we will probably have to add the Covid vaccine to our yearly shot regiment. Depending on which vaccine we get it may or may not stop it completely but hopefully will give us enough protection to have very mild symptoms. The Moderna vaccine may be good enough to completely stop it since it is using mRNA but only time will tell.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by O.city

We have HI to the common cold. It doesn't mean that you won't get it again though.

Just in this case he/she had neutralizing immunity to make the 2nd infection asymptomatic.

Calm down

We do?

[kgrund]

Originally Posted by Donger

We do?

So you don't think everybody has had the common cold?

[Donger]

Originally Posted by kgrund

So you don't think everybody has had the common cold?

Yes, everyone has. Now, where's the large scale (herd) immunity to it?

[O.city]

Originally Posted by Donger

Yes, everyone has. Now, where's the large scale (herd) immunity to it?

Immunity is measured in levels (sort of) though. In this case, the patient had enough immunity to sterilize the infection with no symptoms. If we tested for other things we have immunity to, I'm guessing we'd find alot of asymptomatic patients carrying.

[O.city]

I'm gonna wait though, until the whole amount of info is analyzed here. If the patient didn't seroconvert the first time, that would explain some things and would tend to be more of an outlier on reinfection as most people mount one.

You've also got n=1 here so, lets not get to far ahead of ourselves.