***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.”

[TLO]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

CDC just changed their close contact definition which means alot more people will need to quarantine moving forward.

JUST IN—CDC is changes how “close contact” is defined. Instead of previously defining “close contact” as >=15 *consecutive* minutes w/in 6 feet of #COVID19 case, it’s now w/in 6 feet of an infected case for >=15 minutes cumulatively over 24-hours. Huge. 🧵 https://t.co/JLZd4Kdxm4

— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) October 21, 2020

Some background: The agency changed the definition after a report from Vermont of a corrections officer who became infected after several brief interactions with coronavirus-positive inmates – none of them lasting 15 minutes, but adding up over time.

“As we get more data and understand the science of Covid, we are going to incorporate that in our recommendations,” Redfield said at a news conference held at CDC headquarters in Atlanta. “Originally, contact that was considered to be high risk for potential exposure to Covid was someone within six feet for more than 15 minutes."

The new data is being incorporated into recommendations, he said.

Hold up.

We're making recommendations based upon one case?

[Discuss Thrower]

Originally Posted by TLO

Hold up.

We're making recommendations based upon one case?

The guy wore the mask, and goggles and some sort of additional full body covering and still got it.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

The guy wore the mask, and goggles and some sort of additional full body covering and still got it.

So none of those things work now?

I wish they'd make up their mind.

[philfree]

Originally Posted by TLO

Why did you get a second test, if I may ask?

The test is probably just picking up fragments of remaining virus left in your nasopharynx. Are they wanting you to continue quarantining until you have a negative result?

Why? Because I want to be sure and I can afford to. I took the test yesterday. The guy did really dig deep with his swab. Thought he was giving me a partial lobotomy!

[TLO]

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

The guy wore the mask, and goggles and some sort of additional full body covering and still got it.

Wouldn't this lead to the distinct possibility that

A. That stuff didn't protect him - (I have no idea what kind of PPE he was wearing)
B. He got the virus somewhere else?

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by TLO

Wouldn't this lead to the distinct possibility that

A. That stuff didn't protect him - (I have no idea what kind of PPE he was wearing)
B. He got the virus somewhere else?

Exactly what I was thinking.

[Discuss Thrower]

Originally Posted by TLO

Wouldn't this lead to the distinct possibility that

A. That stuff didn't protect him - (I have no idea what kind of PPE he was wearing)
B. He got the virus somewhere else?

Only if you have an agenda.

[TLO]

Originally Posted by philfree

Why? Because I want to be sure and I can afford to. I took the test yesterday. The guy did really dig deep with his swab. Thought he was giving me a partial lobotomy!

Wanted to be sure you actually had the virus?

I'd say if you had a previous positive test and corresponding symptoms, that would have been sufficient information.

Getting the second test accomplishes nothing, except possibly extending your isolation time.

[philfree]

Originally Posted by TLO

Wanted to be sure you actually had the virus?

I'd say if you had a previous positive test and corresponding symptoms, that would have been sufficient information.

Getting the second test accomplishes nothing, except possibly extending your isolation time.

I wan to be sure it's safe for me to hug my wife. Sleep in the same bed, hold hands and stuff.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Parson says hospitals are doing fine

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by Pasta Giant Meatball

Parson says hospitals are doing fine

Yeah we all had a very cynical laugh Monday discussing the AP's "top notch reporting" about the local hospitals in KC and how they conveniently left out huge chunks of info that fortunately was reported by local news outlets.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by TLO

Wouldn't this lead to the distinct possibility that

A. That stuff didn't protect him - (I have no idea what kind of PPE he was wearing)
B. He got the virus somewhere else?

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Exactly what I was thinking.

It's this kind of shit that reinforces a lot of beliefs about Covid one way or the other.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by philfree

Why? Because I want to be sure and I can afford to. I took the test yesterday. The guy did really dig deep with his swab. Thought he was giving me a partial lobotomy!

Yeah, those are the tests that are cycled way too high.

This is happening all over the country as well.

US COVID-19 positivity rate high due to 'too sensitive' tests

Up to 90 percent of people tested for COVID-19 in Massachusetts, New York and Nevada in July carried barely any traces of the virus and it could be because today's tests are 'too sensitive', experts say.

Today the PCR test, which provides a yes or no answer if a patient is infected, doesn't say how much of the virus a patient has in their body.

PCR tests analyze genetic matter from the virus in cycles and today's tests typically take 37 or 40 cycles, but experts say this is too high because it detects very small amounts of the virus that don't pose a risk.

Doctors say fewer cycle thresholds, meaning the number of cycles needed to detect the virus, hone in on those with greater amounts of the virus who do pose risks, according to the New York Times.

[O.city]

Philfree, we were told you could have people or yourself go back to work if you were 3 days symptom free and 10 days post first symptom no matter if you keep testing positive or not

[TLO]

Originally Posted by O.city

Philfree, we were told you could have people or yourself go back to work if you were 3 days symptom free and 10 days post first symptom no matter if you keep testing positive or not

Correct