***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.”

[MahomesMagic]

Originally Posted by POND_OF_RED

Dang. Just when I thought we were almost out of this COVID stuff we have two borderline DC threads about it in the lounge (not saying they don’t belong here, just sad how fast it spiraled this way) and we seem just as divided as ever still. This is one hell of a pandemic.

Couldn’t a large spread among the unvaccinated be good in the long run as well, though? If they’re likely never going to give in and get the shot, I would think we’d want to spread as much of the natural antibodies around as we can to attempt to reach the herd immunity that way. This is being said by someone who admittedly doesn’t fully grasp the herd immunity, but from my understanding we were always going to need a mixture of both. Are the hospitals getting overrun in some places again or are we just worried about the rising counts of cases themselves. Haven’t followed along lately with things seeming to clear up, but it’s obvious we’re still in this shit.

Many of the unvaccinated already got Covid while they were preparing our meals, packing our grocery shelves, delivering our Amazon packages.

So yes, many already did their part.

[TLO]

Had a case at one of the places I oversee. Client is older and is immunocompromised. She was infected by a staff who wasn't vaccinated.

All of the other staff in the home were vaccinated and tested negative.

The client is headed to the hospital.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by POND_OF_RED

Dang. Just when I thought we were almost out of this COVID stuff we have two borderline DC threads about it in the lounge (not saying they don’t belong here, just sad how fast it spiraled this way) and we seem just as divided as ever still. This is one hell of a pandemic.

Couldn’t a large spread among the unvaccinated be good in the long run as well, though? If they’re likely never going to give in and get the shot, I would think we’d want to spread as much of the natural antibodies around as we can to attempt to reach the herd immunity that way. This is being said by someone who admittedly doesn’t fully grasp the herd immunity, but from my understanding we were always going to need a mixture of both. Are the hospitals getting overrun in some places again or are we just worried about the rising counts of cases themselves. Haven’t followed along lately with things seeming to clear up, but it’s obvious we’re still in this shit.

I don't think there are truly that many places where hospitals are overrun right now. It's mostly just draining and frustrating for healthcare workers to see so many people getting sick that would have been completely avoided if they would just take the miracle cure we have for it. Of course, we thought things were looking OK last summer as well, so the fall is probably going to be a little rough. (On the plus sides, death rates are much lower now since many vulnerable people are vaccinated, so that should prevent a 2020-level surge in the fall.)

Beyond that, yes, herd immunity comes closer with each shot and each infection, so in a sense it would be a good thing if it just ran wild. It's the whole "people dying" thing that still makes that a less than desirable option.

[Pitt Gorilla]

Originally Posted by TLO

Had a case at one of the places I oversee. Client is older and is immunocompromised. She was infected by a staff who wasn't vaccinated.

All of the other staff in the home were vaccinated and tested negative.

The client is headed to the hospital.

Man, that really stinks.

[Chief Roundup]

https://katv.com/news/local/northwes...-for-employees
LITTLE ROCK (Talk Business & Politics) — Missouri-based healthcare system Mercy, which has significant operations in Northwest Arkansas and Fort Smith, said Wednesday (July 7) that it would require its employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Sept. 30.

In a statement, Mercy said the new requirement comes as the Delta variant of COVID-19 continues to spread rapidly, resulting in an uptick in hospitalizations at Mercy hospitals, including those in Fort Smith and Rogers.

Mercy officials said the situation is even more severe in Missouri, where it has hospitals and clinics in Joplin, Springfield, St. Louis and other locations.

According to the release, Mercy has seen the real-world impact of the protection vaccines provide. The majority of Mercy patients recently hospitalized with COVID-19 have not been vaccinated.

“What we are seeing aligns with the Associated Press analysis of CDC data,” said Dr. John Mohart, Mercy’s senior vice president of clinical services. “More than 95% of recent hospitalizations across the U.S. are people who aren’t vaccinated. The data is clear. Vaccination is key to saving lives.”

https://www.katv.com/news/local/arka...-be-vaccinated

LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — Beginning next month, Arkansas Children’s Hospital will require all leaders and new employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Starting Aug. 16, all new hospital employment offers will require new employees to get the first dose by their start date and a second dose within 30 days of employment.

By Aug. 20, all hospital leaders, including managers, directors, vice presidents, senior vice presidents, and executive vice presidents, must get a first dose of the vaccine as a condition of employment.

The hospital said that their leaders are currently over 90 percent vaccinated. All leaders must be fully vaccinated by Sept. 30.

Children's reported 11 confirmed COVID-19 hospitalizations Monday along with several more suspected.

"About half of those are critically ill. They’re in our ICU requiring ventilator support or really have COVID-pneumonia," said Dr. Rick Barr, Chief Clinical Officer at Arkansas Children's.

Barr said the hospitalizations are about two to three times more than they saw back in the winter months with COVID-19.

“Previously most of the children that were admitted were incidentally found to be COVID positive," Barr said. "They weren’t admitted because they had COVID. They were admitted for some other reason. Now we’re seeing more and more children admitted because of their COVID infection. That’s the primary reason for their hospital admission."

The most serious cases are those who are adolescents or “tweens.”

"They’re the ones that are in the ICU that have COVID-pneumonia and are requiring significant support," Barr said.

In enacting the changes, the hospital will continue to follow and comply with its policy and practice of accommodating religious and medical exemptions.

[Chief Roundup]

In preparation for this to happen at the hospital, I work at it was announced today that everyone that has already been vaccinated will get a $200 bonus. Everyone in each department will get a $300 bonus if the department is 85% vaccinated or $500 if the department is 90% vaccinated.
My director said that it is expected that it will be mandatory for our hospital by Jan. 1st. This incentive is backed with the idea that when it becomes mandatory if people leave it will be a lesser turnover for the hospital to have to overcome than if they made it mandatory at our current rate of vaccinated employees.

[Swanman]

Originally Posted by POND_OF_RED

Dang. Just when I thought we were almost out of this COVID stuff we have two borderline DC threads about it in the lounge (not saying they don’t belong here, just sad how fast it spiraled this way) and we seem just as divided as ever still. This is one hell of a pandemic.

Couldn’t a large spread among the unvaccinated be good in the long run as well, though? If they’re likely never going to give in and get the shot, I would think we’d want to spread as much of the natural antibodies around as we can to attempt to reach the herd immunity that way. This is being said by someone who admittedly doesn’t fully grasp the herd immunity, but from my understanding we were always going to need a mixture of both. Are the hospitals getting overrun in some places again or are we just worried about the rising counts of cases themselves. Haven’t followed along lately with things seeming to clear up, but it’s obvious we’re still in this shit.

In a vacuum, herd immunity can come via natural infection. However, variants and mutations occur when there is unchecked spread and a variant in the future could be resistant to the current vaccines and we are back to square one or close to it. That's why it was important for as many people to get vaxxed as possible but some people just didn't want to listen to science. Also, for me the jury is still out on natural immunity because there were reports of people catching it multiple times and in many cases it was worse each successive infection.

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

[POND_OF_RED]

Originally Posted by DaFace

Beyond that, yes, herd immunity comes closer with each shot and each infection, so in a sense it would be a good thing if it just ran wild. It's the whole "people dying" thing that still makes that a less than desirable option.

At some point Darwin’s theory will always prevail. I’m getting to a point where it’s going to be hard to really have any sympathy for any unvaccinated deaths now that we have the knowledge and vaccine/ testing availability that we do. I wish everyone could take it, but I’m also not a fan of medical decisions becoming absolutely mandatory. How will we let Darwin weed out the weak if we eliminate our freedom of choice? Not that anyone is saying to make it mandatory. Just my thinking about the vaccine dilemma.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by POND_OF_RED

At some point Darwin’s theory will always prevail. I’m getting to a point where it’s going to be hard to really have any sympathy for any unvaccinated deaths now that we have the knowledge and vaccine/ testing availability that we do. I wish everyone could take it, but I’m also not a fan of medical decisions becoming absolutely mandatory. How will we let Darwin weed out the weak if we eliminate our freedom of choice?

I agree with you and, frankly, don't really have a lot of sympathy left for unvaccinated people who get it at this point. For me, it's just that they're ironically the ones who are holding us back from getting our "freedoms" back at this point.

We have more than enough supply of vaccine. If everyone just did it, we could have thrown the masks in the trash permanently by the end of May. But because we have half of people who are stubborn, uninformed, ignorant, or all three, we'll probably keep having to tiptoe the line for a while because removing restrictions while people keep dying doesn't go over very well.

[dirk digler]

Rich Eisen was just on CNN now and he got COVID(Delta) even with being vaccinated with Pfizer since February. He infected his 7 yr old who got really sick but he had only cold like symptoms. He was pretty pissed and if I get COVID I will be as well. **** these people that don’t get vaccinated

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

Rich Eisen was just on CNN now and he got COVID(Delta) even with being vaccinated with Pfizer since February. He infected his 7 yr old who got really sick but he had only cold like symptoms. He was pretty pissed and if I get COVID I will be as well. **** these people that don’t get vaccinated

Wait, so now all the vaccinated people who get covid are going to simply blame the unvaccinated people because they can still get covid when vaccinated?

Come on man.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

Wait, so now all the vaccinated people who get covid are going to simply blame the unvaccinated people because they can still get covid when vaccinated?

Come on man.

Well, that's kind of how it spreads, right?

Vaccinated people are a decelerator of spread and unvaccinated people are an accelerator of spread. If I get it as a vaccinated person, it's almost assuredly because the virus bounced around through a bunch of unvaccinated people to get to me.

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

Wait, so now all the vaccinated people who get covid are going to simply blame the unvaccinated people because they can still get covid when vaccinated?

Come on man.

It has already started and it will be another bitter division in this country.

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Well, that's kind of how it spreads, right?

Vaccinated people are a decelerator of spread and unvaccinated people are an accelerator of spread. If I get it as a vaccinated person, it's almost assuredly because the virus bounced around through a bunch of unvaccinated people to get to me.

I dont think we know that to be certain. It makes sense to a degree but if we are going to follow science we best stick to following actual science.

The fact that vaccinated people might be walking around with no symptoms due to vaccination but still spreading it could play a big factor in this.

We were sold the idea that vaccination would stop spread and frankly that may not be true. It should lessen severity for certain.

[Lprechaun]

As soon as they say I can sue if something happens to me from taking the vaccine i will consider getting it.
Until then I'm not coming anywhere near that vaccine.
I have a responsibility to my family to be able to provide for them.
The risk of the vaccine complications at the moment far outweigh the risk of the virus.
I also dont discourage anyone from taking it if they want. It's a terrible pandemic for some, others are hardly affected.
It affected everyone differently and not just by becoming ill or not.