***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.”

[neech]

My friend I work with is a very healthy 41 year old lady that didn't get vaccinated has been out five weeks for Covid which turned to pneumonia.

She will be back to work on Monday thankfully. She says she's going to try to convince others that she knows to vaccinate because the Covid is real she says.

I can't stress enough all her healthy eating and exercise habits she did routinely and she said it wiped her out physically.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by stanleychief

Looks like the J&J vaccine got the green light from the FDA regarding boosters.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/15/healt...day/index.html

Big takeaways from the article:

• Johnson & Johnson says studies have shown boosting at two or six months can bring that effectiveness up to 94%
• Effectiveness does not wane over time in the same way that effectiveness from Pfizer's vaccine does
• Various studies suggested real-world efficacy of J&J's vaccine was anywhere between 50% and 68%

Excellent. About time we got some guidance. Sorry it came a little too late to help you.

And now we wait for the official recommendation.

[dlphg9]

Originally Posted by DaFace

Excellent. About time we got some guidance. Sorry it came a little too late to help you.

And now we wait for the official recommendation.

My fiance and I both got the J&J, before I read the article I'll just ask, did they recommend getting a booster of the J&J and that will bring effectiveness up to 94? Also it doesn't wane? Count me in! I had absolutely no side effects from it, but my fiance's arm had a lump in it for awhile.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by dlphg9

My fiance and I both got the J&J, before I read the article I'll just ask, did they recommend getting a booster of the J&J and that will bring effectiveness up to 94? Also it doesn't wane? Count me in! I had absolutely no side effects from it, but my fiance's arm had a lump in it for awhile.

From the article:

Johnson & Johnson says studies have shown boosting at two or six months can bring that effectiveness up to 94% and it says its effectiveness does not wane over time in the same way that effectiveness from Pfizer's vaccine does.

So in theory it should bring effectiveness up to the level of the other two. Note that this is just the advisory panel. The FDA has to then make a recommendation, and then the CDC has to weigh in. It's entirely possible that it will be toned down like the others have (e.g., only for high risk). I'm guessing that it'll be approved for everyone 18+, though, given the relatively low effectiveness otherwise.

I can't say I'm looking forward to it. It laid me on my ass for about 36 hours last time. But I'd definitely feel a little better being in crowded areas with it.

[dlphg9]

Originally Posted by DaFace

Excellent. About time we got some guidance. Sorry it came a little too late to help you.

And now we wait for the official recommendation.

My fiance and I both got the J&J, before I read the article I'll just ask, did they recommend getting a booster of the J&J and that will bring effectiveness up to 94? Also it doesn't wane? Count me in! I had absolutely no side effects from it, but my fiance's arm had a lump in it for awhile.

[TLO]

You love to see it

Last updated: October 16, 2021 at 10:06 a.m.

Current inpatients: 10 total (St. Joseph – 10, Maryville – 0, Albany – 0)

[jdubya]

Funny, I’ve had to show “proof” of vax several times the last couple weeks when going to restaurants and I have found that if you just open your photos on your phone and hold it up I just get waived through. Nobody to date has actually looked at my photo……..until yesterday. Wife and I went to a movie theatre and they asked for my vax photo. I pull up a vax photo and then they ask for my ID to actually see if it matches. Ok, I show my DL and they let me in. Funny though, I take care of my parents and am in charge of their doctors appointments etc. I had actually showed them a picture of my dads vax card but gave them my DL and they didn’t see that the first names were very different. Good try though

[Katipan]

That must have felt good.
**** those teenagers working at theaters.
Dumbasses.

[jdubya]

Originally Posted by Katipan

That must have felt good.
**** those teenagers working at theaters.
Dumbasses.

Presumtive dumbass.......I`m vaccinated and thought I was showing my card.....it was after I realized it was my dads card. I don't think you got the point.....I typed a little slower this time for you.

[Katipan]

Originally Posted by jdubya

Presumtive dumbass.......I`m vaccinated and thought I was showing my card.....it was after I realized it was my dads card. I don't think you got the point.....I typed a little slower this time for you.

I understood. I also understood that you felt so good about getting one over on them that you posted that wall of self satisfied doucheburger.

I could type more words if it helps.

[Sure-Oz]

Originally Posted by stanleychief

So I got a call from the county health department today. They do follow up on 'breakthrough' (sick after vaccinated) cases, so my data does get reported back up to the CDC. Also, they save any swabs that test positive, and run further analysis if the cases are considered unusual. Since mine is a breakthrough case, it will be further analyzed.



For those curious, this is day 7 since I had my first onset of symptoms. In order, I've had: dry cough, fever, loss of taste, fatigue, dizziness, loss of smell, and now congestion. I feel quite a bit better today, and am hopeful that this thing is on its way out. I recovered my sense of taste the same day that I lost it. It was really odd, because all I could taste was salt. I still can't smell anything, which is a really odd experience. Tried bleach, lemon, vinegar, etc. Nada.

Dang. Hope you feel better and get the smell back soon.

[Sure-Oz]

Originally Posted by neech

My friend I work with is a very healthy 41 year old lady that didn't get vaccinated has been out five weeks for Covid which turned to pneumonia.

She will be back to work on Monday thankfully. She says she's going to try to convince others that she knows to vaccinate because the Covid is real she says.

I can't stress enough all her healthy eating and exercise habits she did routinely and she said it wiped her out physically.

Glad they are getting better and changed their mind. I have a friend that missed 3 weeks of work and not vaccinated yet now he's all well I'm naturally immune now so I don't need it still bullshit. Thought being horribly sick would've changed his mind. Nope. His wife and kid got it as well. They have no plans to get vaccinated even after a few months.

[lawrenceRaider]

Originally Posted by Sure-Oz

Glad they are getting better and changed their mind. I have a friend that missed 3 weeks of work and not vaccinated yet now he's all well I'm naturally immune now so I don't need it still bullshit. Thought being horribly sick would've changed his mind. Nope. His wife and kid got it as well. They have no plans to get vaccinated even after a few months.

Are you one of the science deniers on infection acquired immunity?

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-...overy-covid-19

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41392-021-00777-z

The science shows people are pretty well protected after recovery.

[suzzer99]

Meet Elisabeth Bik, a professional science detective dedicated to rooting out errors & misinformation in studies and papers. Lately she's been focused on COVID research — & become the target of trolling from scientists she's called out. @stephaniemlee https://t.co/1LcfuflVmY

— Ken Bensinger (@kenbensinger) October 19, 2021

Days after a mysterious new illness was declared a pandemic last March, a prominent scientist in France announced that he had already found a cure.

Based on a small clinical trial, microbiologist Didier Raoult claimed that hydroxychloroquine, a decades-old antimalarial drug, was part of a 100% effective treatment against COVID-19. Then–US president Donald Trump promptly proclaimed that the finding could be “one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine.”

But the study seemed off to Elisabeth Bik, a scientist turned science detective living in Silicon Valley. Bik has a sharp eye for spotting errors buried in arcane scientific papers, particularly when it comes to duplicated images. And much about Raoult’s paper looked fishy, as she later noted on her blog. Unfavorable data was left out, and the trial’s timeline was mathematically impossible. “Something does not seem quite right,” she wrote.

Before long, Bik would learn the price of raising such concerns. Raoult and a coauthor went on to call her a “witch hunter,” a “mercenary,” and a “crazy woman” on Twitter and in the press. Then, in April 2021, Raoult’s collaborator announced that they had filed a criminal complaint against Bik and a spokesperson for PubPeer, a website where she and others post scientific criticism, accusing them of blackmail, extortion, and harassment. He tweeted out a screenshot of the complaint, revealing her home address to the world.

These were the most direct threats Bik had ever received for identifying problems in scientific research — an activity she sees as integral to science. Alarmed, she tweeted a plea: “I could use some legal help.”

One of the study's most outspoken detractors was James Heathers, a longtime data detective. He believes that many are taking advantage of the pandemic to build their personal brands. “There are people in science who think basically any crisis is an opportunity, anything that becomes a topic du jour is something they should chase,” he said, adding that he wasn’t referring to anyone in particular. “A lot of COVID work is an extension of that same mentality” — that is, “maximally flashy and minimally insightful.”

But Raoult, it seems, is not quite ready to move on. Just last week, he said in a YouTube video that the people who made “attempts to blacklist us on scientific journals ... will have to be arrested … including Madame Bik,” according to a translation that Bik shared on Twitter. She quickly locked her account to, she said, “prevent the next wave of insults, jail threats, and death wishes from reaching me.” Retirement would have to wait another day.

Can't trust 99.x% of the world's top virologists, epidemiologists and medical researchers, but can trust charlatans like this guy and his skull ring.

[jdubya]

Originally Posted by Katipan

I understood. I also understood that you felt so good about getting one over on them that you posted that wall of self satisfied doucheburger.

I could type more words if it helps.

OK, you get a rep for the phrase "self satisfied doucheburger". I want to borrow that elsewhere sometime.