***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.”

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by TLO

Hospitalizations trending back up around here. As is the positivity rate.

We're back at a high risk level in Colorado for some reason. This makes me unhappy.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by loochy

the vaccines finally crapped out?

Just like last year, it makes sense that we'll see a bit of a surge as people start spending more time together inside. Hopefully nowhere near to the scale as last year though.

[O.city]

At some point, there's just no where for this thing to go. Surely.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by loochy

the vaccines finally crapped out?

I have 4 family members and/or friends with COVID right now. I know of 3 others that have had it recently, including one person who died.

All of them were vaccinated. A bit concerning to say the least.

And FTR, I'm vaccinated. I'd just like to know I'm PROTECTED and right now, I'm skeptical.

[TLO]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

I have 4 family members and/or friends with COVID right now. I know of 3 others that have had it recently, including one person who died.

All of them were vaccinated. A bit concerning to say the least.

And FTR, I'm vaccinated. I'd just like to know I'm PROTECTED and right now, I'm skeptical.

How old was the person that died, just out of curiosity?

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by TLO

How old was the person that died, just out of curiosity?

57 and in decent health. No real underlying health conditions, at least not that I know of.

That being said, I have no idea which shots everybody got. I know of one person who was over it in a couple of days that was vaccinated, as well, so that's definitely better news.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

57 and in decent health. No real underlying health conditions, at least not that I know of.

...

Wow, that's really unusual in a vaccinated person. I hate to ask, but are you sure they were vaccinated and not faking it?

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Wow, that's really unusual in a vaccinated person. I hate to ask, but are you sure they were vaccinated and not faking it?

100% certain. His daughter is my cousin and she's a nurse. She actually gave him the shot.

[NotDonger]

Apologies if this has already been posted:

Pfizer says its booster shot has 95.6% efficacy against COVID-19 amid the Delta variant

https://www.businessinsider.com/pfiz...-delta-2021-10

Fully vaccinated people who received a booster dose of Pfizer's shot in a large trial were at much lower risk of catching COVID-19, the company said Thursday.

This group was at a 95.6% lower risk of catching COVID-19 than fully vaccinated people who received a dummy vaccine, called a placebo, instead of the booster, the company said.

It reported no safety concerns from the trial.

"These are the first efficacy results from any randomized, controlled COVID-19 vaccine booster trial," Pfizer said in the press release, adding that it planned to submit the data to health authorities.

The results were from a late stage trial of more than 10,000 people aged 16 or older.

Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla said in the statement: "These results provide further evidence of the benefits of boosters as we aim to keep people well-protected against this disease."

Pfizer's vaccine is already authorized as a booster in the US and UK for people at high risk of COVID-19.

To get the 95.6% figure, the researchers compared how many people in the booster group got COVID-19 with the number of people in the placebo group that caught the virus.

There were five cases of COVID-19 in the "boosted group" and 109 cases in the "non-boosted group" during the study period, Pfizer said.

Pfizer said that the booster provided the same amount of protection across all age groups. About half of people in the trial were aged 16 to 55, and just under a quarter were 65 and older, it said.

The researchers looked at whether people got COVID-19 with symptoms from seven days after the booster. They followed up after two and a half months on average, so we still don't know how long booster protection from Pfizer's shot lasts.

The results of the trial haven't been published or scrutinized by other experts.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

100% certain. His daughter is my cousin and she's a nurse. She actually gave him the shot.

Well, that doesn't make me feel good. And I'm sorry for the guy, too. That's not fair.

[TLO]

Originally Posted by NotDonger

Apologies if this has already been posted:

Pfizer says its booster shot has 95.6% efficacy against COVID-19 amid the Delta variant

https://www.businessinsider.com/pfiz...-delta-2021-10

Fully vaccinated people who received a booster dose of Pfizer's shot in a large trial were at much lower risk of catching COVID-19, the company said Thursday.

This group was at a 95.6% lower risk of catching COVID-19 than fully vaccinated people who received a dummy vaccine, called a placebo, instead of the booster, the company said.

It reported no safety concerns from the trial.

"These are the first efficacy results from any randomized, controlled COVID-19 vaccine booster trial," Pfizer said in the press release, adding that it planned to submit the data to health authorities.

The results were from a late stage trial of more than 10,000 people aged 16 or older.

Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla said in the statement: "These results provide further evidence of the benefits of boosters as we aim to keep people well-protected against this disease."

Pfizer's vaccine is already authorized as a booster in the US and UK for people at high risk of COVID-19.

To get the 95.6% figure, the researchers compared how many people in the booster group got COVID-19 with the number of people in the placebo group that caught the virus.

There were five cases of COVID-19 in the "boosted group" and 109 cases in the "non-boosted group" during the study period, Pfizer said.

Pfizer said that the booster provided the same amount of protection across all age groups. About half of people in the trial were aged 16 to 55, and just under a quarter were 65 and older, it said.

The researchers looked at whether people got COVID-19 with symptoms from seven days after the booster. They followed up after two and a half months on average, so we still don't know how long booster protection from Pfizer's shot lasts.

The results of the trial haven't been published or scrutinized by other experts.

I'm getting one along with the rest of my family on Friday.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Well, that doesn't make me feel good. And I'm sorry for the guy, too. That's not fair.

Like I said though, at the other end of the spectrum I had an immediate family member that had symptoms for all of 48 hours or so and was never very sick, just inconvenienced. Like a bad cold.

[TLO]

How well do boosters protect versus severe disease across age groups?
Updated Israel data via @jsm2334, from @IsraelMOH
Benefit seen 16+ pic.twitter.com/NosotG5x6z

— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) November 10, 2021

[Otter]

Originally Posted by Otter

I had a shoulder injury from mountain biking and was in hospital not too long ago. Tested positive for the kung flu and to be honest, I couldn't even tell I was sick outside of having to clear my throat every once in awhile. My brother was the same way.

I'm not vaccinated and neither was my brother.

This is not a statement on pro or anti vax but simply information. It's a weird, unpredictable disease.

I do realize this is a pathogen much more than a disease but my proof reading is minimal on the intraweb.

Think of my credibility on this subject right up there with Claynus's source.

[Pitt Gorilla]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

I have 4 family members and/or friends with COVID right now. I know of 3 others that have had it recently, including one person who died.

All of them were vaccinated. A bit concerning to say the least.

And FTR, I'm vaccinated. I'd just like to know I'm PROTECTED and right now, I'm skeptical.

Oh, I don't think we are. I had covid last year and have two shots of Pfizer. I run around as though I'm invincible (no masks, around large groups of people regularly), although I fully understand that I am not. As covid continues to mutate, I'm sure I'll get hit again. I simply assume my body is about as ready to fight it off as it can be and I'll likely be unable to tell if I'm even infected. It's the same reason I get the flu shot annually.