***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.”

[Donger]

'Signs of hope' as hospitalizations remain low in South Africa: WHO

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/live-u...s/?id=81578912

The World Health Organization said Thursday that preliminary data indicates hospitalizations in South Africa remain low, offering "signs of hope," despite the fact that the omicron variant is spreading rapidly and weekly COVID-19 cases on the African continent have surged by 93%.

In the week ending on Dec. 5, southern Africa recorded a 140% hike in COVID-19 cases, the highest of any region on the continent for that period, mainly driven by an uptick in South Africa, according to the WHO. While researchers are still working to determine whether omicron is fueling the surge, the WHO said that emerging data from South Africa indicates the new variant may cause less severe illness. Data on COVID-19 hospitalizations across South Africa between Nov. 14 and Dec. 4 show that intensive care unit occupancy was only 6.3%, which the WHO said is very low compared with the same period when the country was facing the peak linked to the delta variant in July.

Furthermore, data from the same two-week period from one of the South African health districts most impacted by omicron show that out of more than 1,200 hospital admissions related to COVID-19, there were 98 patients receiving supplemental oxygen and only four on ventilators. The WHO cautioned that the data is "very preliminary with a small sample size and most of the people admitted to the health facilities were under the age of 40."

[IA_Chiefs_fan]

We're getting ready to have a couple family get-togethers and COVID has been circling in the family. Does anyone have any experience or knowledge with at-home rapid result tests (not the kind you mail in)? Even if they're just mostly accurate it seems like it could reduce risk a little??

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by IA_Chiefs_fan

We're getting ready to have a couple family get-togethers and COVID has been circling in the family. Does anyone have any experience or knowledge with at-home rapid result tests (not the kind you mail in)? Even if they're just mostly accurate it seems like it could reduce risk a little??

Colorado provides them to us for free, which is nice. They're definitely not as accurate, but they're better than nothing. You swab your nose, then put it in a solution that goes on an indicator strip. Wait 15 minutes, and you'll have your result. Pretty simple.

They cost around $10-$15 per test, so not cheap, but probably worth it if you're otherwise worried about it.

Here's one you can get at Walgreens, for example.

https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/qu...416410-product

[Donger]

Originally Posted by IA_Chiefs_fan

We're getting ready to have a couple family get-togethers and COVID has been circling in the family. Does anyone have any experience or knowledge with at-home rapid result tests (not the kind you mail in)? Even if they're just mostly accurate it seems like it could reduce risk a little??

My daughter came home from a trip a couple of weeks ago and got sick. She got the rapid COVID-19 test and it came back negative. Took it again the next day with the same result. She ended up going to urgent care and tested positive for influenza A.

But no experience with a positive, obviously.

[ChiTown]

Originally Posted by IA_Chiefs_fan

We're getting ready to have a couple family get-togethers and COVID has been circling in the family. Does anyone have any experience or knowledge with at-home rapid result tests (not the kind you mail in)? Even if they're just mostly accurate it seems like it could reduce risk a little??

After I got COVID last week, my wife got a couple of those in-home tests, and she took one on Monday. Her's came back negative.

Very Important Side Note:
My wife was double vaxxed and had her booster over a month ago. She has been around me non-stop, unmasked, and has had zero symptoms. She had to go to a meeting and wanted to make sure she wasn't infected. So, she took another in home test yesterday and it came back negative again. My point is this - get vaxxed, and go get the booster. My wife appears to be proof positive that the booster is keeping her safe from me

[Sure-Oz]

Originally Posted by ChiTown

After I got COVID last week, my wife got a couple of those in-home tests, and she took one on Monday. Her's came back negative.



Very Important Side Note:

My wife was double vaxxed and had her booster over a month ago. She has been around me non-stop, unmasked, and has had zero symptoms. She had to go to a meeting and wanted to make sure she wasn't infected. So, she took another in home test yesterday and it came back negative again. My point is this - get vaxxed, and go get the booster. My wife appears to be proof positive that the booster is keeping her safe from me

How are you feeling?

Glad she didn't get sick

[Chiefspants]

Family friend of mine is down that Q rabbit hole right now.

Her family was anti-mask, anti-vax. Then her cousin (who was in their 50's) got COVID and passed away. This sent her entire family off the deep end in their views. We interacted over Labor Day weekend and my wife and I's only ask was that if their family were going to see our infant son, they do in an outside. We all met in a park for a few hours and it went really well. They were cool about the whole thing, thankfully.

But it's getting to a point where my wife and I might have to cut our friend off, as a month ago she texted my wife and I (out of the blue) some stuff from naturalnews and implied that my wife may as well be drinking whiskey and breastfeeding if she was continuing to breastfeed our son after getting vaxxed... she was clear that she was sent this article by a nurse, so she was trying to "look out for us."

Funnily enough, last week, our family friend's nurse friend (who sent her the article) announced on facebook that she reversed her stance on vaccines because their rural hospital is over capacity and encouraged everyone to "think about getting vaxxed", so I'm curious to see what happens there. Anymore any time we interact with our friend on social media, texting, or any other medium the conversation turns to vaccines, and it's getting exhausting. We keep saying "well, we made a personal choice, right?" and while that worked over labor day, it doesn't anymore. They’re now on the “China created COVID and the Vax and it’s the spike protein that kills you” train.

Originally Posted by ChiTown

After I got COVID last week, my wife got a couple of those in-home tests, and she took one on Monday. Her's came back negative.

Very Important Side Note:
My wife was double vaxxed and had her booster over a month ago. She has been around me non-stop, unmasked, and has had zero symptoms. She had to go to a meeting and wanted to make sure she wasn't infected. So, she took another in home test yesterday and it came back negative again. My point is this - get vaxxed, and go get the booster. My wife appears to be proof positive that the booster is keeping her safe from me

How are you doing now, my friend?

[notorious]

Originally Posted by ChiTown

After I got COVID last week, my wife got a couple of those in-home tests, and she took one on Monday. Her's came back negative.

Very Important Side Note:
My wife was double vaxxed and had her booster over a month ago. She has been around me non-stop, unmasked, and has had zero symptoms. She had to go to a meeting and wanted to make sure she wasn't infected. So, she took another in home test yesterday and it came back negative again. My point is this - get vaxxed, and go get the booster. My wife appears to be proof positive that the booster is keeping her safe from me

There is no safety around a lurking Chi……..

[ChiTown]

Originally Posted by Sure-Oz

How are you feeling?

Glad she didn't get sick

I'm good. Thanks. Today is a really good day. My aches and pains are mostly gone, and my coughing is pretty limited. My sense of taste and smell left me, which is a truly bizarre sensation. Hoping that comes back soon.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Originally Posted by ChiTown

I'm good. Thanks. Today is a really good day. My aches and pains are mostly gone, and my coughing is pretty limited. My sense of taste and smell left me, which is a truly bizarre sensation. Hoping that comes back soon.

That's great news, man. Happy to hear it.

[Kman34]

Originally Posted by ChiTown

I'm good. Thanks. Today is a really good day. My aches and pains are mostly gone, and my coughing is pretty limited. My sense of taste and smell left me, which is a truly bizarre sensation. Hoping that comes back soon.

Glad your feeling better… You can fart nonstop and not have to worry about it…

[dirk digler]

This shouldn't be still happening and don't understand how much more evidence people need to get vaccinated.

Nurse Katie Sefton never thought Covid-19 could get this bad -- and certainly not this late in the pandemic.

"I was really hoping that we'd (all) get vaccinated and things would be back to normal," said Sefton, an assistant manager at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, Michigan.

But this week Michigan had more patients hospitalized for Covid-19 than ever before. Covid-19 hospitalizations jumped 88% in the past month, according to the Michigan Health & Hospital Association.

"We have more patients than we've ever had at any point, and we're seeing more people die at a rate we've never seen die before," said Jim Dover, president and CEO of Sparrow Health System.

"Since January, we've had about 289 deaths; 75% are unvaccinated people," Dover said. "And the very few (vaccinated people) who passed away all were more than 6 months out from their shot. So we've not had a single person who has had a booster shot die from Covid."

Among the new Covid-19 victims, Sefton said she's noticed a disturbing trend.

"We're seeing a lot of younger people. And I think that is a bit challenging," said Sefton, a 20-year nursing veteran.

She recalls helping the family of a young adult say goodbye to their loved one.

"It was an awful night," she said. "That was one of the days I went home and just cried."

Sparrow Hospital nurse Danielle Williams said the vast majority of her Covid-19 patients are not vaccinated -- and had no idea they could get pummeled so hard by Covid-19.

"Before they walked in the door, they had a normal life. They were healthy people. They were out celebrating Thanksgiving," Williams said. "And now they're here, with a mask on their face, teary eyed, staring at me, asking me if they're going to live or not."

[BigBeauford]

This I'd where I diverge from folks making the case that "who cares about the unvaccinated, you are protecting yourself". These people are ****ing over our healthcare workers, and it's disheartening to see my nursing Facebook friends posting about the terrible conditions.

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by BigBeauford

This I'd where I diverge from folks making the case that "who cares about the unvaccinated, you are protecting yourself". These people are ****ing over our healthcare workers, and it's disheartening to see my nursing Facebook friends posting about the terrible conditions.

My daughter is leaving her job shortly to go somewhere else and getting out of the Covid unit. Mentally she is done.

[Donger]

The AP Interview: CDC chief says omicron mostly mild so far

https://apnews.com/article/ap-interv...0f892e22a5377f

ATLANTA (AP) — More than 40 people in the U.S. have been found to be infected with the omicron variant so far, and more than three-quarters of them had been vaccinated, the chief of the CDC said Wednesday. But she said nearly all of them were only mildly ill.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the data is very limited and the agency is working on a more detailed analysis of what the new mutant form of the coronavirus might hold for the U.S.

“What we generally know is the more mutations a variant has, the higher level you need your immunity to be. ... We want to make sure we bolster everybody’s immunity. And that’s really what motivated the decision to expand our guidance,” Walensky said, referencing the recent approval of boosters for all adults.

She said “the disease is mild” in almost all of the cases seen so far, with reported symptoms mainly cough, congestion and fatigue. One person was hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported, CDC officials said.

Some cases can become increasingly severe as days and weeks pass, and Walensky noted that the data is a very early, first glimpse of U.S. omicron infections. The earliest onset of symptoms of any of the first 40 or so cases was Nov. 15, according to the CDC.

The omicron variant was first identified in South Africa last month and has since been reported in 57 countries, according to the World Health Organization.

The first U.S. case was reported on Dec. 1. As of Wednesday afternoon, the CDC had recorded 43 cases in 19 states. Most were young adults. About a third of those patients had traveled internationally.

More than three-quarters of those patients had been vaccinated, and a third had boosters, Walensky said. Boosters take about two weeks to reach full effect, and some of the patients had received their most recent shot within that period, CDC officials said.

Fewer than 1% of the U.S. COVID-19 cases genetically sequenced last week were the omicron variant; the delta variant accounted for more than 99%.

Scientists are trying to better understand how easily it spreads. British officials said Wednesday that they think the omicron variant could become the dominant version of the coronavirus in the United Kingdom in as soon as a month.

The CDC has yet to make any projections on how the variant could affect the course of the pandemic in the U.S. Walensky said officials are gathering data but many factors could influence how the pandemic evolves.

“When I look to what the future holds, so much of that is definitely about the science, but it’s also about coming together as a community to do things that prevent disease in yourself and one another. And I think a lot of what our future holds depends on how we come together to do that,” she said.

The CDC is also trying to establish whether the omicron variant causes milder — or more severe — illness than other coronavirus types. The finding that nearly all of the cases so far are mild may be a reflection that this first look at U.S. omicron cases captured mainly vaccinated people, who are expected to have milder illnesses, CDC officials said.

Another key question is whether it is better at evading vaccines or the immunity people build from a bout with COVID-19.

This week, scientists in South Africa reported a small laboratory study that found antibodies created by vaccines were not as effective at preventing omicron infections as they were at stopping other versions of the coronavirus.

On Wednesday, vaccine manufacturer Pfizer said that while two doses may not be protective enough to prevent infection, lab tests showed a booster increased levels of virus-fighting antibodies by 25-fold.

Blood samples taken a month after a booster showed people harbored levels of omicron-neutralizing antibodies that were similar to amounts proven protective against earlier variants after two doses, the company said.