***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 BigBeauford

I've been redacting patient charts to remove personal information for various business operations purposes, and have run into a couple charts where patients in dire need of higher levels of care (unrelated to COVID) could not be transferred due to a lack of beds. It really bummed me out (they died). Those comparing this shit to obesity need a kick in the junk.

This is scary.

[Chief Pagan]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

It should only be about hospital capacity at this point if hospitals can't/won't turn away unvaccinated people for Covid beds.

So even if the O variation is milder, a smaller percentage of a really big surge in overall cases could still be a lot of very sick people.

And by the time the hospital capacity is maxed out, you are a few weeks late as far as taking precautions...

And of course reports of ICUs filling up will be so much more fake news and all caused by staffing shortages that were caused by requiring staff to get vaccinated...

Ground Hog day, take 851.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by Chief Pagan

So even if the O variation is milder, a smaller percentage of a really big surge in overall cases could still be a lot of very sick people.

And by the time the hospital capacity is maxed out, you are a few weeks late as far as taking precautions...

And of course reports of ICUs filling up will be so much more fake news and all caused by staffing shortages that were caused by requiring staff to get vaccinated...

Ground Hog day, take 851.

Yeah, the timing of the requirements passed down from CMS was pretty terrible. Hospitals here are reporting max capacity, but don't know what the actual number is in relation to staffing 2 years ago and staffing now. And add in the great resignation and I'm sure plenty of healthcare workers are up and quitting after almost two years of this, vaccine requirement or not.

[TLO]

Apparently if you got J&J, you have little to no protection against the Omicron

[suzzer99]

Originally Posted by TLO

Apparently if you got J&J, you have little to no protection against the Omicron

Link?

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by suzzer99

Link?

Little to no antibody resistance, he should have said. It still helps in other ways, though.

https://www.bloombergquint.com/busin...n-in-lab-study

Moderna's antibodies don't appear to be as helpful without a booster, either.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-...-boosters-help

[jdubya]

Originally Posted by TLO

Apparently if you got J&J, you have little to no protection against the Omicron

It`s not like we have had over a year to whip our asses into better shape through exercise and diet and then suffer the brutal reality of the "sniffles" variant.

[O.city]

I'm not sure I'd be confident calling this variant milder yet.

[Monticore]

Originally Posted by O.city

I'm not sure I'd be confident calling this variant milder yet.

Even if it is if it is that much more contagious you still increase chances of sever illness just due to volume of infections so the hospitals could end up in the same situation.

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by O.city

I'm not sure I'd be confident calling this variant milder yet.

According to this, the idea omicron is milder is a myth (as in "unproven", not false). He explains how the SA data may be skewed and not telling the whole story. The general public already seems to be taking the "omicron is milder" message at face value and that relaxed attitude may come back and bite us in the ass.

I guess we'll see.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by Frosty

According to this, the idea omicron is milder is a myth (as in "unproven", not false). He explains how the SA data may be skewed and not telling the whole story. The general public already seems to be taking the "omicron is milder" message at face value and that relaxed attitude may come back and bite us in the ass.

I guess we'll see.

If you've been vaccinated or had previous infection, I'd imagine it's milder.

[TLO]

This is going to, and probably already is spreading like wildfire. Going to be a rough few months.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by TLO

This is going to, and probably already is spreading like wildfire. Going to be a rough few months.

If it's going as fast as they're seeing, won't last that long. Maybe a month.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by O.city

If it's going as fast as they're seeing, won't last that long. Maybe a month.

Looking like 3-4 week flare periods in South Africa.

This is essentially a brush-fire. It'll burn hot and fast through undergrowth with no real long-term damage done. In the end it'll probably be a net benefit if it just serves to continue cycling antibodies through the population.

This is just another step forward in thing thing turning into a common cold. The usual suspects just need their fear porn.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Looking like 3-4 week flare periods in South Africa.

This is essentially a brush-fire. It'll burn hot and fast through undergrowth with no real long-term damage done. In the end it'll probably be a net benefit if it just serves to continue cycling antibodies through the population.

This is just another step forward in thing thing turning into a common cold. The usual suspects just need their fear porn.

At this point, probably.

Sadly, there's still alot of naive immunological individuals out there who will learn the hard way.