***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.”

[Dartgod]

Originally Posted by dlphg9

I know several people that don't post on FB but are very active. Check messages, look at pics, check out others statuses.

Yeah, I'm like that. I probably post something 4-5 times a year.

[AustinChief]

Some more possible good news... a number of IL-6 blockers (particularly Actemra) are being tested to help mitigate the cytokine storm issue which is what is causing most (if not all) of the Covid-19 deaths. Unfortunately we won't have solid data until late April but if effective we could seriously dent the mortality rate.

[petegz28]

Dr. Birx: Coronavirus Data Doesn't Match The Doomsday Media Predictions

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/vi..._analysis.html

DR. DEBORAH BRIX: I'm sure you have seen the recent report out of the U.K. about them adjusting completely their needs. This is really quite important. If you remember, that was the report that says there would be 500,000 deaths in the U.K. and 2.2 million deaths in the United States. They've adjusted that number in the U.K. to 20,000. Half a million to 20,000. We are looking at that in great detail to understand that adjustment.

I'm going to say something that is a little bit complicated but do it in a way we can understand it together. In the model, either you have to have a large group of people who a-asymptomatic, who never presented for any test to have the kind of numbers predicted. To get to 60 million people infected, you have to have a large group of a-symptomatics. We have not seen an attack rate over 1 in 1,000. So either we are measuring the iceberg and underneath it, are a large group of people. So we are working hard to get the antibody test and figure out who these people are and do they exist. Or we have the transmission completely wrong.

So these are the things we are looking at, because the predictions of the model don't match the reality on the ground in China, South Korea or Italy. We are five times the size of Italy. If we were Italy and did all those divisions, Italy should have close to 400,000 deaths. They are not close to achieving that.

Models are models. We are -- there is enough data of the real experience with the coronavirus on the ground to really make these predictions much more sound. So when people start talking about 20% of a population getting infected, it's very scary, but we don't have data that matches that based on our experience.

And the situation about ventilators. We are reassured in meeting with our colleagues in New York that there are still I.C.U. Beds remaining and still significant -- over 1,000 or 2,000 ventilators that have not been utilized.

Please for the reassurance of people around the world, to wake up this morning and look at people talking about creating DNR situations, Do Not Resuscitate situations for patients, there is no situation in the United States right now that warrants that kind of discussion. You can be thinking about it in the hospital. Certainly, hospitals talk about this on a daily basis, but to say that to the American people and make the implication that when they need a hospital bed it's not going to be there or a ventilator, it's not going to be there, we don't have evidence of that.

It's our job collectively to assure the American people, it's our job to make sure that doesn't happen. You can see the cases are concentrated in highly urban areas and there are other parts of the states that have lots of ventilators and other parts of New York state that don't have any infected. We can meet the needs by being responsive.

There is no model right now -- no reality on the ground where we can see that 60% to 70% of Americans are going to get infected in the next eight to 12 weeks. I want to be clear about that. We are adapting to the reality on the ground and looking at the models of how they can inform but learning from South Korea and Italy and from Spain and I know you will look up my numbers.

[BigRedChief]

Gallery of Heroes: Doctors and Nurses After Gruelling Shifts Battling Covid-19

https://twistedsifter.com/2020/03/do...attling-covid/

[Monticore]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Gallery of Heroes: Doctors and Nurses After Gruelling Shifts Battling Covid-19

https://twistedsifter.com/2020/03/do...attling-covid/

Ya that is not normal.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Gallery of Heroes: Doctors and Nurses After Gruelling Shifts Battling Covid-19

https://twistedsifter.com/2020/03/do...attling-covid/

7:00 pm local time every night. Open the windows or your door and clap or and cheer for the health care workers that putting their lifes on the line to help stop the spread and save fellow citizens life's.

[eDave]

[BigRedChief]

Hearing a lot more of these stories lately. No symptoms to death in a few days. Anecdotal or has it mutated?

My grandmother tested positive for COVID19 on Wednesday and died peacefully tonight in a hospital in Massachusetts. One of her five children got to be with her for a while in the hospital but, ultimately, she died alone. She was one of my favorite ladies. https://t.co/TnQHhDg34M

— Meghin Delaney (@MeghinDelaney) March 28, 2020

I lost my Dad this morning to COVID-19. He was my rock, my best friend, and my hero. He had virtually no symptoms and 48 hours later he was fighting for his life. I’m begging you guys from the bottom of my heart, please stay inside and be safe.

— ChicagoTrader (@ChicagoTraderrr) March 27, 2020

[arrowheadnation]

This appears to be a pretty big deal...

Abbott on Friday announced it received approval for a test that is capable of delivering positive results of the coronavirus in as little as five minutes, and it will begin making those tests available to health care providers next week.

The Food and Drug Administration issued emergency use authorization for the point-of-care test on Friday, the company said in a statement. The test can detect negative results in 13 minutes. The company said it plans to ramp up manufacturing so it can deliver 50,000 tests per day.

“The COVID-19 pandemic will be fought on multiple fronts, and a portable molecular test that offers results in minutes adds to the broad range of diagnostic solutions needed to combat this virus,” Abbott Chief Operating Officer Robert Ford said in a statement.

This is the second Abbott test for the coronavirus to be launched. Between the two, the company expects to produce about 5 million tests per month, the company said in a statement. The Lake Bluff, Illinois, company makes diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and medicines.

A challenge might be that clinicians, due to the personal protective equipment shortage, might not feel safe administering these tests to patients, especially those with respiratory symptoms.

Around the world, there are more than 591,802 cases of the coronavirus with at least 26,996 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. In the U.S., there are at least 101,657 cases of the coronavirus with at least 1,581 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/27/abbo...twitter%7Cmain

[AustinChief]

Originally Posted by arrowheadnation

This appears to be a pretty big deal...

Abbott on Friday announced it received approval for a test that is capable of delivering positive results of the coronavirus in as little as five minutes, and it will begin making those tests available to health care providers next week.

The Food and Drug Administration issued emergency use authorization for the point-of-care test on Friday, the company said in a statement. The test can detect negative results in 13 minutes. The company said it plans to ramp up manufacturing so it can deliver 50,000 tests per day.

“The COVID-19 pandemic will be fought on multiple fronts, and a portable molecular test that offers results in minutes adds to the broad range of diagnostic solutions needed to combat this virus,” Abbott Chief Operating Officer Robert Ford said in a statement.

This is the second Abbott test for the coronavirus to be launched. Between the two, the company expects to produce about 5 million tests per month, the company said in a statement. The Lake Bluff, Illinois, company makes diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and medicines.

A challenge might be that clinicians, due to the personal protective equipment shortage, might not feel safe administering these tests to patients, especially those with respiratory symptoms.

Around the world, there are more than 591,802 cases of the coronavirus with at least 26,996 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. In the U.S., there are at least 101,657 cases of the coronavirus with at least 1,581 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/27/abbo...twitter%7Cmain

It's a really big deal if we are looking at a prolonged battle... either way though we are still lacking in serology testing. We need to roll out a large scale test for antibodies so we are not completely in the dark as to the current spread of the virus. Right now we are mostly just guessing.

[tk13]

It's going to be interesting to see what experts say when they find out more about this disease. That's a common story above. People have it and are doing just fine and then it attacks and people just completely deteriorate within hours. You read it in China, Italy, Washington state... now you're seeing it across the US. All the doctors who are treating this thing up close are saying that. That's tough.

[Bob Dole]

Originally Posted by petegz28

I don't know where "here" is but I don't think you are going to see a repeat of NY anywhere. Even in LA where I know New Orleans is a bit of a hot spot. I have a feeling and it is just a feeling that it will simmer down there before it gets too bad. At least I hope.

I just hope our overlords here are staying on top of the NO situation and we don't get overrun by infected "refugees" like we did after Katrina.

[2112]

So where I’m at they’re rationing bottled water. One case per customer. There was a picture in Pennsylvania of tractor trailers waiting in line to be loaded at the nestle bottling plant. The line was as far as the eye could see. This is disconcerting to me because my tap water should be labeled with a skull and crossbones. I may have to price out filters.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Hearing a lot more of these stories lately. No symptoms to death in a few days. Anecdotal or has it mutated?

My grandmother tested positive for COVID19 on Wednesday and died peacefully tonight in a hospital in Massachusetts. One of her five children got to be with her for a while in the hospital but, ultimately, she died alone. She was one of my favorite ladies. https://t.co/TnQHhDg34M

— Meghin Delaney (@MeghinDelaney) March 28, 2020

I lost my Dad this morning to COVID-19. He was my rock, my best friend, and my hero. He had virtually no symptoms and 48 hours later he was fighting for his life. I’m begging you guys from the bottom of my heart, please stay inside and be safe.

— ChicagoTrader (@ChicagoTraderrr) March 27, 2020

Dude do you just spend all day seeking out sad stories? You need to take a break, bro.

[PAChiefsGuy]

New York may be weeks from peak

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/28/healt...day/index.html