***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.”

[O.city]

Originally Posted by loochy

It's the whack-a-mole game. Your mole just got whacked. It's time for another county's mole to pop up

Quite possibly. It's been a hot spot here for what seems like months and the surrounding area. Hopefully we're on the way down?

[Donger]

Overall US COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution and Administration

Total Doses Distributed

31,161,075

Total Doses Administered

15,707,588

Number of People Receiving 1 or More Doses

13,595,803

Number of People Receiving 2 Doses

2,023,124

CDC | Updated: Jan 19 2021 As of 6:00am ET

[dirk digler]

I was getting depressed last night reading about the South African variant where they are seeing immune escapes in their testing so far. This is only for antibodies I believe not T-cells but Trevor Bedford thinks we will need to update our vaccine.

501Y.V2 is still largely restricted to South Africa, but it (or other antigenically drifted variants) may spread more widely in the coming months. I would be planning this potential "strain" update for fall 2021. 9/10

— Trevor Bedford (@trvrb) January 20, 2021

[ChiliConCarnage]

Originally Posted by O.city

Quite possibly. It's been a hot spot here for what seems like months and the surrounding area. Hopefully we're on the way down?

I think we're seeing the falloff from holiday travel as were pushing 30 days out. US rolling 7 day averages are dropping quickly.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

I was getting depressed last night reading about the South African variant where they are seeing immune escapes in their testing so far. This is only for antibodies I believe not T-cells but Trevor Bedford thinks we will need to update our vaccine.

501Y.V2 is still largely restricted to South Africa, but it (or other antigenically drifted variants) may spread more widely in the coming months. I would be planning this potential "strain" update for fall 2021. 9/10

— Trevor Bedford (@trvrb) January 20, 2021

That was always going to be the case. I wouldn't read to much into it at this point.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by ChiliConCarnage

I think we're seeing the falloff from holiday travel as were pushing 30 days out. US rolling 7 day averages are dropping quickly.

I hope so. Seems to be following a similar curve we've seen every where else.

[TLO]

Originally Posted by O.city

Quite possibly. It's been a hot spot here for what seems like months and the surrounding area. Hopefully we're on the way down?

I've been noting the same trend here in NW Missouri. Fewer cases. Fewer hospitalizations. Our positive test % has dropped.

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by O.city

It's going way down. Cases, hospitalizations etc. I can't imagine it's the vaccines, there aren't enough of them yet. So I dunno.

Running its course would be my guess.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

Running its course would be my guess.

I dunno that it's made it's way thru that many yet, but who knows.

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

I was getting depressed last night reading about the South African variant where they are seeing immune escapes in their testing so far. This is only for antibodies I believe not T-cells but Trevor Bedford thinks we will need to update our vaccine.

You know you are just doing this to yourself right? Do you stay up at night being depressed about other diseases you are more likely to die from than Covid?

[O.city]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

You know you are just doing this to yourself right? Do you stay up at night being depressed about other diseases you are more likely to die from than Covid?

The variants that are more transmissible are definitely cause for concern, moreso because they seem to spread so much faster and efficiently. I would be shocked if they already have antibody escape, but it's possible.

Quicker transmission is actually worse than more morbid.

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by O.city

I dunno that it's made it's way thru that many yet, but who knows.

Locally we saw a spike after Thanksgiving, there hasn't been a Christmas or NY spike which kind of indicates it peaked around here. Our work cases have been very flat for about a month now, that's whith over 800 employees and their families spread out over 4 counties and 3 states so its not a small sample size really.

It seems like its more running through the younger crowd now which is not effecting hospitalization or deaths etc...

[O.city]

It's just good to think ahead. Not for 2021, but 2022 and so forth. At some point, they'll need to be updated for sure.

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by O.city

The variants that are more transmissible are definitely cause for concern, moreso because they seem to spread so much faster and efficiently. I would be shocked if they already have antibody escape, but it's possible.

Quicker transmission is actually worse than more morbid.

The more transmittable the less lethality is the typical pattern I think you know science shows they always mutate to less lethal.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

Locally we saw a spike after Thanksgiving, there hasn't been a Christmas or NY spike which kind of indicates it peaked around here. Our work cases have been very flat for about a month now, that's whit over 800 employees and their families spread out over 4 counties and 3 states so its not a small sample size really.

It seems like its more running through the younger crowd now which is not effecting hospitalization or deaths etc...

Naturally, once it got going people started hunkering down. I worry that we will get away from that to quick instead of gradual.