***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.”

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by BWillie

For some ppl. I got the flu in Feb. First time in about 15 years. I was fine after 2 days just a residual cough. Illnesses affect ppl differently.

Thus a case being mild and not-so-mild. I mean really are we going to argue now that a "mild case" somehow has severe results? Then it would be a severe case.

[petegz28]

Okay, if this is really the Health Director in LA I can see why telling everyone to stay inside for months at a time isn't a reach for her.

How in the **** do you live in LA and are that ****ing white?

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by petegz28

Okay, if this is really the Health Director in LA I can see why telling everyone to stay inside for months at a time isn't a reach for her.

How in the **** do you live in LA and are that ****ing white?

It sounds like you're under the false impression that everyone in Los Angeles has a suntan.

That's not even close to the truth.

I see more infinitely more tanned Caucasians in the KC Metro area than in Los Angeles.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by petegz28

Okay, if this is really the Health Director in LA I can see why telling everyone to stay inside for months at a time isn't a reach for her.

That also appears to be photoshopped:

[KCUnited]

Dio lives! \m/

[Monticore]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

It sounds like you're under the false impression that everyone in Los Angeles has a suntan.

That's not even close to the truth.

I see more infinitely more tanned Caucasians in the KC Metro area than in Los Angeles.

Most of the tans in LA are probably spray tans anyways , skin cancer is still a thing I assume.

[Monticore]

Originally Posted by KCUnited

Dio lives! \m/

Rainbow in the dark is still one of my favs.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

It sounds like you're under the false impression that everyone in Los Angeles has a suntan.

That's not even close to the truth.

I see more infinitely more tanned Caucasians in the KC Metro area than in Los Angeles.

Dude, alliteration aside, it's sarcasm.....

[KCUnited]

Originally Posted by Monticore

Rainbow in the dark is still one of my favs.

My work started sending out these awkward daily motivational quotes every morning when most all of us started working from home. I setup my Outlook to move them directly to trash before I ever see them but I seriously thought about replying to all with rando Dio lyrics to see how long before anyone noticed.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Monticore

Most of the tans in LA are probably spray tans anyways , skin cancer is still a thing I assume.

Yep and amount of sunblock required in order not to burn is ridiculous.

I need to put on a 50 in order not to burn in SoCal whereas in other places, like Florida or even the Midwest, a 4 is almost too much.

[Bob Dole]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

That also appears to be photoshopped:

So every photo of that ghoul available has been shopped?

[Monticore]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Yep and amount of sunblock required in order not to burn is ridiculous.

I need to put on a 50 in order not to burn in SoCal whereas in other places, like Florida or even the Midwest, a 4 is almost too much.

My wife won’t let me leave the house without at least 40 on and the sun is not as bad up here, she has removed enough skin cancer from friends and family to cause her some concern .

[petegz28]

Tensions rise between the White House and CDC as Birx critiques virus tracking
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...cid=spartandhp

By Kristen Holmes and Nick Valencia, CNN 3 hrs ago

As the coronavirus pandemic stretches past its ninth week, tensions are rising between the White House and the nation's leading public health agency. In interviews with CNN, senior administration officials in Washington, as well as top officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta describe a growing sense of mistrust and animosity between the White House and CDC over how quickly the US should reopen and how the government tracks data on the virus.
In particular, Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator for the President's coronavirus task force, has become increasingly critical of the CDC, making clear in recent meetings that she is more than frustrated with the agency, according to two senior administration officials. Specifically, Birx believes the way the CDC gathers data on the coronavirus is antiquated, causing inaccurate and delayed numbers on both virus cases and deaths.

Birx has expressed her agitation during recent task force meetings, where at least one conversation between her and CDC Director Robert Redfield has grown heated, according to a source close to the task force. Birx and Redfield have known each other for decades, due to their work on HIV research together. And while Birx defended Redfield to their peers earlier this year over the CDC's faulty test kits, her tone toward him has shifted dramatically in recent weeks, according to multiple officials and a source close to the task force.
There has also been significant tension between the White House and CDC over guidelines on how to reopen the country.
Last week, Redfield was forced to apologize to administration officials after a draft of the CDC's guidelines to reopening America were leaked to the media. The 68-page document outlined a detailed approach for how states, businesses and individuals could safely ease back into normalcy and were far more strict and detailed than the White House's own road map toward a return to normal, a CNN review found.
On Thursday the CDC published just 6 pages of graphics labeled "decision trees" as updated guidance. After spending "innumerable hours" on the guidance draft of recommendations, which they say was asked for specifically by Dr. Birx, two senior CDC officials tell CNN that the White House decision to shelve it for now in favor of a 6-page outline has only added to mounting frustration toward Birx within the CDC.
Tension between Birx and the CDC was first reported by the Washington Post.
One senior administration official told CNN that the slimmed down guidelines should not be seen as a rebuke of Redfield or the CDC inside the White House, since a whole national strategy was never on the table.
"It makes no sense for a movie theatre in a rural Tennessee town with zero COVID cases to be under the same restrictions as a theatre in New York," the official said.
Still, the limited guidelines combined with Birx's dust up with Redfield have underscored to many top officials the level of sway Birx has inside the White House, particularly with Trump.
Even as the President has publicly rebuked Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, he remains totally supportive of Birx, officials tell CNN. "She is charming and listens to him. She has found a way to shut down his bad ideas without making him feel diminished, unlike Fauci and some of the others," said one senior administration official. The President has expressed on multiple occasions how great he thinks Birx is, the official said, "It is clear that she has his ear."
Since Birx first joined the task force as its coordinator, there has been a healthy amount of skepticism toward her among senior CDC officials who spoke to CNN.

One senior official, who has known Birx since she served as the division director of Global HIV/AIDS at the CDC from 2005 to 2014, said Birx has always "enjoyed being front and center."
"From the beginning of her role at the White House, Debbie Birx is out for Debbie Birx," the official said.
In interviews with CNN over the past several weeks, CDC officials have expressed a disappointment that Birx has not done more to correct some of the misinformation that Trump has touted during many of the coronavirus press briefings. "As a scientist when you stand-up in front of all that, it doesn't help your credibility," said the same official in describing the prevailing view of officials within the CDC about Birx.
Regardless, Birx's criticism of the CDC data collection system doesn't appear to be without merit. According to health industry sources familiar with the system, there are numerous flaws in the way the CDC tracks the coronavirus, including that it is unable to track symptoms in real time.
In some cases with flu-like illnesses, primary care physicians who receive patients aren't getting the information out and processed by CDC for as long as a week — which makes contact tracing nearly impossible. Additionally, these sources note that state public health departments still use outdated technology like fax machines to transmit information.
As of May 16, CDC data still indicated 60,299 deaths and was last updated on May 15, while CNN's US death count, fueled by Johns Hopkins University data, stood at more than 87,000.

he CDC says states report at different rates. Currently, 63% of all US deaths are reported within 10 days of the date of death, but there is significant variation between states, the agency said.
"That's part of the problem, we don't know how far of a lag there is, but there definitely is a lag," one CDC official told CNN.
The CDC has been working on a major data modernization initiative to "spruce up the system," primarily by giving the state and local health departments the ability to gather data electronically in real time, federal officials said.
The system, which would help digitize the data using modern technology, will not be up and running until later this year, one official said.

[Titty Meat]

Went to Gates to order To Go but quickly noped my way out of there as no customers were wearing masks nor was the staff.

[Chief Pagan]

I guess in a month or two we should have better data on how much difference wearing mask makes. People walking in a park may or may not be wearing masks around here but at grocery stores and picking up take out it appears to be 100%.