***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.”

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by NotDonger

The Cleveland Clinic on Tuesday released a study showing that 99.75% of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 between Jan. 1 and April 13 were not fully vaccinated, according to data provided to Axios.

Why it matters: Real-world evidence continues to show coronavirus vaccines are effective at keeping people from dying and out of hospitals. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have been found to be 95% and 94% effective, respectively, at preventing symptomatic infections.

Details: The study also looked at 47,000 Cleveland Clinic employees who had received one shot, both shots or no shots at all.

• The Cleveland Clinic found that 99.7% of its employees who were infected with the coronavirus were not vaccinated, and 0.3% of infections occurred in those who were fully vaccinated.
  
• The study found that in this group, mRNA vaccines were more than 96% effective in protecting against coronavirus infections.

While factually true, I kind of hate stats like that. Vaccines weren't very prevalent back in January, so it seems a little silly to give a percentage of patients who were vaccinated going back that far. It's not far off from saying "In October 2020, 100% of patients were unvaccinated." Well...yeah...no shit.

[wazu]

Originally Posted by DaFace

There's no question that it depends on your peer group. From the polls I've seen, you're less likely to get the vaccine if you are middle-aged, non-college-educated, or politically conservative. If the people you interact with are none of those, rates are going to be very high. If you interact with people who are all of those, rates are going to be very low.

I'm 1 of the 3. I'd guess that around 80% of the people I interact with are vaccinated.

I'm 2 of the 3. (Most are college educated.) The people that I know who are vaccinated are mostly liberal or work in healthcare. (Plus everybody who is old.)

[suzzer99]

I have one friend who isn't vaccinated. He claims to be waiting for J&J for some reason. I think he just hates shots.

[NotDonger]

Updated breakthrough case numbers which resulted in hospitalization:

3,729 out of 144 million fully vaccinated.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by DaFace

While factually true, I kind of hate stats like that. Vaccines weren't very prevalent back in January, so it seems a little silly to give a percentage of patients who were vaccinated going back that far. It's not far off from saying "In October 2020, 100% of patients were unvaccinated." Well...yeah...no shit.

If it was done with health care providers, we were able to get it a little earlier though.

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by O.city

It will be interesting to see all the places that used a heavy hand to try and suppress this come out of it now. With no immunity built up, they're gonna have some issues.

I am just taking a guess but wouldn't you think that the places here in the US that used the "heavy" hand also have better vaccination rates? Like NYC for example.

[MahomesMagic]

ONS survey indicates that 87% of adults in UK had antibodies by June 7th from vaccination or infection prior to mid-May. Given vaccination rates, simple math determines that 70% - 80% of total UK population had been infected by mid-May.

What does this imply?

— PLC (@Humble_Analysis) June 22, 2021

More importantly, if 75% of the population was infected by mid-May, this indicates that the vaccines, no matter how effective, simply came too late. Herd immunity was achieved naturally and the impact of vaccines upon the course of the pandemic was minimal.

— PLC (@Humble_Analysis) June 22, 2021

[O.city]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

I am just taking a guess but wouldn't you think that the places here in the US that used the "heavy" hand also have better vaccination rates? Like NYC for example.

No clue. I guess theoretically maybe yes, but who knows.

I was talking more about places like Australia and NZ.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by MahomesMagic

ONS survey indicates that 87% of adults in UK had antibodies by June 7th from vaccination or infection prior to mid-May. Given vaccination rates, simple math determines that 70% - 80% of total UK population had been infected by mid-May.

What does this imply?

— PLC (@Humble_Analysis) June 22, 2021

More importantly, if 75% of the population was infected by mid-May, this indicates that the vaccines, no matter how effective, simply came too late. Herd immunity was achieved naturally and the impact of vaccines upon the course of the pandemic was minimal.

— PLC (@Humble_Analysis) June 22, 2021

They wouldn't have theoretically hit HI if they're still having a rise of infections, unless it's just overshot from out of control infections.

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by O.city

No clue. I guess theoretically maybe yes, but who knows.

I was talking more about places like Australia and NZ.

gotcha. Yeah I don't how they are doing in regards to vaccine. I know Vietnam had a little surge recently with the Delta variant since they still don't have large quantities of vaccine.

[MahomesMagic]

Originally Posted by O.city

They wouldn't have theoretically hit HI if they're still having a rise of infections, unless it's just overshot from out of control infections.

Deaths pretty much gone after March on their charts.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by MahomesMagic

Deaths pretty much gone after March on their charts.

So now we're changing subjects?

That would likely be due to vaccinating the vulnerable, I'd guess?

[MahomesMagic]

Originally Posted by O.city

So now we're changing subjects?

That would likely be due to vaccinating the vulnerable, I'd guess?

PLC
@Humble_Analysis
Cases began their precipitous decline in the UK during the first week of January - at time at which less than 1% of the population had received even their first dose.

Obviously, vaccines which had not yet been administered can not receive credit for the decline.

I have to run but if you superimposed Infections with Vax Rates you would find the answer. PLC (I assume is British) and that was his view.

[suzzer99]

Someone could go through the effort to break down that survey, and the twitter user's suspect math. But we all know it wouldn't matter. You won't care. You won't learn anything. You won't change your mind. You'll just find something new to throw against the wall tomorrow.

It takes you 5 seconds to repost that stuff, and someone else all day to debunk it. You eventually win by exhaustion.

[loochy]

Originally Posted by suzzer99

I have one friend who isn't vaccinated. He claims to be waiting for J&J for some reason. I think he just hates shots.

I'm just craving the markedly less effective vaccine with more side effects!