***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.”

[BigBeauford]

Originally Posted by jdubya

My county of 1.1 million has only 30 covid hospitalizations. Vaccines available for teenagers now.

That is incredible.

[KCUnited]

I know others have been at this point for awhile, but indoors concert tix are popping up here in Chicago. Got tix for a show in August.

That's a pretty big deal here at least.

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath15

Nowhere NEAR last time, thank God.

Fatigue, brain fog, head/chest congestion, super dry barky cough. Fever got to 101.5 but has been manageable with Ibuprofen.

Not fun, but I know first hand it can be way worse.

Damn that sucks. I have a feeling we are going to need to take a covid shot every year.

[Chief Roundup]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

I have a feeling we are going to need to take a covid shot every year.

[MahomesMagic]

1/ Peer-reviewed in Clinical Microbiology & Infection: "SARSCoV2 Tcell immune response was detectable in >97% of convalescent Covid-19 positive subjects and in ~40% of unexposed donors sampled before the pandemic period, in agreement with previous studies"https://t.co/RMmDCQcegO

— Kulvinder Kaur MD (@dockaurG) April 9, 2021

[O.city]

India is getting slammed. Not good.

Brazil still struggling too

[stevieray]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

I have a feeling I'm going to need to take a covid shot every year.

fyp

will you announce it every year, too?

[mlyonsd]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

Where the hell did you find Blanton's? We haven't had that up here for over a year.

[AussieChiefsFan]

Australia's vaccine rollout has been embarrassingly slow (as expected), but luckily cases have been at zero for a few months now, and hovering at around that level for even longer.

I went to a footy match yesterday, and it felt like so long since I've seen this many people in one place.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by mlyonsd

Where the hell did you find Blanton's? We haven't had that up here for over a year.

Friend of a friend of a friend has a connection. He gets a case every other month or some shit

[The Franchise]

Got my first shot of 5G this morning. My cell reception is about to be amazing.

[displacedinMN]

DULUTH – Paul Colson was ready to raise a ruckus — and risk arrest — if Canadian border officials denied him entry on his drive home to the Northwest Angle on Tuesday.

After almost 13 months of pandemic-prompted border restrictions, which recently grew more onerous, Colson said he and other residents feel "we are dispensable. We don't matter."

"I'll just block the road, they can throw me in jail," he said. "I've got to do something."

To his surprise, he was able to travel the nearly 50 miles through Manitoba back to that unique Minnesota peninsula jutting into Lake of the Woods that is only accessible by land through Canada.

Colson, who owns Jake's Northwest Angle resort and is one of the exclave's roughly 120 year-round residents, says it is time to get more assertive. He has forged relationships with the state's federal delegation — Sen. Amy Klobuchar's office called him Wednesday afternoon, and he has a direct line to GOP Reps. Michelle Fischbach and Pete Stauber — but has seen no results.

"Enough with the letter writing, enough with the phone calls," he said. "No one is willing to up the ante, and that's what we need them to do."




Since the border was closed to nonessential travelers on March 21, 2020, Canadian officials have not yielded to pressure from U.S. officials who have asked for more exceptions for those who can enter the country — including those just passing through on their way back to American soil. About 60% of the land on the Northwest Angle belongs to the Red Lake Band of Chippewa.

Sen. Tina Smith urged U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to "work with your Canadian counterparts to devise a solution that addresses the needs of border exclave communities, and the Northwest Angle specifically," she wrote in a letter this week.

"We had a resort owner who left the Northwest Angle in January, and when they returned on Easter Sunday they were not allowed to pass," Smith said in an interview. "People don't feel the sense of urgency to get this resolved."

The Canadian government in February began requiring those entering Canada to present a negative COVID-19 test that is less than three days old and cannot be a rapid test. That's a condition Northwest Angle residents say is being applied to them now as well, though government guidelines say they should still be exempt.

The Public Health Agency of Canada said in an e-mail Friday "exemptions are available for these residents to access the necessities of life, such as medical care, food etc." While that allows Northwest Angle residents to go grocery shopping and see a doctor in Canada, it was not clear if the testing exemption applies to those who wish to pass through on their way to the mainland U.S. and back.

Smith said she "has not been able to get solutions from the Canadian government, but I am hopeful."

Colson was less optimistic.

"We have a problem because there's 100 of us and the Canadians see no political advantage to helping us out," he said. "They've taken my income, now they're going after my dignity."

Joe Henry, head of Lake of the Woods Tourism, has proposed several solutions for travel to the Northwest Angle: Require GPS tracking on the route from the mainland to the Angle; hire a pilot car to guide vehicles; make the road an international travel corridor; or just have travelers check in with Canadian officials.

Proof of vaccination will not grant passage into Canada, though it has been discussed by top officials.

"Future studies of COVID-19 vaccines will help the Public Health Agency of Canada to understand how long protection from the COVID-19 vaccine lasts and whether the vaccine can reduce the spread of the disease," the agency said. "Currently, travelers arriving in Canada, whether they are vaccinated or not, must follow mandatory quarantine and testing requirements, including a 14-day quarantine. Any change to this approach will be based on scientific evidence and expert advice."

On Friday, Klobuchar wrote to the Biden administration saying that as the vaccine rollout continues and rapid testing becomes more widespread, Northwest Angle residents "need a new solution."

"The need for drastic restrictions on travel should give way to common-sense solutions that will allow for residents, workers and visitors to the Angle to access their homes, places of work and U.S.-based cabins and rooms, while maintaining the necessary precautions during the pandemic," the senator wrote to Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.

Stauber said at a roundtable discussion on border issues this week that "a blanket policy, on both sides of the border, I think it's unfair."

Colson said he is pretty sure his neighbors — a Lake of the Woods deputy sheriff, his wife and their six kids — will have trouble getting home Friday after several months away due to the testing requirements and the difficulty of getting a timely test result along the border.

Some resorts have been listed for sale as other residents reconsider life on the remote and isolated corner of the country, Colson said.

"People are leaving, and for no good reason."

Brooks Johnson • 218-491-6496

[Stewie]

Getting the J&J vaccine on Wednesday. Chose this version due to far less stringent temp requirements (how could ridiculously low temp requirements be a problem from manufacturer to arm?) and it appears it is more effective against the newer strains. Plus, only one shot.

Looking at tickets for Royals games in June. Finally!

[prhom]

Originally Posted by Stewie

Getting the J&J vaccine on Wednesday. Chose this version due to far less stringent temp requirements (how could ridiculously low temp requirements be a problem from manufacturer to arm?) and it appears it is more effective against the newer strains. Plus, only one shot.

Looking at tickets for Royals games in June. Finally!

Got the J&J vaccine last night. No really bad side effects. Just tired this afternoon and evening, but no more than if I had a really busy week at work or had gone for a long hike. So far so good. Good luck with yours!

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by prhom

Got the J&J vaccine last night. No really bad side effects. Just tired this afternoon and evening, but no more than if I had a really busy week at work or had gone for a long hike. So far so good. Good luck with yours!

Same for me. I feel pretty drained, but that's just kind of how Fridays usually feel. Hopefully the next or two don't make me regret my confidence.