***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.”

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by louie aguiar

I don't think the Oxford/AZ vaccine is a traditional, established vaccine either. From what I've read, it's an adenoviral vector vaccine which has yet to yield an effective vaccine for humans.

It appears you are correct.

[Monticore]

Originally Posted by petegz28

Gov. of Mass reinstating some restrictions. He even stated that a lot of it was to "limit mobility". Se we are seeing a concerted effort to restrict or shut places down not because the science says "this is where the spread is starting" but to keep people in their homes which ironically is the biggest cause of spread. Gatherings in the home that is.

they can't spread it in their home if they don't get it from somewhere else.

[petegz28]

The reasons we must continue wearing masks after the vaccine are already being slung around. This is going to be a shit show in and of itself.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

It appears you are correct.

They’re were trying some adenovirus vectors back when I was in school and was a lowly TA in immunology lab iirc. I think it was for HIV maybe? I don’t remember.

My immunology buddies were hopeful for this one but a bit more skeptical.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by Monticore

they can't spread it in their home if they don't get it from somewhere else.

Well get the data that shows it's coming from where they are restricting because right now there isn't much. I have listened to "expert" after "expert", including in my county, state these decisions are not backed by science but rather what they think will work.


Outdoor dining was open 4 months ago in LA. Now with a surge in the last month suddenly it has to be shut down?

That's not very logical.

Or you are just a fan of ordering people to stay home like prisoners which will do nothing but increase gatherings in homes where no masks or distancing is being applied at all.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by Monticore

they can't spread it in their home if they don't get it from somewhere else.

Well get the data that shows it's coming from where they are restricting because right now there isn't much. I have listened to "expert" after "expert", including in my county, state these decisions are not backed by science but rather what they think will work.


Outdoor dining was open 4 months ago in LA. Now with a surge in the last month suddenly it has to be shut down?

That's not very logical.

Or you are just a fan of ordering people to stay home like prisoners which will do nothing but increase gatherings in homes where no masks or distancing is being applied at all.

A California judge blasted Los Angeles County public health officials’ outdoor dining ban as an “abuse of the Department’s emergency powers" in a temporary ruling issued Tuesday that sided with restaurants.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant said the ban “is not grounded in science, evidence, or logic, and should be adjudicated to be unenforceable as a matter of law."

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by O.city

They’re were trying some adenovirus vectors back when I was in school and was a lowly TA in immunology lab iirc. I think it was for HIV maybe? I don’t remember.

My immunology buddies were hopeful for this one but a bit more skeptical.

Yeah, apparently they've been testing them since like the 70's but they've never actually deployed a human vaccine based on this tech.

[Monticore]

Originally Posted by petegz28

Well get the data that shows it's coming from where they are restricting because right now there isn't much. I have listened to "expert" after "expert", including in my county, state these decisions are not backed by science but rather what they think will work.


Outdoor dining was open 4 months ago in LA. Now with a surge in the last month suddenly it has to be shut down?

That's not very logical.

Or you are just a fan of ordering people to stay home like prisoners which will do nothing but increase gatherings in homes where no masks or distancing is being applied at all.

when a disease enters a bubble , the odds say it came from outside the bubble, and your odds of getting a disease spread by humans increases when you are around other humans, I am not pro or con anything just stating obvious facts.

[RunKC]

Originally Posted by O.city

This isn’t being administered for the first time. It’s been widely tested.

It has been tested through phase 2 and 3 for awhile but not nearly long enough. Call me old fashioned but I’d really like to have at least 5 years of data before taking it. I know that’s not realistic, but maybe even a couple years.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by RunKC

It has been tested through phase 2 and 3 for awhile but not nearly long enough. Call me old fashioned but I’d really like to have at least 5 years of data before taking it. I know that’s not realistic, but maybe even a couple years.

Same here.

Fortunately, based on my status, it will probably be a year before I'm up in line anyway.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by louie aguiar

I don't think the Oxford/AZ vaccine is a traditional, established vaccine either. From what I've read, it's an adenoviral vector vaccine which has yet to yield an effective vaccine for humans.

Oh, I didn't know that. For some reason I thought it was a traditional approach.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Oh, I didn't know that. For some reason I thought it was a traditional approach.

So did I.

Apparently in research circles, it's very common. It's just never been used for human mass production before.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by RunKC

So after the day of this being administered for the first time, we hear of problems? And people wonder why folks are uneasy about this without further data and time.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/09/healt...DHhEiX4i_7R_Bs

This points out that no research is going to be perfect due to self-selection. I bet that people with significant allergy issues probably tend to not volunteer for trials, so you can't predict that type of problem until it hits the general population.

[Monticore]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Same here.

Fortunately, based on my status, it will probably be a year before I'm up in line anyway.

For most people there will at least be a few more months of data behind it, the first ones in line I think it is worth the risk for them because of high exposure or high death rate etc..

[louie aguiar]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Oh, I didn't know that. For some reason I thought it was a traditional approach.

I think the J&J vaccine uses similar technology. The advantage of the J&J vaccine is that it only requires one shot and can be stored in a traditional refrigerator. I think their Phase 3 results should be released next month.