***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.”

[TLO]

Originally Posted by Fish

I don't know. From what I read of that woman, she's not someone I'd be recommending at this time.

This particular quote of hers turns my stomach to be honest:

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Did a quick search and found that this practitioner advocating for hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin due to the sham study by Raoult.

Originally Posted by TLO

Yeah, I'm sure that's exactly what he wants to listen to in these trying times.

**** you

^

[Eureka]

Originally Posted by Fish

I don't know. From what I read of that woman, she's not someone I'd be recommending at this time.

This particular quote of hers turns my stomach to be honest:

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Did a quick search and found that this practitioner advocating for hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin due to the sham study by Raoult.

I just happened to listen to that particular podcast yesterday as she was talking about that particular subject. I'm no expert on who's a top notch doctor and I meant nothing bad towards OnTheWarpath.

Thanks for the info though and appreciate you guys not being emotional about it like TLO.

[TLO]

Originally Posted by Eureka

I just happened to listen to that particular podcast yesterday as she was talking about that particular subject. I'm no expert on who's a top notch doctor and I meant nothing bad towards OnTheWarpath.

Thanks for the info though and appreciate you guys not being emotional about it like TLO.

You're full of shit.

[Eureka]

Originally Posted by TLO

**** you

Originally Posted by TLO

You're full of shit.

Why don't you take a deep breathe.

The thread title says Discussion.

I don't come at posters here like you do.

[suzzer99]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Did a quick search and found that this practitioner advocating for hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin due to the sham study by Raoult.

That's the thing with these charlatans. They advocate HCQ, or make spurious claims about VAERS, and then still expect to be taken seriously on other issues, when in reality their credibility is shattered and they should be shunned out of public discourse.

[Sure-Oz]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

I'm back. I went left on the arm to keep the rotation going. This shot went in harder than the first two. I think she injected it with a drinking straw or something.

Got mine today too. Shot felt the same as the first 2, barely felt it. Starting to feel a lot sore tonight but not major pain on the injection site. I expect to feel a little tired and achy tomorrow like previously.

[TLO]

Originally Posted by Eureka

Why don't you take a deep breathe.

The thread title says Discussion.

I don't come at posters here like you do.

Sorry. I thought you had some alterative motive.

I apologize

[Eureka]

Originally Posted by TLO

Sorry. I thought you had some alterative motive.

I apologize

Apology accepted. Says a lot about you to say that. I never intended to have an alternative motive. Had my own experiences with covid and the shot. My experience hasn't been great with the shot but I still try and see it from both sides.

OnTheWarpath is experiencing more with his stepdad then most on here. Sucks for him and his family. We're all wishing his stepdad makes a full recovery. I kind of felt bad for what I originally posted when pointed out as maybe it isn't something he should be listening to know.

Hope your exhaust system on your dodge is sounding better.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

The standard course of therapy for patients that require hospitalization and supplemental oxygen is remdesivir, dexamethasone, and either tocilizumab or baricitinib.

I know he received the bolded, plus a steroid that I can't recall and I don't have my notes nearby.

Yesterday was a wild ride - the dumbass sent my mom a video about Remdisivir being a "murder drug" at 1:30am and demanded that treatment be discontinued.

Luckily, we were able to reach out to his PCP who he likes and trusts, who advised him to get back on it. Up until that point, he's been denying how sick he really is, even though every doc that speaks with him tells him he's critical.

Also learned that he's not on 6L of O2, he's on an Optiflow treatment which was at 85% flow - I misunderstood that he was at 85% SpO2 - they've since jacked the flow wide open and it's at 100% and 60 LPM.

Trying to stay positive, but it's gonna be a miracle if he makes it.

[Donger]

I hesitated posting this since it's based on a pre-print, but it could end up being very significant news:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/med...ays/ar-AARscA9

The omicron variant is likely to have picked up genetic material from another virus that causes the common cold in humans, according to a new preliminary study, prompting one of its authors to suggest omicron could have greater transmissibility but lower virulence than other variants of the novel coronavirus.

Researchers from Nference, a Cambridge, Mass.-based firm that analyzes biomedical information, sequenced omicron and found a snippet of genetic code that is also present in a virus that can bring about a cold. They say this particular mutation could have occurred in a host simultaneously infected by SARS-CoV-2, also known as the novel coronavirus, and the HCoV-229E coronavirus, which can cause the common cold. The shared genetic code with HCoV-229E has not been detected in other novel coronavirus variants, the scientists said.

The study is in preprint and has not been peer-reviewed.

The “striking” similarity between omicron and HCoV-229E could have made the former “more accustomed to human hosts” and likely to evade some immune system responses, said Venky Soundararajan, a biological engineer who co-wrote the study.

“By virtue of omicron adopting this insertion … it is essentially taking a leaf out of the seasonal coronaviruses’ page, which [explains] … how it lives and transmits more efficiently with human beings," he said.

Researchers have established that SARS-CoV-2, which is responsible for the covid-19 disease, can infect patients who are also afflicted by other coronaviruses. Cells in lungs and gastrointestinal systems could host both types of viruses, said Soundararajan, possibly leading to an exchange in genetic material.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says health experts are studying how often patients simultaneously suffer from covid and other respiratory illnesses.

While much remains unknown about omicron, health experts are worried that its many mutations could make it far more transmissible than variants such as delta. In South Africa, the country’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases said Wednesday that omicron overtook other virus variants in November, accounting for 74 percent of the genomes sequenced last month.
Maryland announces first three cases of omicron variant in the greater Washington region

Delta had previously been dominant in that country, where daily infection numbers have roughly quadrupled in the last four days. Anthony S. Fauci, the top U.S. infectious-diseases expert, told Bloomberg TV Friday that it was “comforting but not definitive” that the rapid increase in South Africa’s caseload has not yet been followed by a comparable surge in hospitalizations, adding that there could be a time lag.

Nference researchers last year sequenced the novel coronavirus and found that part of its genetic code “mimics” a protein that helps regulate salt and fluid balance in the human body. That development aided efforts to design drugs that combat viral transmission.

As a virus evolves to become more transmissible, it generally “loses” traits that are likely to cause severe symptoms, Soundararajan said. But he noted that much more data and analysis of omicron was needed before a definitive determination could be made, adding that unequal distribution of vaccines globally could lead to further mutations of the coronavirus.

As Fauci warned Friday that there was “absolutely … community spread” in America, President Biden said the United States must support global efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus, especially as new variants emerge, “in order to beat covid” at home.

“Look what’s happened ... We’re starting to make some real progress, and you find out there’s another strain,” Biden added, noting that his administration had shipped millions of vaccines worldwide to people in need.

[lawrenceRaider]

if accurate, do we really want to stop the spread of Omicron?

Not that we can stop it.

[IA_Chiefs_fan]

Originally Posted by lawrenceRaider

if accurate, do we really want to stop the spread of Omicron?

Not that we can stop it.

I think so but that's a good question.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by lawrenceRaider

if accurate, do we really want to stop the spread of Omicron?

Not that we can stop it.

Still just kind of depends on hospital capacity. If it's more mild, we'd want it to take over the world, but not so quickly that hospitals are overrun.

[Chief Pagan]

Originally Posted by lawrenceRaider

if accurate, do we really want to stop the spread of Omicron?

Not that we can stop it.

We aren't stopping the spread. For starters, it may have a greater ability to reinfect those who have already had covid.

And yes, we probably do want to slow the spread. Hospitals in some areas, such as parts of NY, are under strain. Flu has been suppressed the last winter with social distancing and remote schools. (And yes, probably even masks.) There is a distinct chance of an extra bad flu season since more people, especially kids, have gone longer without getting the flu. Although the higher uptake of flu shots is no doubt helping.

A spike in covid and flu this winter could be bad.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath15

I know he received the bolded, plus a steroid that I can't recall and I don't have my notes nearby.

Yesterday was a wild ride - the dumbass sent my mom a video about Remdisivir being a "murder drug" at 1:30am and demanded that treatment be discontinued.

Luckily, we were able to reach out to his PCP who he likes and trusts, who advised him to get back on it. Up until that point, he's been denying how sick he really is, even though every doc that speaks with him tells him he's critical.

Also learned that he's not on 6L of O2, he's on an Optiflow treatment which was at 85% flow - I misunderstood that he was at 85% SpO2 - they've since jacked the flow wide open and it's at 100% and 60 LPM.

Trying to stay positive, but it's gonna be a miracle if he makes it.

I'm really sorry you and your family have to go through all of that. I know you've had to deal with this shit personally more than once. FWIW, there are steroid equivalents. Generally, you keep the patient on dexamethasone if it is available (it is not on shortage right now) because it was the drug that was studied, but as long as he's receiving an equivalent dose (for example, 32mg of methylpred or 40mg of prednisone) the effect should hopefully be similar.