***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.”

[jdubya]

Originally Posted by TinyEvel

Woke up feeling like crap. nausea, unusually low temperature (96.0) chills, yawning like crazy, runny nose, fatigue. Called to see if I should get tested for the Covids. Didn't pass the screening. I guess you have to be a first responder or high risk person otherwise it takes shortness of breath, high fever/aches and or cough, or been exposed to a known carrier to qualify for a test here in Northern CA. Wife is very high risk (breathing issues) so I wanted one. I guess I could find a back alley tester and roll up with cash?

Im here in the SF Bay Area and we have test centers everywhere. You dont need a doctors note and you dont even have to have symptoms....

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by TinyEvel

Woke up feeling like crap. nausea, unusually low temperature (96.0) chills, yawning like crazy, runny nose, fatigue. Called to see if I should get tested for the Covids. Didn't pass the screening. I guess you have to be a first responder or high risk person otherwise it takes shortness of breath, high fever/aches and or cough, or been exposed to a known carrier to qualify for a test here in Northern CA. Wife is very high risk (breathing issues) so I wanted one. I guess I could find a back alley tester and roll up with cash?

If you don't have >100.4 temperature then they probably won't even consider testing you. Why 100.4? Yeah, that's what I ask but doesn't matter, that's the number.

[TLO]

Originally Posted by TinyEvel

Woke up feeling like crap. nausea, unusually low temperature (96.0) chills, yawning like crazy, runny nose, fatigue. Called to see if I should get tested for the Covids. Didn't pass the screening. I guess you have to be a first responder or high risk person otherwise it takes shortness of breath, high fever/aches and or cough, or been exposed to a known carrier to qualify for a test here in Northern CA. Wife is very high risk (breathing issues) so I wanted one. I guess I could find a back alley tester and roll up with cash?

Surprising they wouldn't test you. Do you have a pulse ox?

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by petegz28

I'm with you, bro.

If they say something and are proven wrong later, people like you will doubt everything else they say even four months later (see: masks). I can very easily see silence as the preferable approach given their experiences with public backlash thus far.

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by O.city

#COVID19. Italian Higher Inst of Health: #SARSCoV2 viral RNA in Milan & Turin sewage 12-18-19. Confirmed in 2 labs, using 2 diff methods, using wastewater samples (N=40) &
compared to 24 controls. A full 6 wks before 1st known Italian cases. #epitwitter https://t.co/TCxiiZhhsu pic.twitter.com/RiXxZZXS5K

— Tatiana Prowell, MD (@tmprowell) June 22, 2020

This whole thing is just crazy.

Thanks for posting. I think this is credible.

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by TLO

Obviously closing down helped limit the spread, but it wasn't sustainable indefinitely. I don't know how much of a difference another month was going to make.

It would have made a huge difference and yes I know people were tired of being locked down and it is not sustainable. But by the middle of April in the vast majority of states the R0 was under 1. We had the virus on the run and we let it get back up. Now most are higher than 1. JFC


https://covid19-projections.com/infections-tracker/

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by jdubya

Im here in the SF Bay Area and we have test centers everywhere. You dont need a doctors note and you dont even have to have symptoms....

You have to go to a specific type of test center though, right? Not necessarily to the doctor, correct? Like we had some days where people could go to a drive up test and didn't need any notes but as far as I know the actual doctor's offices aren't testing "anyone".

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

It would have made a huge difference and yes I know people were tired of being locked down and it is not sustainable. But by the middle of April in the vast majority of states the R0 was under 1. We had the virus on the run and we let it get back up. Now most are higher than 1. JFC


https://covid19-projections.com/infections-tracker/

It also would have made a huge difference on whether or economy survived or not as well. Not to mention the huge difference you think it would have made might not have been so huge.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by DaFace

If they say something and are proven wrong later, people like you will doubt everything else they say even four months later (see: masks). I can very easily see silence as the preferable approach given their experiences with public backlash thus far.

Yeah, no. If they say something now and are proven wrong later then all they have to do is say "hey, we were wrong" not "we lied to you so you wouldn't horde things".

See the difference?

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by petegz28

Yeah, no. If they say something now and are proven wrong later then all they have to do is say "hey, we were wrong" not "we lied to you so you wouldn't horde things".

See the difference?

That's literally what they said about masks. "We lied to you" is your interpretation. And it would likely be your interpretation if they were wrong again.

[jdubya]

Originally Posted by petegz28

You have to go to a specific type of test center though, right? Not necessarily to the doctor, correct? Like we had some days where people could go to a drive up test and didn't need any notes but as far as I know the actual doctor's offices aren't testing "anyone".

Correct. Here is the "get tested" link from our county health page

https://www.coronavirus.cchealth.org/get-tested

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by DaFace

That's literally what they said about masks. "We lied to you" is your interpretation. And it would likely be your interpretation if they were wrong again.

What else would you interpret from "we said masks don't work because we didn't want you hording them"?

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by petegz28

What else would you interpret from "we said masks don't work because we didn't want you hording them"?

I'll wait while you find an official website that says that.

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by Ebolapox

I say this with utmost sincerity... how many people do you think actually wash their hands properly while we AREN'T in a pandemic?

how many people DO wash properly in a pandemic? I've worked in BSL-3 labs, so I know how to disrobe properly and take off gloves correctly. you're right, not all do.

but most rarely wash their hands, and if they do, not properly. we don't need a surgical scrub but what I've seen people do in my lifetime and recently (**anecdotal, I know**) tell me that gloves would help more than anything.

The problems with gloves:

1. The persons hands need to be clean before putting them on. Otherwise the gloves are contaminated as soon as they go on.
2. The first surface you touch your gloves are dirty, just like your hands would be.
3. Every surface you touch with your now dirty gloves, you might as well be touching with your dirty hands.
4. Glove effectiveness depends on donning and doffing properly.
5. They provide a false sense of security.

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by petegz28

It also would have made a huge difference on whether or economy survived or not as well. Not to mention the huge difference you think it would have made might not have been so huge.

The problem that I saw\experienced is that when states talked about reopening people just thought they could go back to normal with no masks and no SD. Well for the first week or so they SD and wore masks but after that it mostly all went away.