***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]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost....-hiv-drug/amp/

[Iowanian]

California is probably hoping this solves their homeless problem.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Iowanian

California is probably hoping this solves their homeless problem.

There's probably some guy at the Social Security Administration presenting figures at an internal meeting and saying, "This could make Social Security solvent for another two decades!"

(This kind of stuff is less funny as I get closer to senior status, by the way.)

[BIG_DADDY]

Originally Posted by loochy

YEAH THAT SEEMS SO FUN

HOW ABOUT I SNEEZE ON YOUR UNVACCINATED PIT BULL?

You're an animal.

[suzzer99]

Yeah just life or death matters here. Can't be discussed.

[loochy]

Originally Posted by BIG_DADDY

You're an animal.

Weaponized sneezing is no laughing matter.

[eDave]

Suzzer. Delete that as you will get banned for it.

[LiveSteam]

Originally Posted by suzzer99

Tweets like this make it seem more and more like the inadequate testing has been an intentional strategy to keep the numbers artificially low. https://t.co/03KLrjMwOB

— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) March 5, 2020

Times like this it might be nice to have a President who isn't a compulsive liar (hint: no borders have been closed whatsoever). Just saying.

People are asked if they've been to China in the last 14 days. That's it. They don't even ask about Italy.

I know politics. But at some point this reckless behavior by our leader is going to get a lot of people killed and politics is going to intrude big time on your daily life whether you like it or not.

**** off!!!
In the lounge manner of the phrase.

[Reerun_KC]

Originally Posted by suzzer99

Tweets like this make it seem more and more like the inadequate testing has been an intentional strategy to keep the numbers artificially low. https://t.co/03KLrjMwOB

— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) March 5, 2020

Times like this it might be nice to have a President who isn't a compulsive liar (hint: no borders have been closed whatsoever). Just saying.

People are asked if they've been to China in the last 14 days. That's it. They don't even ask about Italy.

I know politics. But at some point this reckless behavior by our leader is going to get a lot of people killed and politics is going to intrude big time on your daily life whether you like it or not.

Reported.

[loochy]

Originally Posted by eDave

Suzzer. Delete that as you will get banned for it.

*banned from the thread

There's a DC thread on this, so it probably belongs there instead. Maybe you got confused about which one you were posting in.

[TLO]

Originally Posted by suzzer99

Tweets like this make it seem more and more like the inadequate testing has been an intentional strategy to keep the numbers artificially low. https://t.co/03KLrjMwOB

— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) March 5, 2020

Times like this it might be nice to have a President who isn't a compulsive liar (hint: no borders have been closed whatsoever). Just saying.

People are asked if they've been to China in the last 14 days. That's it. They don't even ask about Italy.

I know politics. But at some point this reckless behavior by our leader is going to get a lot of people killed and politics is going to intrude big time on your daily life whether you like it or not.

It hasn't been flawless, but I think the US has done a pretty darn good job thus far. Unless we find out that there's a mass infection somewhere we don't know about. (That seems unlikely)

[eDave]

Originally Posted by loochy

*banned from the thread

There's a DC thread on this, so it probably belongs there instead. Maybe you got confused about which one you were posting in.

This is The Lounge. No?

[suzzer99]

Originally Posted by TLO

It hasn't been flawless, but I think the US has done a pretty darn good job thus far. Unless we find out that there's a mass infection somewhere we don't know about. (That seems unlikely)

There's very likely 1000s of cases right now we don't know about. We're barely testing. The question is whether it's deliberate - either for political reasons or to not induce a panic, or just incompetence in creating/distributing tests.

We'll know in as little as a few weeks if hospitals start being overwhelmed with people needed ventilators and oxygen. Can't really hide it at that point.

The only thing I know for sure is we didn't close any borders - which is what set me off.

[suzzer99]

Originally Posted by eDave

This is The Lounge. No?

I removed the post.

[loochy]

Originally Posted by TLO

It hasn't been flawless, but I think the US has done a pretty darn good job thus far. Unless we find out that there's a mass infection somewhere we don't know about. (That seems unlikely)

Quite frankly, I bet a lot of people have (and have had) this already and just didn't realize what it was, chalking it up to the flu.