***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.”

[Spott]

Originally Posted by Megatron96

I get what you're saying.

From my POV, I interact with about 6 people a day in a normal week. The same 6 people. On days off, I meet with two friends for dinner when I can in a small restaurant we've going to for years. Other than that, I see my gf when able, and take my mother to church and have dinner with her (she's been nursing a broken ankle so we haven't gone in a while, and probably won't for a few more weeks).

Now if I was 20 something and spent my down time bar crawling, dating multitudes of women, etc. that would be different.

Look, I never said or advocated the idea that we should go around as if this wasn't happening. I do think that eventually everyone is going to come into contact with this thing no matter what we do. But trying to slow its progress is naturally a good idea.

My original point was that IMO, I don't think closing bars and restaurants is going to have a significant effect, because people will just congregate elsewhere to drink and socialize, have unprotected sex, etc. And there's not one thing I can do about that.

What I'm not going to do is worry about that. If my friends want to meet up for dinner next week, I'm going. If my gf wants to hang out, I'm there. If my mother wants to go to church in a couple weeks, I might say "maybe we should wait another week or two," but if she insists, I'm taking her to church. She's a retired physician and a grown woman, and she can make her own much more informed decisions for herself.

By closing restaurants, they are forcing those people to go to grocery stores to get their food, which will be just as crowded as any restaurant. They are basically just taking people from one congregation area and sending them to another.

[Discuss Thrower]

Originally Posted by Donger

The Guardian is a good source. It's been around for almost 200 years.

Other outbreaks have lasted over a year, even longer.

So we'll be 'social distancing' and locked in our homes for a while then.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by RINGLEADER

New numbers show that Vatican City has been wiped off the face of the Earth.

WHERE IS YOUR GOD NOW

[Titty Meat]

Originally Posted by tk13

This should be the end of sports for a while.

CDC now recommending cancellation of any gathering over 50 people for the next 8 weeks https://t.co/g7bAIKl2Si pic.twitter.com/koJrNy6X44

— Alex H. Kasprak (@alexkasprak) March 15, 2020

Lol and yet my job with 4k in the facility remains open. I'm 100% certain I'll be getting this.

[SupDock]

You got me, Dave.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by Spott

By closing restaurants, they are forcing those people to go to grocery stores to get their food, which will be just as crowded as any restaurant. They are basically just taking people from one congregation area and sending them to another.

Yup.

This is about to get really bad.

[eDave]

Originally Posted by Hammock Parties

WHERE IS YOUR GOD NOW

WTF?

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

[RINGLEADER]

Originally Posted by Hammock Parties

Yup.

This is about to get really bad.

Also noticed that all the kiddie food is gone from the grocery stores — now that lunch is self-serve at home the hot dog has become an endangered food group...

[srvy]

Originally Posted by 007

How are they handling families that don't have internet access

SD here kids are issued a MacBook or IPAD and will have online classes with the homework done on-device and transferred to their teacher. If kids don't have internet access they can sign up for free high-speed hotspot N/C. We are on spring break to 23rd now but have warned it could be extended 2 weeks.

The thing I feel bad for is this district has many kids who get free breakfast and lunch. Those may be the only meal they get all day.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Spott

By closing restaurants, they are forcing those people to go to grocery stores to get their food, which will be just as crowded as any restaurant. They are basically just taking people from one congregation area and sending them to another.

I don't know what it's like where you live but I have a huge number of neighbors that have their groceries delivered via InstaCart or from the stores themselves that deliver. I've ordered from Amazon Pantry in the past week as well.

I'd imagine that will increase as restaurants close around the country.

[Hammock Parties]

[TLO]

Originally Posted by Hammock Parties

WHERE IS YOUR GOD NOW

Oh no..

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

I don't know what it's like where you live but I have a huge number of neighbors that have their groceries delivered via InstaCart or from the stores themselves that deliver. I've ordered from Amazon Pantry in the past week as well.

I'd imagine that will increase as restaurants close around the country.

Good luck to those people. My online order got canceled.

[eDave]

Originally Posted by TLO

Oh no..

There's only like 1K people in the Vatican. It's a hack or a typo.

[Jerm]

Looks like STL is shutting down pretty much everything...