***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.”

[KurtCobain]

Originally Posted by lewdog

Kurt Cobain’s employer is spotted.

Good job. My roommate and another one of his co-workers that I associate with quite a bit are included in those 200 who tested positive.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by TLO

They don't produce an antibody response so you could get sick again?

I didn't actually read the article

No

Likely your T cell response would fight it off and you’d likely have some antigen recognition

[KurtCobain]

What really pisses me off reading that article, is they didn't tell them to get tested till May 29th but apparently started having outbreaks in mid May. **** this stupid shit.

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by KurtCobain

What really pisses me off reading that article, is they didn't tell them to get tested till May 29th but apparently started having outbreaks in mid May. **** this stupid shit.

Transparency immediately is the best way to combat spread. Too bad so many business feel the need to hide things. Not sure how they think that will work with something so contagious.

[ghak99]

Originally Posted by O.city

No

Likely your T cell response would fight it off and you’d likely have some antigen recognition

I've been slammed and haven't been keeping up.

So the person would antibody test negative, but the system actually has a form of resistance built, correct?

[KCUnited]

If it doesn't get torched between now and Sunday at 3:30pm, I've got a ****ing reservation at a restaurant! Chicago enters phase 3 of reopening today.

[Monticore]

Originally Posted by KCUnited

If it doesn't get torched between now and Sunday at 3:30pm, I've got a ****ing reservation at a restaurant! Chicago enters phase 3 of reopening today.

Wonder if waiters are already tired of customers asking “ do you have any Corona”

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by Fish

New COVID-19 outbreak reported at KC paper plant where 200+ have tested positive

[...]

On May 29 and 30, Aspen offered testing to its employees, revealing the large outbreak. More than 200 have tested positive. The Kansas City plant employs about 850 people.

The health department is now working with Aspen to stop the spread, including increasing sanitization, personal protection equipment, social distancing, temperature checks and more.

Wouldn't this be a sign thats its mainly asymptomatic positives?

[O.city]

Originally Posted by ghak99

I've been slammed and haven't been keeping up.

So the person would antibody test negative, but the system actually has a form of resistance built, correct?

Yeah basically.

The innate response fought it off. I would imagine you’d have some type of antigenic response via memory B cells after but if they weren’t triggered the first time maybe not

It’s been a while since immunology

[Donger]

The US should have 100 million doses of one candidate Covid-19 vaccine by the end of the year, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and a member of the White House coronavirus task force, said Tuesday.

“Then, by the beginning of 2021, we hope to have a couple hundred million doses,” Fauci said during a live question and answer session with the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Fauci said the first vaccine candidate, made by biotech company Moderna in partnership with NIAID, should go into a final stage of trials in volunteers, known in the industry as Phase III, by mid-summer. Preparations at national and international sites are already under way, he said.

“The real business end of this all will be the Phase III that starts in the first week of July, hopefully, “ Fauci said. “We want to get as many data points as we can.”

Phase III will involve about 30,000 people. The vaccine will be tested in people between the ages of 18 and 55, as well as in the elderly and in people who have underlying health conditions.

“It’s going to be the entire spectrum,” Fauci said.

Fauci said Phase II of the trial started a few days ago. A few hundred volunteers will be involved in that part of the trial.

The plan is to manufacture doses of the vaccine even before it is clear whether the vaccines work, making close to 100 million doses by November or December, Fauci said. That’s so if it does work, it can be deployed quickly.

Scientists should have enough data by November or December to determine if the vaccine works, Fauci said.

The AstraZeneca trial underway in the UK will follow a similar schedule. A handful of other vaccine studies should start just one to two months after that, he said.

“I’m cautiously optimistic that with the multiple candidates we have with different platforms, that we are going to have a vaccine that will make it deployable,” Fauci said. He is optimistic, he said, because, while the number of deaths from Covid-19 are “profound,” largely people recover from this disease. Recovery shows that there is an immune response that can clear the virus.

“Which tells us, that if the body is capable of making an immune response to clear the virus of natural infection, that’s a pretty good proof of concept,” Fauci said. “Having said that, there is never a guarantee.”

Fauci said he is a little more concerned about what the durability of the response will be. People develop antibodies to fight common colds caused by other strains of coronavirus, but that protection generally only lasts about a year. That might mean people would need a fresh vaccine every year, as is the case with influenza.

[Mr_Tomahawk]

So that's good, right?

[Monticore]

Originally Posted by Mr_Tomahawk

So that's good, right?

I could be , depending on the level of distrust you have in Fauci and vaccines I guess.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

Wouldn't this be a sign thats its mainly asymptomatic positives?

I'd like to know how many people were tested overall? Did they test all 850?

[Monticore]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

Wouldn't this be a sign thats its mainly asymptomatic positives?

With the large range of symptoms you can get , some might have had symptoms that were brushed off as allergies/IBS/headaches etc.. I am sure some were asymptomatic but if you question them all some might have had milder symptoms I assume.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by Monticore

With the large range of symptoms you can get , some might have had symptoms that were brushed off as allergies/IBS/headaches etc.. I am sure some were asymptomatic but if you question them all some might have had milder symptoms I assume.

In other words you're chasing a ghost