***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.”

[Skyy God]

More jabs, less prayer.

[Skyy God]

Originally Posted by NotDonger

That's a shame. Any idea how many are un-vaccinated?

Gotta be virtually all of them.

Vax rates in the counties served by Springfield hospitals are remarkably low.

[TLO]

Originally Posted by NotDonger

Are you sure about that? They are in the 90s at lowering the risk of hospitalization, but not of developing COVID-19 from what I've read:

According to figures gathered by Public Health Scotland and published in the Lancet, at least two weeks after the second dose of Covid jabs, protection against infection fell from 92% for the Alpha variant to 79% against the Delta variant for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine

Saw a story this morning where Pfizer has stated it's around 90% effective against preventing illness. Of course this came from one of the Pfizer big wigs, but you have to assume they're looking at data to make these claims.

I'd like to see the data they're referencing, but I have no reason to doubt them.

[NotDonger]

Originally Posted by TLO

Saw a story this morning where Pfizer has stated it's around 90% effective against preventing illness. Of course this came from one of the Pfizer big wigs, but you have to assume they're looking at data to make these claims.

I'd like to see the data they're referencing, but I have no reason to doubt them.

Yes, from Israel:

"The data we have today, accumulating from research we are conducting at the lab and including data from those places where the Indian variant, Delta, has replaced the British variant as the common variant, point to our vaccine being very effective, around 90%, in preventing the coronavirus disease, COVID-19," Alon Rappaport, Pfizer's medical director in Israel, told local broadcaster Army Radio.

Unfortunately, Israel is seeing pretty solid growth of new cases.

[loochy]

Originally Posted by suzzer99

The big question is does a vaccinated person with no symptoms who tests positive still spread it? Hopefully someone is studying that because it could be very very important.

I thought it was decided long ago that yes, they CAN spread it, but it's significantly less likely than a symptomatic....you know, virus load and all of that stuff.

[O.city]

A new CDC study finds Moderna’s and Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines reduce the risk of infection by 91% for fully vaccinated individuals. For the few individuals who do get COVID, vaccination makes illness milder, shorter, AND appear to be less likely to spread the virus to others!

— Mac n’ Chise ������ (@sailorrooscout) June 9, 2021

[BigCatDaddy]

Not sure what could have been done to provided more confidence in the vaccines..I think the whole mask ordeal is behind a lot of it.....

[loochy]

Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy

Not sure what could have been done to provided more confidence in the vaccines..I think the whole mask ordeal is behind a lot of it.....

Yeah, it was a terrible decision to tell people "hey get this super effective vaccine but you still have to wear a mask because reasons"

[Sure-Oz]

Originally Posted by loochy

Yeah, it was a terrible decision to tell people "hey get this super effective vaccine but you still have to wear a mask because reasons"

That and people are stupid

[O.city]

Headlines will show that about 40 percent of the new positives in Israel were vaccinated, then in small print say that all the vaccinated positives were asymptomatic.

[suzzer99]

Nearly all COVID deaths in U.S. are now among unvaccinated

An Associated Press analysis of available government data from May shows that “breakthrough” infections in fully vaccinated people accounted for fewer than 1,200 of more than 853,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations. That’s about 0.1%.

And only about 150 of the more than 18,000 COVID-19 deaths in May were in fully vaccinated people. That translates to about 0.8%, or five deaths per day on average.

Ross Bagne, a 68-year-old small-business owner in Cheyenne, Wyo., was eligible for the vaccine in early February but didn’t get it. He died June 4 after spending more than three weeks in the hospital, his lungs filling with fluid. He was unable to swallow because of a stroke.

“He never went out, so he didn’t think he would catch it,” said his grieving sister, Karen McKnight. She wondered: “Why take the risk of not getting vaccinated?”

In the St. Louis area, more than 90% of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 have not been vaccinated, said Dr. Alex Garza, a hospital administrator who directs a metropolitan-area task force on the outbreak.

“The majority of them express some regret for not being vaccinated,” Garza said. “That’s a pretty common refrain that we’re hearing from patients with COVID.”

[NotDonger]

Israel re-instating indoor masking next week.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by suzzer99

Nearly all COVID deaths in U.S. are now among unvaccinated

Not arguing the point of the article, but at the same time seems like strange math to prove their point.

Any idea what the 835k hospitalizations refers to? Haven't tracked numbers much, but seems like they're reaching pretty far back for that one, while the vaccine has only been availability to everyone for the past handful of months.

Or maybe I'm reading it wrong, just seems like fishy math that's completely unnecessary to prove their completely valid point.

[mr. tegu]

Originally Posted by NotDonger

Israel re-instating indoor masking next week.

I thought anyone there can get vaccinated like here.

[TLO]

Originally Posted by NotDonger

Israel re-instating indoor masking next week.

Ugh