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.”
Originally Posted by Donger:
Wait, what? Don't they all?
Some are actually much worse than others. Same with infections. Had a 500lb guy with no running water in his trailer that was admitted. He had a nasty diabetic foot ulcer. When the attending opened the door he immediately yelled out, "that smells like pseudomonas!" The combination of that and his BO was so bad I left the room and could still smell it in the hallway.
The nurses ended up rubbing his sheets down with deodorant sticks to reduce his stank. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mr_Tomahawk:
Any good news to report for the day?
Apathy is starting to set in with me on this and I feel less anxious about going out in public with all of this going on...probably not good, but I’m ready to get it to a point so I build immunity to it.
I still have my fair share of anxiety about it, but it has improved a lot over the past month.
I feel like the information we have now, compared to just a month ago is light years ahead of where we were. I don't feel like we're fighting blind anymore.
I remember the day they talked about 2.2 or 2.4 million Americans possibly dying from this. That was one of the scariest things I've ever heard. I thought about quitting my job and isolating myself. I fell into some pretty deep depression. A lot of anxiety and fear filled my days.
I'm still not 100% mentally, but I'm trying to focus on positive things. I'm really proud of the country as a whole A lot of amazing people are working around the clock to fight this thing. I'm proud of the doctors, nurses, medical people in general. I'm proud of my staff for working their assess off to make sure my clients are well taken care of.
As I was telling my supervisor the other day, yes - I'm scared, but I'll never let my staff see that. I'll be right in there with them taking care of our individuals. They are the most important thing to me. [Reply]
Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins:
Some are actually much worse than others. Same with infections. Had a 500lb guy with no running water in his trailer that was admitted. He had a nasty diabetic foot ulcer. When the attending opened the door he immediately yelled out, "that smells like pseudomonas!" The combination of that and his BO was so bad I left the room and could still smell it in the hallway.
The nurses ended up rubbing his sheets down with deodorant sticks to reduce his stank.
Is crypto anything like that? Our pool classes always start right out with about an hourlong lecture on it and I spend most of it cringing. [Reply]
Most coronavirus patients who go on ventilators won't survive. But those who do can face long-term trauma.
For the sickest COVID-19 patients, getting on a ventilator to help them breathe can be a life-saving process
Some patients who survive can experience longer-term physical complications including from organ failure that came up while the patient was on a ventilator, delirium, and, in COVID-19, the potential for long-term lung damage.
Often, patients find the lasting mental-health toll from facing death and feeling helpless can be the most bothersome and difficult-to-treat consequence.
When Rebecca Trahan heard New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo mention ventilators as the state was looking to increase its supply, she started to panic.
Trahan, 57, a creative director who lives in Harlem, knows what it's like to be on a ventilator, a machine used to help people breathe in times when they can't fully on their own.
"It's all coming back to me," Trahan told Business Insider.
In 2011, Trahan underwent triple bypass surgery after a spontaneous coronary artery dissection. When she woke up from surgery, she was on a ventilator. The experience was disorienting. She couldn't speak, she was strapped down, she didn't know what time it was, and she wasn't sure what would come next.
She didn't know if she was getting better. She didn't know if she'd always be living on a ventilator, a reality she wasn't interested in.
When the ventilator was removed a few days later, she was groggy and the room she was in felt different than before. "Nothing really made sense," Trahan said.
Originally Posted by BigRedChief:
Most coronavirus patients who go on ventilators won't survive. But those who do can face long-term trauma.
For the sickest COVID-19 patients, getting on a ventilator to help them breathe can be a life-saving process
Some patients who survive can experience longer-term physical complications including from organ failure that came up while the patient was on a ventilator, delirium, and, in COVID-19, the potential for long-term lung damage.
Often, patients find the lasting mental-health toll from facing death and feeling helpless can be the most bothersome and difficult-to-treat consequence.
When Rebecca Trahan heard New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo mention ventilators as the state was looking to increase its supply, she started to panic.
Trahan, 57, a creative director who lives in Harlem, knows what it's like to be on a ventilator, a machine used to help people breathe in times when they can't fully on their own.
"It's all coming back to me," Trahan told Business Insider.
In 2011, Trahan underwent triple bypass surgery after a spontaneous coronary artery dissection. When she woke up from surgery, she was on a ventilator. The experience was disorienting. She couldn't speak, she was strapped down, she didn't know what time it was, and she wasn't sure what would come next.
She didn't know if she was getting better. She didn't know if she'd always be living on a ventilator, a reality she wasn't interested in.
When the ventilator was removed a few days later, she was groggy and the room she was in felt different than before. "Nothing really made sense," Trahan said.
I just post something about feeling optimistic and positive and then you post shit that makes me want to jump off a bridge.
sorry man. But, this is the reality of the situation for many. I’ve been there 100’s of times the first time the patient realizes they survived. You can see the fear. It’s not pleasant but part of the process to getting back to normal.
People don’t think about the trauma to the psych if you survive a vent. Some on here know people or family that were on vents. Awareness that it may not be over for their family and friends when they survive might be useful information. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Bugeater:
Is crypto anything like that? Our pool classes always start right out with about an hourlong lecture on it and I spend most of it cringing.
It's a parasite whereas C. diff is a bacteria. Most people in healthcare are likely colonized with C. diff already, but the good bacteria in our gut keeps it at bay. It's always something to watch out for after many antibiotic courses. Both crypto and C. diff form spores though. I know crypto can wreak havoc on immunocompromised people. It used to be a common infection in AIDS patients.
What do you guys do to eliminate it in the water? [Reply]
Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins:
It's a parasite whereas C. diff is a bacteria. Most people in healthcare are likely colonized with C. diff already, but the good bacteria in our gut keeps it at bay. It's always something to watch out for after many antibiotic courses. Both crypto and C. diff form spores though. I know crypto can wreak havoc on immunocompromised people. It used to be a common infection in AIDS patients.
What do you guys do to eliminate it in the water?
Seems like every second inpatient I do is c-dif or mrsa. [Reply]
Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins:
It would be like diluting bleach in half and using that.
You have no idea.
Spore-forming bacteria are absolute bitches to kill. Seventy percent rubbing alcohol will not kill C-diff (which produces a diarrhea so foul it will clear out a hospital room), so you need special agents to get rid of nasty bugs like it and its brethren. Enter sporicides.
We use one called Peridox RTU that is a combination of hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid, which forms peroxyacetic acid. Imagine the nastiness of vinegar smell mixed with the funkiness of hydrogen peroxide, then spraying it in an enclosed area. It will turn your eyes into faucets, and unless you follow it up with 70% IPA (rubbing alcohol), it will rust out stainless steel.
Originally Posted by BigRedChief:
sorry man. But, this is the reality of the situation for many. I’ve been there 100’s of times the first time the patient realizes they survived. You can see the fear. It’s not pleasant but part of the process to getting back to normal.
People don’t think about the trauma to the psych if you survive a vent. Some on here know people or family that were on vents. Awareness that it may not be over for their family and friends when they survive might be useful information.
How many hundreds of lives have you saved? [Reply]