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 Chief Pagan:
You know, I don’t think this country has the social cohesion to employ those strategies. Even if 80% are willing to do it, if 10 or 20% actively flout those strategies that is probably enough to cause them to fail.
I think the 20% has probably won. The 80% might as well admit defeat and open everything back up.
we are competing against each other over a virus that can kill millions. American as fuck [Reply]
Originally Posted by Pablo:
I've been out fishing and mushroom hunting quite a bit this spring and shit is packed everywhere. I guess I should just be thankful I have some hobbies I can still enjoy when everything else is locked down, but shit, get outta my spots you assholes.
I need to figure out where to go to find morels up here, only few I have found were in my flower garden , they were pretty tasty [Reply]
Originally Posted by Bearcat:
Definitely... for the most part, I'd say scientists and doctors know they don't know everything (there are obviously the arrogant douchebags, just like in any other career).
Hell, I've been in IT for almost 20 years now and just a few weeks ago dug myself into quite the hole and ended up wasting a couple hours of my time and others' time believing I knew the problem, just for it to be the equivalent of "have you tried rebooting"..... confidence backed by years of experience can bite you in the ass sometimes, but having that confidence in the first place doesn't mean you don't know in the back of your head that you could be wrong... and it doesn't mean you're just an arrogant know-it-all scientist/doctor/IT geek.
The hurricane tracking analogy has been used a lot here... and maybe you study hurricanes for years and that bumps up your knowledge from completely guessing to your educated guess giving you a 10% higher chance of being right. And maybe you have the chance to learn a little from each time you track.
How many pandemics does someone get to learn from in a career in infectious diseases? Of course they're going to be wrong... a lot.
Tell Patrick Mahomes right after college that after all of his practice, college games etc; he can only go out and throw one pass per NFL season, but he needs to learn from that one pass/game, or otherwise he sucks and all that practice meant nothing. And a guy on the internet would think he could do better in the same situation.
This going to TOUCH on something that could be called broadly 'political' but is more psychological, and has been bugging me for so long here that it needs to be said I need to say it, even if people misinterpret it and b& me. And I would add, if this post bothers folks as over the line, I'd ask that they give me an oportunity to rephrase or retract, as I'm not trying to make a partisan point, but an important philosophical and strategic one.
I'm going to try to express it succinctly, so I apologize if it abridges some nuances, . . . but we live in a free society with inalienable rights, so it seems that all this energy devoted to shaming and belittling people into conceding their rights are an illusion would be better devoted to persuading people that their rights should be momentarily lended to an extraordinary circumstance.
And part of that is being brutally honest about the best and worst case scenarios as well as the reasons why they are still speculative.
Maybe it's just my psychological makeup, but I realize a lot of the merits of various narratives, but I also see the pitfalls and/or uncertainties being downplayed or hidden. But even if one were absolutely convinced of a plan of action, I don't understand why they don't work harder to persuade instead of snark and belittlement [even if they're getting it back].
When seeking behavior from another person, you can either persuade [with reasoning or enticement or flattery, or whatever] or you can force with whatever heft and muscle you can muster.
If the end goal is unified response, it seems far better to say 'this is why it's important, and here's what it might cost, and we're not sure it can work but it's our best effort' than 'this is the way it is, and if you have questions stop being stupid and listen and obey.' [Reply]
