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.”
I've asked this 100 times but never gotten an answer...
So, yeah, its not as deadly as people thought (and I still think its mutated, because places like NY and Italy were getting ravaged early on). But what is the proposal? Completely ignore it? [Reply]
Originally Posted by MahomesMagic:
Exactly right. I am worried that some over 70 will be too cavalier when they should be more cautious.
Here's another thing I don't get - people say that at-risk individuals should isolate, but everyone else should be free to do what they want. Does that mean at-risk people should stay isolated for a year or two while Covid continues to spread? [Reply]
Originally Posted by sedated:
Here's another thing I don't get - people say that at-risk individuals should isolate, but everyone else should be free to do what they want. Does that mean at-risk people should stay isolated for a year or two while Covid continues to spread?
What do people who are at risk from pneumonia and stuff do every year during cold and flu season?
Or are you suggesting the entire world shut down until the day Covid goes away assuming it ever does? [Reply]
Originally Posted by sedated:
I've asked this 100 times but never gotten an answer...
So, yeah, its not as deadly as people thought (and I still think its mutated, because places like NY and Italy were getting ravaged early on). But what is the proposal? Completely ignore it?
I think this has been covered from the beginning. Dr. David Katz did a great job explaining how.
Of course you don't just ignore Covid. That's one extreme. The other is completely disrupt society and kill people to stop Covid..that's where we are now.
We need to protect the vulnerable and let the rest of society resume normal life.
Originally Posted by Monticore:
I think they get a flu shot and get their family members to get flu shots as well during flu season , to reduce the risk.
Right now the only way to reduce risk is wear a mask and a kind people where possible, and also get other people the same .
Originally Posted by sedated:
Here's another thing I don't get - people say that at-risk individuals should isolate, but everyone else should be free to do what they want. Does that mean at-risk people should stay isolated for a year or two while Covid continues to spread?
Transplant recipients and individuals undergoing cancer treatments are just two of the many groups of people that have had to take serious precautions, long before COVID-19 showed up. We have the knowledge and the tools to protect our more vulnerable members of society. [Reply]
Originally Posted by MahomesMagic:
I think this has been covered from the beginning. Dr. David Katz did a great job explaining how.
Of course you don't just ignore Covid. That's one extreme. The other is completely disrupt society and kill people to stop Covid..that's where we are now.
We need to protect the vulnerable and let the rest of society resume normal life.
Absolutely. That's been the answer pretty much all along [Reply]
WHO this morning is trying to crap all over remdesivir but Gilead is arguing. I for one can say I have heard straight from the mouths of doctors that they think remdesivir works. [Reply]