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.”
Well, that would make sense of what we've seen infection wise. In terms of Asia doing better. Everybody thought the West coast would get nailed but it did ok.
Hopefully that part about it now reinfecting doesnt hold up. [Reply]
Was reading this early this am while drinking my coffee. Ideally, it would do what the first SARS did and delete itself to a lesser virulent version. That could be what is possibly happening with all the asymptomatic patients?
I mean that would be great. As we've said, that's also the huge risk in doing what Sweden is doing. Or thinking we should just ram through herd immunity.
It's kind of like the ending of the movie "The Mist." Sometimes you should have waited to see exactly what was coming around the corner. If the thing becomes less dangerous you'd have killed thousands of people for nothing. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BleedingRed:
The irony of this social distancing and everything we have done is it could lead to millions of people dying around the world of starvation.
To protect thousands, millions could possibly die.
At least TRY to think through what you're saying here. No one's gonna DIE OF STARVATION because they can't eat a hamburger. There are plenty of other foods that are in no danger at all, even if they aren't your primary preference. [Reply]
Originally Posted by tk13:
I mean that would be great. As we've said, that's also the huge risk in doing what Sweden is doing. Or thinking we should just ram through herd immunity.
It's kind of like the ending of the movie "The Mist." Sometimes you should have waited to see exactly what was coming around the corner. If the thing becomes less dangerous you'd have killed thousands of people for nothing.
I wish I knew what the answer was, I'm pretty sure I am not the only one. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BleedingRed:
The irony of this social distancing and everything we have done is it could lead to millions of people dying around the world of starvation.
To protect thousands, millions could possibly die.
People aren't going to die of starvation because they can't get a Double at Wendy's for a few weeks. Jesus Christ. [Reply]
At least TRY to think through what you're saying here. No one's gonna DIE OF STARVATION because they can't eat a hamburger. There are plenty of other foods that are in no danger at all, even if they aren't your primary preference.
Want anymore sources? Dipshits dispute shit with out even thinking. Some of us pay attention to the news and what the experts are saying. And yes Starvation is a real issue. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BleedingRed:
The irony of this social distancing and everything we have done is it could lead to millions of people dying around the world of starvation.
To protect thousands, millions could possibly die.
I doubt it. I myself love meat, seems like the highly processed meat such as hamburger is the most effected. I've had no issues at all (yet) getting a steak or chicken from the supermarket. And even if I did there is always ramen, cereal, and the likes. You can even grow your own veggies in your back yard or your deck if you want. There is no reason to think any of us will go hungry. Should processed meat become a problem, you still have those choices. If it takes 5 years+ for a vaccine to be made and we were all still hunkered down (which doesn't even look like people will do for 1 month) then that may be come an issue.
I know this is cold of me, but I've never quite understood why people in the United States ever worry about people dying from starvation. Pre-covid, there are more than enough soup kitchens and free food centers that you SHOULD never have to worry about dying from it. I'm sure it is frustrating having to be in those areas at the very time they open, but it's free food what can you do.
Other third world countries though without those options could be dicey, though. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BleedingRed:
The irony of this social distancing and everything we have done is it could lead to millions of people dying around the world of starvation.
To protect thousands, millions could possibly die.
This thinking is not really demonstrating cause and effect.
These meat plants weren't shut down, they weren't practicing social distancing. They aren't a casualty of shutting the economy down. The supply is getting disrupted specifically because they didn't try to stop the virus, to keep the supply chain moving.
And they failed. The meat plants are a perfect example of how if you just let things roam free, the virus is still gonna do serious damage and shut down businesses. There's no running away from it, or trying to carry on as normal. [Reply]
Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins:
People aren't going to die of starvation because they can't get a Double at Wendy's for a few weeks. Jesus Christ.
I dont think thats what he was actually saying.
Originally Posted by : The United Nations World Food Program warned this week that as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the number of people facing food crisis could double -- to 260 million worldwide. David Beasley, the organization’s executive director, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss how the developing world, already suffering due to climate change and conflict, is faring amid this new disaster of COVID-19.
We literally were going to see 2020 being the worst humanitarian crisis year since World War II, because of Yemen and Syria and South Sudan, the deterioration of the Sahel, climate extremes, cyclones and hurricanes, Sudan, Ethiopia, DRC. And you just can't imagine all these things together.
Then desert locusts came upon that. And I'm like, this is just terrible, and then COVID. We couldn't believe it. And so we were already calculating 135 million people around the world before COVID marching to the brink of starvation.
And now, with the new analysis with COVID, we're looking at 260 million people, and I'm not talking about hungry. I'm talking about marching toward starvation. And that is a catastrophe in itself.
Originally Posted by tk13:
This thinking is not really demonstrating cause and effect.
These meat plants weren't shut down, they weren't practicing social distancing. They aren't a casualty of shutting the economy down. The supply is getting disrupted specifically because they didn't try to stop the virus, to keep the supply chain moving.
And they failed. The meat plants are a perfect example of how if you just let things roam free, the virus is still gonna do serious damage and shut down businesses. There's no running away from it, or trying to carry on as normal.
Accurate. Someone in my girlfriends family works at the meat packing plant in Marshall, MO. She said that they WANTED to use masks 3 weeks ago and they wouldn't even let them.
Now that they've seen an outbreak of sorts, they are cycling people on and off and mandating masks. [Reply]
And what do you think the economic impact would be if a virus is raging through all of the major industrial countries with no mitigation efforts from distancing, or no tourism restrictions? Do you think oil prices would still be higher? How do you think that is going to affect production?
Moreover, the sources he links themselves mention large issues due to recent weather in the Horn of Africa, causing major food disruptions in the area. [Reply]
