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.”
Folks, the total number of unemployment claims *nationally* was 281,000 last week
Pennsylvania lawmakers were told today on a call with a state official that 180,000 Pennsylvanians applied for unemployment just in the last few days [Reply]
Originally Posted by wazu:
Must not have a HIPAA equivalent in Italy.
Yeah, I thought about that too when seeing patients in their skivvies. But still I thought it was a good visual example of what this has the potential to look like if you don't take it seriously. Not a violent zombie outbreak, but a depressing calm silence and beeping of technology keeping people alive. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Hammock Parties:
Folks, the total number of unemployment claims *nationally* was 281,000 last week
Pennsylvania lawmakers were told today on a call with a state official that 180,000 Pennsylvanians applied for unemployment just in the last few days
It's nothing, but we laid off 2 attorneys and 6 staff members today. Over the last 48 hours we've put together plans for 20, 40, 60 and 90 layoffs (leaving a skeleton crew of about 12 'essential' staff) that we'll pull the trigger on as situations warrant.
I saw the 'worst case scenario' predictions of 20% unemployment and I honestly don't see how we don't blow past that. FFS, California is a tick more than 10% of the nations population on their own and that's gonna be a big chunk of folks that can't work from home.
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
It's nothing, but we laid off 2 attorneys and 6 staff members today. Over the last 48 hours we've put together plans for 20, 40, 60 and 90 layoffs (leaving a skeleton crew of about 12 'essential' staff) that we'll pull the trigger on as situations warrant.
I saw the 'worst case scenario' predictions of 20% unemployment and I honestly don't see how we don't blow past that. FFS, California is a tick more than 10% of the nations population on their own and that's gonna be a big chunk of folks that can't work from home.
This truly sucks something awful.
It sucks but most of it will be temporary layoffs that's why its important we isolate and flatten this thing ASAP so we can get back to our normal lives and recovering the market. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Fish:
As more data is acquired, more younger people are being included...
Because young people are exposing themselves at SIGNIFICANTLY higher rates. They're more immersed in public settings and many have been less inclined to alter behaviors.
Obviously they're not immune or anything here, but I have to believe people from 20-55 are being hospitalized at rates a mere fraction of the elderly population if adjusted (somehow) for how many of them have actually been exposed to the disease. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Bearcat:
Isn't that exactly what the UK did before deciding to take all of the extra precautions?
I don’t why the UK went away from the herd immunity strategy, but they‘ve had less cases and deaths than other European countries that are on total lockdown/maximum social distancing including Italy, France, and Spain. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Titty Meat:
It sucks but most of it will be temporary layoffs that's why its important we isolate and flatten this thing ASAP so we can get back to our normal lives and recovering the market.
How do you figure I'm going to rally 90 people back inside the building when all this is over?
We'll furlough as many as we can to continue to provide them benefits and still allow them to be eligible for unemployment - that's how we'll try to maintain a connection to them and hope to bring them back.
But shit, I'll be happy to get half of them back depending on what levers we have to pull. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
How do you figure I'm going to rally 90 people back inside the building when all this is over?
We'll furlough as many as we can to continue to provide them benefits and still allow them to be eligible for unemployment - that's how we'll try to maintain a connection to them and hope to bring them back.
But shit, I'll be happy to get half of them back depending on what levers we have to pull.
No idea some will come back some will find other jobs. Would have to look at the numbers but I imagine the hardest industry hit at the moment is the service industry. Theyll all be back by June. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Titty Meat:
No idea some will come back some will find other jobs. Would have to look at the numbers but I imagine the hardest industry hit at the moment is the service industry. Theyll all be back by June.
That's cute.
California just shut their entire !@#$ing state down when many of their counties have precisely zero cases.
Nobody is going to be anything remotely resembling rational about any of this. [Reply]
So this is interesting. It’s not been peer reviewed and it’s numbers are different.
But essentially if that’s right, it’s basically saying that this thing spreads super fast, but isn’t as virulent as we thought. It would also mean there’s a lot of asymptomatic people that don’t get tested and that we would theoretically be closer to herd immunity than we thought
Again caution it’s early and stuff etc but encouraging. We’ll have a pretty good idea if it’s true as China is revving back up they don’t have more outbreaks as they’re basically immune now
Someone on that thread said it best but basically it says that it’s about the same in terms of the flu but if you condensed flu season into one month [Reply]
