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 Discuss Thrower:
I didn't know there was a term for it myself until I saw it posted on reddit (I think) within the last few months.
I didn't know they had a term for it and everything. :-)
Human nature and the way we think is fascinating. [Reply]
My biggest concern with the situation is the science community and their continued and overwhelming discord regarding the severity of Covid, much like everything else in the science community.
We are asked to rely on health officials and scientists, but too many have a specific agenda and let that sway which side of the fence they're on. You have doctors, scientists and the president downplaying the severity, yet earlier into this pandemic you had similar professionals seemingly preparing for the greatest global fight we've ever encountered.
Much like this thread, you have individuals on both sides of that fence that are sharing links and posting technical arguments to support their side and agenda, much like politics. This has been the biggest and most exhaustive part of this ordeal. I now have 1,000+ Facebook friends that are biologists and medical professionals pushing their own philosophy as fact because of a shared FB post or the fact that their 3rd cousin's boyfriend is an ER nurse in Italy.
No wonder people are panicking and confused. They don't know who to believe and who to trust. [Reply]
Originally Posted by LiL stumppy:
My biggest concern with the situation is the science community and their continued and overwhelming discord regarding the severity of Covid, much like everything else in the science community.
We are asked to rely on health officials and scientists, but too many have a specific agenda and let that sway which side of the fence they're on. You have doctors, scientists and the president downplaying the severity, yet earlier into this pandemic you had similar professionals seemingly preparing for the greatest global fight we've ever encountered.
Much like this thread, you have individuals on both sides of that fence that are sharing links and posting technical arguments to support their side and agenda, much like politics. This has been the biggest and most exhaustive part of this ordeal. I now have 1,000+ Facebook friends that are biologists and medical professionals pushing their own philosophy as fact because of a shared FB post or the fact that their 3rd cousin's boyfriend is an ER nurse in Italy.
No wonder people are panicking and confused. They don't know who to believe and who to trust.
Well you have a bunch of idiots comparing it to the flu which has a vaccine and about a 0.1% death rate. This virus has about a 4% death rate world wide right now and that's if you count the total confirmed cases, not just the actual closed cases. [Reply]
Originally Posted by notorious:
A LOT of people connect to celebs and athletes.
If something happens to them, people have odd reactions. They are like a member of their family. They've been a part of their lives, and even invited into their home (through media).
When Derrick Thomas or Dale Earnhardt died, grown men cried that had never met them. Prime example.
If a famous person succumbs to this, every day Joes are going to feel even more vulnerable.
remember that Monday when people started taking this seriously, Tom Hanks announced he was positive and the sports leagues started shutting down. [Reply]
Originally Posted by SupDock:
I'm not really sure what you are suggesting,
People are free to turn off the news
I'm suggesting that the lack of control we are all feeling is making the situation worse. Most of us are dependent upon news to get information. When none of that information helps us process the fear we are all feeling, it simply makes the situation worse.
I believe it works like this:
feelings of loss of control leads to helplessness, feeling helpless leads to fear, fear leads to anger, anger leads to lashing out at others and escalating the problems.
Corner a rabbit and see how it reacts. It's rather startling how different an animal reacts when it's afraid. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BigRedChief:
remember that Monday when people started taking this seriously, Tom Hanks announced he was positive and the sports leagues started shutting down.
I don't know if they are tied directly together, but if Hanks would have died......the panic would have hit even harder. [Reply]
Originally Posted by LiL stumppy:
My biggest concern with the situation is the science community and their continued and overwhelming discord regarding the severity of Covid, much like everything else in the science community.
We are asked to rely on health officials and scientists, but too many have a specific agenda and let that sway which side of the fence they're on. You have doctors, scientists and the president downplaying the severity, yet earlier into this pandemic you had similar professionals seemingly preparing for the greatest global fight we've ever encountered.
Much like this thread, you have individuals on both sides of that fence that are sharing links and posting technical arguments to support their side and agenda, much like politics. This has been the biggest and most exhaustive part of this ordeal. I now have 1,000+ Facebook friends that are biologists and medical professionals pushing their own philosophy as fact because of a shared FB post or the fact that their 3rd cousin's boyfriend is an ER nurse in Italy.
No wonder people are panicking and confused. They don't know who to believe and who to trust.
Dr. Fauci is probably best resource anyone can have right now and he does Q&As all the time. Id listen to him more than anyone. [Reply]
Originally Posted by jd1020:
Well you have a bunch of idiots comparing it to the flu which has a vaccine and about a 0.1% death rate. This virus has about a 4% death rate world wide right now and that's if you count the total confirmed cases, not just the actual closed cases.
This is my exact point, I suppose. From day 1, I've believed this to be severe and worth keeping an eye on. Maybe that was just my anxiety, or the fact weeks before this took off, I watched the Netflix original show Pandemic and how one is inevitable, at any point. I still maintain the stance that this is much more severe than the flu and needs to be handled as such.
But the economic impact will be significant and I don't think anyone can downplay that. Personally, I would much rather be poor, sharing a house with my entire family if they are alive and healthy than to lose a few family members to this disease.
It's just the same frustrating cycle that we see in the scientific community and politics. Your background, your career, your ethnicity, and socioeconomic background are probably curtailing your view on this pandemic more than the facts...
But the real concern. What are the facts, who do we trust and who do we follow? Because there's a whole lot of people on both sides of this thing. [Reply]
