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.”
“For those patients who have been cured, there is a likelihood of a relapse,” Zhan said in a briefing on January 31 2. “The antibody will be generated; however, in certain individuals, the antibody cannot last that long.”
Maybe this is only for the severe cases though? [Reply]
Originally Posted by :
PROVIDENCE — Rhode Island’s first confirmed coronavirus patient, the vice principal of student life at Saint Raphael Academy who led a field trip to Europe, spoke to The Wall Street Journal from the ICU at Miriam Hospital.
Marc Thibault, 48, who became one of the first patients diagnosed in the United States, said he used hand sanitizer frequently during the Feb. 14-22 trip, but in Italy, he shared a microphone with a tour guide who said he was coming down with the flu.
He told the Wall Street Journal that he has asthma but exercises every day and rarely gets sick.
He felt sluggish on the flight home. He stayed home from work but went to a walk-in clinic when he felt worse, then a few days later to a hospital. Doctors at both places decided his symptoms did not qualify him for the coronavirus test, but the hospital contacted the R.I. Department of Health, which told him to get tested immediately.
He was tested at Miriam Hospital and admitted on Feb. 27.
Then, he said, the illness hit him “like a hurricane.”
He struggled to breathe. His lungs filled with fluid, and nurses in hazmat-style suits had to drain them every two hours.
The worst part, he said, was the feeling of choking. “You feel like you’re asphyxiating, and you’re panicking because you can’t breathe.”
He kept telling himself, “Just get through the next hour, the next hour, the next hour.”
At one point, he was aware that a priest in protective gear was about to administer last rites. He wrote a note to his wife saying that if his lungs collapsed, he did not want to be put on life support.
“I was one inch from death,” he told the WSJ on Tuesday.
“It’s alarming when I hear people minimize it as a simple cold,” he said. “It almost killed me.”
If you have asthma I suggest going to extreme measures to avoid this thing.
My sister has a disease I can't pronounce which already makes it like she can't breathe. They're treating it by suppressing her immune system. Her husband is an EMT. She has a kid in college and a kid in HS and there are people coming and going in her house all the time. I'm terrified for her. [Reply]
Originally Posted by dirk digler:
None of us know what will happen just trying to stay positive. Typical flu season runs through March so if we limit exposure and try to contain this we can be back to normal in a month or so hopefully.
Every medical professional in this field is saying that millions are going to be infected. We only have a couple of hundred right now due to us being 3-4 weeks behind in testing. There are probably millions already infected,
There is still no reason to panic. We have all been sick. Sucks for awhile but even the worse ones we have got, we got better in a week. The only at risk population seems to be the elderly and those whose health is already compromised. We have 70 million citizens over 60 years old.We need to take this deadly serious around our elderly family members. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BigRedChief:
There are probably millions already infected
While I'm not one to underestimate this bug, I'm just not buying that. Countries which have had this longer than us and have been testing aren't showing anywhere near millions infected. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Donger:
While I'm not one to underestimate this bug, I'm just not buying that. Countries which have had this longer than us and have been testing aren't showing anywhere near millions infected.
China went a long time before getting things under control as they were hit first. Yet still, somehow, a country with 1.4 billion people only had about 80,000 infected. That's like .006%. [Reply]
Originally Posted by wazu:
China went a long time before getting things under control as they were hit first. Yet still, somehow, a country with 1.4 billion people only had about 80,000 infected. That's like .006%.
China seems to have an easier time getting their citizens to do as they're told... [Reply]
Originally Posted by wazu:
And I realize those numbers are to be taken with a grain of salt, but still. They're talking about getting back to work in Wuhan.
Originally Posted by Donger:
While I'm not one to underestimate this bug, I'm just not buying that. Countries which have had this longer than us and have been testing aren't showing anywhere near millions infected.
I doubt it’s millions but between those mild cases that never manifest symptoms beyond a cold or slight sore throat and those who may be asymptomatic on the front end of what’s going to be a broader epidemic, it wouldn’t surprise me if there’s tens of thousands. Without using measures to stunt the spread this will double every week so it’s not hard to see where people see this becoming a major catastrophe but I agree that it’s doubtful we’re currently in the millions of cases. [Reply]
If you have asthma I suggest going to extreme measures to avoid this thing.
My sister has a disease I can't pronounce which already makes it like she can't breathe. They're treating it by suppressing her immune system. Her husband is an EMT. She has a kid in college and a kid in HS and there are people coming and going in her house all the time. I'm terrified for her.
What do we do if you HAVE to ride this out at home? Being in my 30's, I'd like to think I wouldn't have to take any extra care should I get this. But this guy is saying they had to remove shit from his lungs so he could breathe. If you don't get care, and our health care system is overhwhelmed...how much worse is it? [Reply]
Originally Posted by suzzer99:
My sister has a disease I can't pronounce which already makes it like she can't breathe. They're treating it by suppressing her immune system. Her husband is an EMT. She has a kid in college and a kid in HS and there are people coming and going in her house all the time. I'm terrified for her.
Both my son & sister have autoimmune diseases and get monthly treatments for them. Which, of course, makes everything worse when they get sick. I'm not one to overreact to this, but I'm also not one to sit on my hands either. This does concern me when it comes to them. [Reply]
Originally Posted by wazu:
And I realize those numbers are to be taken with a grain of salt, but still. They're talking about getting back to work in Wuhan.
Yeah I wish I could trust the Chinese numbers. Unfortunately, even if true, I can’t see the US taking the same kinds of steps to round up people and make them get into small cages to be taken away... [Reply]