***NON-POLITICAL COVID-19 Discussion Thread***

[JakeF]

A couple of reminders...

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.”

[Mecca]

I wouldn't hold up the state of Florida in any circumstance.

[Monticore]

Originally Posted by tk13

I don't know who here is spinning anything. You're creating a problem that doesn't exist. Most people think the curve is being flattened and it has been going in the right direction. The only question I generally see people raising is whether it's a good idea to open things up, or wait a few weeks for things to go down at a more significant level before pulling the trigger.

For every extra day you dey opening things up you decrease a the chances of a relapse but cause more damage to the economy it is a horrible spot to be in.

[wazu]

Originally Posted by loochy

The reopening has begun here. I got this email from a local popcicle store:

I didn't even realize there was such a thing as a popcicle store. Congrats on being on their email list.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by DaFace

I'm sure we're the weird ones, but out here the issue isn't being outside in general - it's that no one has anywhere else to go, so parks and trails are actually overcrowding. They've had to shut some areas down just because people overflow the parking lots and start parking illegally, causing traffic issues.

In general, though, I agree that being outside around people is probably a pretty low risk activity.

That's exactly what happened in Los Angeles. The Mayor shut down the city, which led to the parks, beaches and trails being overwhelmed with people who no longer had to go to work and needed something to do.

That lasted a total of 3 days and it's all been shut down since.

Originally Posted by Bugeater

That's one I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around...how much community transfer could possibly be going on in them?

Under "Normal Circumstances", I don't believe it would be an issue at all. There are a great number of people who hit Runyon Canyon, Beachwood, Griffith and other trails on a daily basis but since it's generally spread out throughout the day, there isn't a whole lot of contact. I'm normally at Lake Hollywood 5 days a week and I see the same people at the same time of the day, which is generally less than 4 or 5 on a 3.7 mile "trail".

But once the lockdowns happened, there was no parking at Lake Hollywood, nor parking on Weidlake Drive, which is the southern entrance, none on Lake Hollywood Drive, which is the Northwestern entrance, so my street and the streets below mine where absolutely packed with cars and people.

The number of people was mindblowing. You'd think they were on their way to Coachella, not a trail, so it was all shut down.

[FloridaMan88]

Originally Posted by Mecca

I wouldn't hold up the state of Florida in any circumstance.

Dr. Birx yesterday said that Florida is the gold standard in terms of how they are reporting data by zip code/county, which is updated daily on the state’s department of health website.

If you look at the data you’ll see that the # of cases and hospitalizations has leveled off and even in the epicenter of the pandemic in the state... Miami Dade-County... there is still plenty of hospital capacity available.

[loochy]

Originally Posted by wazu

I didn't even realize there was such a thing as a popcicle store. Congrats on being on their email list.

The email list happens automatically when they use square to check out

[Kiimo]

A malaria drug widely touted by Pres Trump for treating the new coronavirus showed no benefit in a large analysis of its use in US veterans hospitals. There were more deaths among those given hydroxychloroquine versus standard care, researchers reported.
https://t.co/l85dMZuAiw

— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) April 21, 2020

[wazu]

Missouri is now suing China. Good luck with that.

Today I filed suit against the Chinese government to seek recovery for the devastating loss of life & economic suffering Missourians face as a result of the #COVID19 pandemic.

The bottom line: they lied to the world & should be held accountable. https://t.co/Q2JgnAHLCH

— Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) April 21, 2020

[TLO]

Originally Posted by wazu

Missouri is now suing China. Good luck with that.

Today I filed suit against the Chinese government to seek recovery for the devastating loss of life & economic suffering Missourians face as a result of the #COVID19 pandemic.

The bottom line: they lied to the world & should be held accountable. https://t.co/Q2JgnAHLCH

— Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) April 21, 2020

I'm sure there's a lot more states about to pull the trigger on this type of thing. Who knows what good it'll actually do.

No good is my guess.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by wazu

Missouri is now suing China. Good luck with that.

Today I filed suit against the Chinese government to seek recovery for the devastating loss of life & economic suffering Missourians face as a result of the #COVID19 pandemic.

The bottom line: they lied to the world & should be held accountable. https://t.co/Q2JgnAHLCH

— Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) April 21, 2020

Seems like a waste of energy to me. I can buy the U.S. teaming up with other countries to go after them somehow, but I'm not sure that China's gonna show up for a trial in the Eastern District of Missouri.

[KCUnited]

Meanwhile IL is chartering planes to China for PPE supplies

[BigCatDaddy]

Originally Posted by Monticore

For every extra day you dey opening things up you decrease a the chances of a relapse but cause more damage to the economy it is a horrible spot to be in.

It's like fighting a war on 2 fronts. You cant divulge all your resources to one front or your ****ed and a lot of people dont get that.

[TLO]

Originally Posted by Kiimosabi

A malaria drug widely touted by Pres Trump for treating the new coronavirus showed no benefit in a large analysis of its use in US veterans hospitals. There were more deaths among those given hydroxychloroquine versus standard care, researchers reported.
https://t.co/l85dMZuAiw

— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) April 21, 2020

Will be interesting to see the New York data on it. Would have been too good to be true if it actually worked. A cheap drug that we already had stockpiled.

I wish some sort of treatment could be discovered sooner, but looks like we're still a long ways out from that.

Sure remdesivir shows promise, but even if it's proven to be effective, we don't have anywhere near the supply of it to roll it out for regular usage.

[loochy]

Originally Posted by wazu

Missouri is now suing China. Good luck with that.

Today I filed suit against the Chinese government to seek recovery for the devastating loss of life & economic suffering Missourians face as a result of the #COVID19 pandemic.

The bottom line: they lied to the world & should be held accountable. https://t.co/Q2JgnAHLCH
— Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) April 21, 2020

Yes, China will be forced to pay you by the authority of _____?

[TLO]

Originally Posted by KCUnited

Meanwhile IL is chartering planes to China for PPE supplies

Good luck with the PPE being of any decent quality.