***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.”

[Donger]

Originally Posted by TLO

So a question that maybe someone can help me gain some perspective on.

I've read in multiple places that it's possible the virus has been circulating in Washington State for up to 6 weeks. If the mortality rate was that high, wouldn't there have been someone who noticed even before the first confirmed case?

Good question. I haven't seen any numbers regarding the time from infection to death. Ebola is something like nine days. It's possible that people have died from COVID-19 that have been mistakenly declared dead by "normal" influenza.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by TLO

And for that matter, wouldn't it be plausible that it's circulating in a lot of communities, possibly with minimal effects?

I'm very much an anxious person when it comes to my health and the health of those close to me. I'm young, and don't have a lot of medical issues - so I do worry for myself, but I worry for those around me too.

Should I be worried? Can someone just spell that out for me?

Be aware and wary, sure. But at this stage, no, I wouldn't worry. Just take the precautions you can.

I fly almost every week, every year, on petri dishes with wings including flu season. I always have and use hand sanitizer liberally. Wash my hands before I eat. Just basic stuff, and I haven't gotten the flu in 15 years with no flu shot.

This website is bookmarked and has been for many years:

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm#whomap

As soon as I see it go up every year, I'm even more vigilant.

[Mennonite]

[jdubya]

I went to costco here in NorCal on Friday to grab some normal items and the place was getting ransacked. Felt like I was in a 3rd world shithole. I watched a forklift drop a pallet of rice and within 3-5 seconds all you could see was assholes and elbows grabbing the bags of rice. I turned around and walked back to my car. Media driven frenzy. Bye bye

[lawrenceRaider]

Originally Posted by TLO

So a question that maybe someone can help me gain some perspective on.

I've read in multiple places that it's possible the virus has been circulating in Washington State for up to 6 weeks. If the mortality rate was that high, wouldn't there have been someone who noticed even before the first confirmed case?

That's the thing, the vast majority don't have any problems. Based on the community spread in Washington 8, its likely many people have had it, but showed few if any symptoms.

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by TLO

And for that matter, wouldn't it be plausible that it's circulating in a lot of communities, possibly with minimal effects?

I'm very much an anxious person when it comes to my health and the health of those close to me. I'm young, and don't have a lot of medical issues - so I do worry for myself, but I worry for those around me too.

Should I be worried? Can someone just spell that out for me?

Just be smart and do simple things to minimize risk.

Make sure you’re washing your hands, and limiting your exposure to folks both for your (and their) protection. Buying extra food might feel silly, but it’s moreso so that you’re limited your exposure to the public and not traveling around people more than you have to. I think studying places hit by this already is important - basically the folks who are getting hit hardest (retirees) and being given the virus by younger healthcare workers who were fighting it off to the point that they decided to continue coming to work. These are the types of stories that make me worried for my parents and grandparents if it does come here, which is why I stocked up on the essentials this week in case I do catch it. It’s not so different than the rules I followed for the flu, where my wife and I didn’t see my gma for two weeks as we fought it off (it got my wife bad this year).

So far, medical professionals here are saying it’s milder than the media is reporting simply because so many cases aren’t reported - what they ARE saying is have a plan once you get it. So stock up, buy rice, noodles, ramen, ibuprofen, a decongestant, Gatorade, and get meat in a deep freeze if you have the capability. The worst you could do is get it and become someone who spreads it to more vulnerable populations - so just be prepared for that rainy day if it comes. I’ve spent a few weeks in parts of the world that are 6 hours away from the nearest hospital - and my prep here is similar to my prep there. In that example, there was cholera in the water - so I carried a water filter and hand sanitizer everywhere I went. I also had an epi-pen on me and a travel insurance that would provide a helicopter to a hospital if anything went wrong. Once I had those logistics (plus vaccinations) figured out - living in that part of the world was honestly transformative to me. The three times I’ve traveled abroad in that capacity have been the best experiences of my life. I look at this in a similar light - I feel as prepared as I can be now, so I’m just going to keep living life as I had been.

There’s a very, very good chance we’ll weather through this and be just fine. Conventionally, getting to the spring months are important so stuff like this dies off. So just have a plan at at worst, hole yourself up and watch some Chiefs/Super Bowl highlights for a while.

[Bwana]

Originally Posted by jdubya

I went to costco here in NorCal on Friday to grab some normal items and the place was getting ransacked. Felt like I was in a 3rd world shithole. I watched a forklift drop a pallet of rice and within 3-5 seconds all you could see was assholes and elbows grabbing the bags of rice. I turned around and walked back to my car. Media driven frenzy. Bye bye

Yeah in some parts of the country, it's bat shit crazy out there.

Showing panic buying in several locations

https://twitter.com/DigitalEagle4/st...38690399744005

Panic buying in various locations
https://youtu.be/hePlU2MyxX8

Alabama
https://twitter.com/COVlDI9/status/1234211487826219009

Vancouver
https://twitter.com/DailyHiveVan/sta...11388437884929

Seattle
https://twitter.com/KristinaMMoy/sta...03225293524992

Hawaii
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9FdKVoD...=1qwjrq8jrq4lm

Issaquah, WA
https://twitter.com/KathrynShowroom/...84812702031873

Japan
https://twitter.com/CryptoHeet/statu...51836743114752

Ireland
https://twitter.com/winerepublic/sta...11694622265350

Cypress, CA
https://twitter.com/PortfolioGuide/s...94536911396866

Brooklyn, NY
https://twitter.com/rpkampuchea/stat...22793039650816

Canada
https://twitter.com/Da_Show_Stopper/...21349355851777

Los Angeles
https://twitter.com/tribunephl/statu...69019281412097

Mission, TX
https://twitter.com/Decarpentier/sta...07257300213762

Tualatin, OR
https://twitter.com/AzmaAhmed4/statu...97282297237504

[Donger]

Originally Posted by Bwana

Yeah in some parts of the country, it's bat shit crazy out there.

Showing panic buying in several locations

https://twitter.com/DigitalEagle4/st...38690399744005

Panic buying in various locations
https://youtu.be/hePlU2MyxX8

Alabama
https://twitter.com/COVlDI9/status/1234211487826219009

Vancouver
https://twitter.com/DailyHiveVan/sta...11388437884929

Seattle
https://twitter.com/KristinaMMoy/sta...03225293524992

Hawaii
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9FdKVoD...=1qwjrq8jrq4lm

Issaquah, WA
https://twitter.com/KathrynShowroom/...84812702031873

Japan
https://twitter.com/CryptoHeet/statu...51836743114752

Ireland
https://twitter.com/winerepublic/sta...11694622265350

Cypress, CA
https://twitter.com/PortfolioGuide/s...94536911396866

Brooklyn, NY
https://twitter.com/rpkampuchea/stat...22793039650816

Canada
https://twitter.com/Da_Show_Stopper/...21349355851777

Los Angeles
https://twitter.com/tribunephl/statu...69019281412097

Mission, TX
https://twitter.com/Decarpentier/sta...07257300213762

Tualatin, OR
https://twitter.com/AzmaAhmed4/statu...97282297237504

Dumb, unprepared, panicky animals.

[Megatron96]

Why are people buying water? Do they not have a tap in their houses? Is your faucet a vector for C-19?

[Donger]

Originally Posted by Megatron96

Why are people buying water? Do they not have a tap in their houses? Is your faucet a vector for C-19?

Utilities still require humans to supply the product.

[eDave]

Originally Posted by Donger

Utilities still require humans to supply the product.

How's the supply of Brita's?

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by Donger

Utilities still require humans to supply the product.

Oh for god's sake. If the virus really has been in the U.S. for a couple months now then it's in the water already. We wouldn't have 73 cases we'd have 73,000. If you're really that scared of your tap water, boil it first.

Unless the virus can be transmitted through your electric stove? OMG, what about the gas lines?

WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!!!!

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Bwana

Yeah in some parts of the country, it's bat shit crazy out there.

Showing panic buying in several locations


Los Angeles
https://twitter.com/tribunephl/statu...69019281412097

In all honesty, this doesn't look any different than any given weekend at Costco Burbank.

I do my best to avoid going on the weekends but when I do, there is at least a 20 minute wait for gasoline, the checkout lines are 12-15 people deep on average and it can take up to 30 minutes to find a parking spot.

I went to the Leawood Costco twice over the Christmas break, including Christmas Eve, and it *seemed* completely empty to me.

[eDave]

Yea, I'm not seeing any sort of hysteria here in Phoenix. It's warm though so, according to that orange dude, we are fine as it's spectacularly warm here. Singular case here is recovering.

Not a single facemask at the Dodger game today.

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by eDave

Yea, I'm not seeing any sort of hysteria here in Phoenix. It's warm though so, according to that orange dude, we are fine as it's spectacularly warm here. Singular case here is recovering.

Not a single facemask at the Dodger game today.

Good news. So tomorrow when I head over to Costco and Sam's and buy all of their Tang and Cup o' Ramen, I'll have the store to myself.