***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.”

[Fish]

Are Kansas City area stores COVID-19 safe? We visit 50 in five counties to find out

[...]

How thoroughly are customers — and employees — being protected from the spreading coronavirus?

To find out, The Star this past week dispatched six reporters to the five prime counties in the Kansas City area: Johnson, Wyandotte, Jackson, Clay and Platte. We entered 50 stores (not gyms, restaurants or hair salons), 10 in each county, ranging from large chains, such as Walmart, QuikTrip, Target, Bath & Body Works and Hobby Lobby, to regional or even small family-run businesses, like the Red X in Riverside and the New Dimestore in Brookside.

Although hardly scientific, numbers offer a snapshot of what, after even a brief look, shows itself to be an uneven safety landscape — one that could set nerves on edge as likely as calm them.

Of the 50 stores visited:

▪ At a little more than half (54%, 27 stores), every employee wore masks.

▪ At 1 in 4 (24%, 12 stores), zero employees wore masks.

▪ Wyandotte County, already hit hard by the coronavirus, seemed the most vulnerable. Only 1 of 10 stores visited, Beauty Brands, had every employee wearing masks, although Nebraska Furniture Mart had just one employee without one. At six stores, no employees wore masks.

▪ In the other counties, all employees wore masks at 60% to 70% of stores.

▪ Sneeze guards at registers were found at 60% of stores (30 of 50).

▪ About two-thirds provided hand sanitizers and other cleaning supplies for customers (32 of 50).

▪ Size appeared to matter, with chain stores implementing the most precautions on average. Smaller shops tended to have fewer, while still insisting customers were being kept safe.

[...]

Much, much more info in the link in the title...

Open in a private window if necessary

[Miles]

Originally Posted by Kiimosabi

It doesn't help that like every symptom other than sneezing is a covid symptom sometimes

Seasonal allergies or just hungover make me worry.

[Loneiguana]

Originally Posted by stumppy

They interviewed some guy I think was a customer and he said the stylist wasn't feeling well and was coughing, attributed it to allergies.

Apperently that's what urgent care or er told her.

[BigCatDaddy]

Originally Posted by Donger

Thanks for your honesty.

Why would I not be?

[POND_OF_RED]

Originally Posted by stumppy

They interviewed some guy I think was a customer and he said the stylist wasn't feeling well and was coughing, attributed it to allergies.

Originally Posted by Loneiguana

Apperently that's what urgent care or er told her.

Yeah, it’s kind of sad that it seems like that part is being left out. I can definitely see this being the case. The urgent care I did my “tele-visit” with just had me fill out a questionnaire that I said I had a sore throat occasionally and a low grade fever that was not over 100.4. They sent me a work release to go back to work in 2 days and said it was a sinus infection that should go away with some allergy medicine and ibuprofen. Sounds like the hairdresser could have followed the steps correctly and it sounds like great clips did as well. Judging by some of the reactions on the Springfield-Greene county health Facebook page I’d say cox urgent care clinic should be getting most of the blame for this.

[Monticore]

Originally Posted by POND_OF_RED

Yeah, it’s kind of sad that it seems like that part is being left out. I can definitely see this being the case. The urgent care I did my “tele-visit” with just had me fill out a questionnaire that I said I had a sore throat occasionally and a low grade fever that was not over 100.4. They sent me a work release to go back to work in 2 days and said it was a sinus infection that should go away with some allergy medicine and ibuprofen. Sounds like the hairdresser could have followed the steps correctly and it sounds like great clips did as well. Judging by some of the reactions on the Springfield-Greene county health Facebook page I’d say cox urgent care clinic should be getting most of the blame for this.

It is going to be hard to diagnose mild covid symptoms during allergy season even harder over the phone/tele-visit. We don't want to overcall everything either(people missing 2 weeks of work for hay fever) which why masks might be helpful, in this cases sounds she wore masks which hopefully mitigated some of the damage.

If the allergy meds don't help you can maybe question it more but not everybody goes to the doctor for allergies or even takes meds if allergies are mild.

[BleedingRed]

So anyone see the CDC new numbers.... just saying...

[kcxiv]

Originally Posted by Monticore

It is going to be hard to diagnose mild covid symptoms during allergy season even harder over the phone/tele-visit. We don't want to overcall everything either(people missing 2 weeks of work for hay fever) which why masks might be helpful, in this cases sounds she wore masks which hopefully mitigated some of the damage.

If the allergy meds don't help you can maybe question it more but not everybody goes to the doctor for allergies or even takes meds if allergies are mild.

i have year around allergies, during different times of the year, they flare up worse then other times, but even me being on medication it only does so much. Its hard to seperate being sick or them acting up.

[Otter]

medical professional dealing with an unruly patient trying to remove his mask
(andresantosvet IG) pic.twitter.com/TNRlZhUu1D

— Humor And Animals (@humorandanimals) May 23, 2020

[cdcox]

We need the testing capacity to distinguish allergies and colds from COVID-19. Otherwise we are flying blind.

[Monticore]

Hydroxychloroquine: WHO suspends clinical trial of drug over safety fears

The move comes after a study published in the The Lancet medical journal said that the use of the drug increased the risk of death by 34 per cent and a 137 per cent increased risk of serious heart arrhythmias.

The same study concluded that patients receiving hydroxychloroquine and an antibiotic faced a 45 per cent increased risk of death and a 411 per cent increased risk of serious heart arrhythmias.



Mr Ghebreyesus emphasised that the concerns about the drug relate only to its use to treat Covid-19, and that both hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are accepted as generally safe for use in patients with autoimmune diseases or malaria.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by BleedingRed

So anyone see the CDC new numbers.... just saying...

What CDC numbers?

[Kidd Lex]

Originally Posted by BleedingRed

So anyone see the CDC new numbers.... just saying...

Anything remarkable?

[PAChiefsGuy]

There were 473 new cases in PA Sunday... Lowest number in two-months... Weekend numbers tend to be lower though as we all know. Still a great sign. Time to keep up with social distancing measures and beat this ****ing virus to the ground.

https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/20...al-tops-68000/

[BleedingRed]

Originally Posted by Kidd Lex

Anything remarkable?

Yep, but some in here won’t like what they say....