***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.”

[phisherman]

Not really all that scary. Shoot, if the bradykinin hypothesis is correct, then we already have therapeutic treatments to help stop those storms.

[suzzer99]

Originally Posted by phisherman

Not really all that scary. Shoot, if the bradykinin hypothesis is correct, then we already have therapeutic treatments to help stop those storms.

Another good reason to at least try to delay getting it as long as possible (at a personal and social policy level) - new and better treatments inevitably emerge as we learn more about this thing. Let Belarus and Iran be the guinea pigs.

[TLO]

Originally Posted by phisherman

Not really all that scary. Shoot, if the bradykinin hypothesis is correct, then we already have therapeutic treatments to help stop those storms.

Is there a way to test for this sort of thing?

[Kidd Lex]

Originally Posted by suzzer99

Interesting and scary AF. The only actionable thing I got out of it was vitamin D.

I've been telling everyone through this whole thing to take your Vit D and get your sunshine. 5000 IU a day, and my blood levels are over 60. Its more of a hormone than a Vitamin.

[suzzer99]

Minnesota biker becomes first COVID-19 fatality linked to Sturgis rally

The motorcycle enthusiast, who was in his 60s and had underlying conditions, had been hospitalized in intensive care for several weeks after attending the 10-day event in South Dakota, reported the Washington Post.

Sounds like a 94%er.

[TLO]

Remember when Europe "crushed this thing" because they were "taking it seriously"?

Covid-19 cases in Europe "almost back" to March levels, EU health body says

[Discuss Thrower]

Originally Posted by TLO

Remember when Europe "crushed this thing" because they were "taking it seriously"?

Covid-19 cases in Europe "almost back" to March levels, EU health body says

AGENDA POSTING

[Donger]

Originally Posted by TLO

Remember when Europe "crushed this thing" because they were "taking it seriously"?

Covid-19 cases in Europe "almost back" to March levels, EU health body says

CASES!!

[TLO]

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

AGENDA POSTING

Originally Posted by Donger

CASES!!

CAPITAL LETTERS

[jdubya]

[Discuss Thrower]

"The current increase in cases was due in part to more testing."

[TLO]

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

"The current increase in cases was due in part to more testing."

Oh no he/she didnt!!

[MahomesMagic]

A look into "cases".

The importance of the cycle threshold is shown in a Canadian study of 96 samples from SARS-CoV-2 infected patients that reported live virus was only detected when the cycle threshold was less than 24. The difference in a threshold might not look like much, but samples can differ by more than a million more copies of viral RNA per millilitre. Some of the testing threshold used is attempting to detect one viral copy in the sample, which further exacerbates the problems.

Out of the 19 individuals who tested positive, one had been PCR positive three months earlier and was also antibody positive. The immune system works to neutralise the virus and prevent further infection. The infectious stage lasts about a week. Inactivated RNA, however, degrades slowly: it can be detected weeks after infectiousness has gone. In one case, RT-PCR continued to pick up fragments of RNA until the 63rd day after symptom onset. The duration of faecal shedding of viral RNA in one patient was up to 47 days from symptom onset.

PCR detection of viruses is helpful so long as its limitations are understood; while it detects RNA in minute quantities, caution needs to be applied to the results as it often does not detect the infectious virus.

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/...arm-than-good-

[Donger]

"Keep them at the university in a place that's sequestered enough from the other students. But don't have them go home, because they could be spreading it in their home state," Fauci told NBC's "Today" show in an interview aired Wednesday.

Campuses shouldn't shut down after an outbreak because it would scatter and spread the virus further, Fauci said. "It's the worst thing you could do," he said.

[Baby Lee]