***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 Marcellus

Washington State seems to have leveled off.

Not really:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_c...hington_(state)

Scroll down to the graph on the right. Still about 12% growth per day.

Some good news is that California only added 47 new cases yesterday. That's pretty incredible. Again, probably an outlier, but fingers crossed.

[BleedingRed]

Originally Posted by Donger

Not really:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_c...hington_(state)

Scroll down to the graph on the right. Still about 12% growth per day.

Some good news is that California only added 47 new cases yesterday. That's pretty incredible. Again, probably an outlier, but fingers crossed.

I'm hoping that its a combination of the Virus not spreading, and or the "Herd" being more naturally immune than we thought.

Alot of stories of people no exhibiting any symptoms makes me thinks that maybe a certain percentage of the population bodies immune systems can fight it by themselves.

[Monticore]

Originally Posted by Donger

Yes:

Health officials in New York City and Los Angeles County are signaling a change in local strategy when it comes to coronavirus testing, recommending that doctors avoid testing patients except in cases where a test result would significantly change the course of treatment.

A news release from the Los Angeles Department of Public Health this week advised doctors not to test those experiencing only mild respiratory symptoms unless “a diagnostic result will change clinical management or inform public health response.”

The recommendation reflects a "shifting from a strategy of case containment to slowing disease transmission and averting excess morbidity and mortality," according to the statement.

At the same time, NY is now testing at a higher rate per capita than ROK, apparently.

If they are only testing people that need it and they are testing that much that can't be good.

[suzzer99]

Originally Posted by Donger

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

I'm wary of this site after yesterday, but we did have 9,000 new cases yesterday nationally.

Same here. I'm waiting for the NY Health site I posted to be updated. They were accurate yesterday. Listed as the source on this site: https://covidtracking.com/data/state/new-york/

[Donger]

Originally Posted by BleedingRed

I'm hoping that its a combination of the Virus not spreading, and or the "Herd" being more naturally immune than we thought.

Alot of stories of people no exhibiting any symptoms makes me thinks that maybe a certain percentage of the population bodies immune systems can fight it by themselves.

While this is a "novel" virus, which means we've never seen SARS-CoV-2 before, coronoaviruses in general are not novel at all. Some common colds are caused by coronaviruses, which I didn't know until a few weeks ago. It's typically caused by a rhinovirus, however.

[BleedingRed]

Originally Posted by Donger

While this is a "novel" virus, which means we've never seen SARS-CoV-2 before, coronoaviruses in general are not novel at all. Some common colds are caused by coronaviruses, which I didn't know until a few weeks ago. It's typically caused by a rhinovirus, however.

Yeah which gives me hope,

That being said, we could have had all this information already had China not been well.... China

[Fat Elvis]

John Hopkins has updated their map so that you can see where the actual cases are in the US. One interesting note, just at first glance, is that the I-35 and I-25 corridors seem to be acting somewhat as a firewall for Mid-America....in between those two corridors, relatively speaking, you have much fewer cases than in other parts of the nation. Granted, those regions are relatively sparsely populated overall, but west of I-25 and east of I-35, you still see pretty prevalent outbreaks even in rural areas of other states.

[R Clark]

Originally Posted by Fat Elvis

John Hopkins has updated their map so that you can see where the actual cases are in the US. One interesting note, just at first glance, is that the I-35 and I-25 corridors seem to be acting somewhat as a firewall for Mid-America....in between those two corridors, relatively speaking, you have much fewer cases than in other parts of the nation. Granted, those regions are relatively sparsely populated overall, but west of I-25 and east of I-35, you still see pretty prevalent outbreaks even in rural areas of other states.

Got a link?

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by Fat Elvis

John Hopkins has updated their map so that you can see where the actual cases are in the US. One interesting note, just at first glance, is that the I-35 and I-25 corridors seem to be acting somewhat as a firewall for Mid-America....in between those two corridors, relatively speaking, you have much fewer cases than in other parts of the nation. Granted, those regions are relatively sparsely populated overall, but west of I-25 and east of I-35, you still see pretty prevalent outbreaks even in rural areas of other states.

I think you underestimate the difference between "U.S. rural" and "western Kansas rural."

[BigRedChief]

Dr. Fauci interview with Science magazine

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020...facts-pandemic

[KChiefs1]

Originally Posted by Fat Elvis

John Hopkins has updated their map so that you can see where the actual cases are in the US. One interesting note, just at first glance, is that the I-35 and I-25 corridors seem to be acting somewhat as a firewall for Mid-America....in between those two corridors, relatively speaking, you have much fewer cases than in other parts of the nation. Granted, those regions are relatively sparsely populated overall, but west of I-25 and east of I-35, you still see pretty prevalent outbreaks even in rural areas of other states.

https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashb...23467b48e9ecf6

[suzzer99]

Originally Posted by DaFace

I think you underestimate the difference between "U.S. rural" and "western Kansas rural."

Central Nevada rural lols at all of you.

There's man it's nice to get away from people. And then there's ok this is getting kinda spooky, what if my car breaks down?

[Fat Elvis]

Originally Posted by DaFace

I think you underestimate the difference between "U.S. rural" and "western Kansas rural."

No. I get western Kansas rural. And it isn't just western KS; take a look at Amarillo, Lubbock, Odessa, Topeka, Souix Falls. So far, all relatively, if not completely unscathed (knock on wood), and each with a population between 100-250K....

[penguinz]

Originally Posted by Donger

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

I'm wary of this site after yesterday, but we did have 9,000 new cases yesterday nationally.

Try this one... https://www.bing.com/covid?ref=share

[notorious]

Originally Posted by BleedingRed

I'm hoping that its a combination of the Virus not spreading, and or the "Herd" being more naturally immune than we thought.

Alot of stories of people no exhibiting any symptoms makes me thinks that maybe a certain percentage of the population bodies immune systems can fight it by themselves.

One of the benefits of the US is we have a huge mixture of genetics and we travel/intermix constantly. As a whole our immune systems are the Dream Team of the world virus olympics.