***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 O.city

I've got a little more left in me, so I'll take a swing.

This is true. We also know the majority of spread happens at home. I'm not sure how we suppress that.

How did the virus manage to get into the home?

[Donger]

Originally Posted by O.city

We have the death estimates for Sweden as well and we saw what they've done and they estimates are vastly off. In the end, as we've seen, thats basically the route all the countries are gonna end up going.

They also have been misconstrued as doing nothing (Sweden that is) and thats not the case. They basically did what we're doing now and have had success with it, so hopefully thats where we'll be in a month or so.

What death estimates regarding Sweden?

[Marcellus]

Want to see an example of why basically everything Covid is so divisive? Stuff like this is way too common.

Kansas health secretary used misleading charts to push mask mandate
by Madison Dibble, Breaking News Reporter | | August 08, 2020 01:17 PM

The secretary for the Kansas Department of Health and Education is facing criticism for using a misleading chart while advocating for a statewide mask mandate.

Secretary Lee Norman gave a speech earlier this week detailing the difference in coronavirus cases between Kansas counties with a mask mandate and counties without one. According to a report from the Sentinel, Norman used an axis with a range of 15 to 25 to describe the number of new cases in masked counties and used a range of 4 to 14 to describe the number of new cases in counties without a mask mandate, making it appear as though counties without a mask mandate had more cases.

When the two sets of data are placed on a chart with the same axis, counties without a mask mandate have fewer new cases per day than counties with a mask mandate. Norman told reporters that counties with a mask mandate were "winning the battle" against the coronavirus.

"All of the improvement in the case development comes from those counties wearing masks," he said.

Michael Austin, the director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Government, accused Norman of knowingly misleading the public. The center is part of the Kansas Policy Institute, which owns the Sentinel.

"At a time when the public needs government to provide sound conclusions with accurate information, it’s unfortunate the Kansas Health Secretary knowingly deceived the public into justifying his narrative," Austin said.

Kansas House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins, a Republican, similarly criticized Norman. Norman was appointed to his position by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.


"Gov. Kelly and her administration have failed Kansans time and again, but manipulating data to intentionally deceive the entire state is a new low," Hawkins said.

"Tens of thousands of Kansans have lost their jobs and businesses as a direct result of Gov. Kelly’s politics-first response to the COVID pandemic, and these individuals struggling to make ends meet deserve to know the truth. It is reprehensible for a public servant like Dr. Norman that we trusted to protect our health and safety in a nonpartisan way to intentionally spread misinformation. The Kelly administration has lost all credibility," he added.

The Washington Examiner has reached out to the Kansas Department of Health and Education for comment.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

Want to see an example of why basically everything Covid is so divisive? Stuff like this is way too common.

Q axis

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

Want to see an example of why basically everything Covid is so divisive? Stuff like this is way too common.

Yeah, I posted that the other day and got crickets. I even called BS the day Norman said all this. It just didn't sound right.

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by O.city

If the kids are at home, but the parents are out and about, what difference would that make? Most of the spread we know is in homes, so it wouldn't effect much.

Absolutely that will happen and vice versa (work age kids working but parents working at home) but also there is still a huge group of parents working from home and their kids are quarantined with them until school starts.

[TLO]

I get to go do my free antibody test today.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

Absolutely that will happen and vice versa (work age kids working but parents working at home) but also there is still a huge group of parents working from home and their kids are quarantined with them until school starts.

IIRC adults tend to spread to kids easier than kids spread to humans. And there was also a study out of Germany that suggested those who have consistent contact with children, specifically 10 and under, are in a much better position health-wise to combat Covid than people who never interact with children.

[Fish]

Originally Posted by O.city

Lockdowns were a mistake. They weren't properly planned or executed. Full scale lockdowns were never needed to curb it.

The problem with them is that you essentially have to stay in them until a vaccine or whatnot or you're gonna get flareups, even with test and trace. Now ideally, you ahve the numbers low enough you can put out embers before they fire way up, so there's validity there.

That we have seen places use more targeted approaches and get it under control is example enough. With locking everything down so hard and fast the first time, we didn't and really still don't know what actually slows infections and what doesnt'.

Lockdowns were not a mistake. That's silly. The US lockdown was less effective because we took a half assed approach and many stupid Americans resisted in various ways.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by Donger

How did the virus manage to get into the home?

Magic

[Donger]

Originally Posted by TLO

I get to go do my free antibody test today.

Don't let it touch your body, or you'll explode.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by TLO

I get to go do my free antibody test today.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by O.city

Magic

No. Someone in that home coming in contact with an infected human, getting infected and bringing it home.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by Fish

Lockdowns were not a mistake. That's silly. The US lockdown was less effective because we took a half assed approach and many stupid Americans resisted in various ways.

What should have happened?
How long should it have been done?
What would be the end result?

[Donger]

Originally Posted by Fish

Lockdowns were not a mistake. That's silly. The US lockdown was less effective because we took a half assed approach and many stupid Americans resisted in various ways.

The task force guidelines for re-opening made sense. Re-opening while cases weren't declining wasn't logical.

All one has to do is look at New York. They did lock down and have had a phased re-opening with data-driven triggers. And it has worked.