***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.”

[R Clark]

Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy

And it was the right call.

To me that would be fine if masks were 100 percent but they aren’t

[BigCatDaddy]

Originally Posted by R Clark

To me that would be fine if masks were 100 percent but they aren’t

Then it wouldn't apply to them.

People bitching about mask and he gives an incentive to wear them and they still bitch.

Wear your mask and social distance then you can stay in school and play sports.

[BigRedChief]

I caught a piece of a report on TV about a study that showed Covid had modified a strain that made it more easily transferred between humans. Anyone know if this is true?

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

I caught a piece of a report on TV about a study that showed Covid had modified a strain that made it more easily transferred between humans. Anyone know if this is true?

I heave heard the same but that it was also much less virulent.

[TLO]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

I caught a piece of a report on TV about a study that showed Covid had modified a strain that made it more easily transferred between humans. Anyone know if this is true?

Originally Posted by petegz28

I heave heard the same but that it was also much less virulent.

I remember hearing about this a couple months ago. Not sure how much it has been studied.

It would make sense though with the skyrocketing cases all over the place.

[TLO]

Oh well here you go

https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/2020...lerates-spread

[Donger]

Originally Posted by TLO

Oh well here you go

https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/2020...lerates-spread

Compared to the original strain, people infected with the new strain -- called 614G -- have higher viral loads in their nose and throat, though they don’t seem to get any sicker. But they are much more contagious to others.

“That kind of makes sense,” says Ralph Baric, PhD, a professor of epidemiology, microbiology, and immunology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The new strain has a change to its spike proteins -- the regions of its outer shell that dock on our cells and infect them. The change makes it a much more efficient predator. It passes quickly from cell to cell in our bodies, copying itself at a furious pace.

Baric’s experiments help to explain why the 614G strain, which first emerged in Europe in February, has quickly dominated worldwide spread.

That doesn't support that we are dealing with a new strain, unless I'm missing something.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Rain Main tryin ta KILL US!

I'll have you know that my avatar ermine has been wearing a mask since March.

[TLO]

Something extremely bogus is going on. Was tested for covid four times today. Two tests came back negative, two came back positive. Same machine, same test, same nurse. Rapid antigen test from BD.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 13, 2020

[O.city]

It *looks* like Europe has peaked and is coming down. So we're a few weeks behind that hopefully.

[TLO]

Originally Posted by O.city

It *looks* like Europe has peaked and is coming down. So we're a few weeks behind that hopefully.

Forever two weeks behind Europe

[sedated]

It looks like our family Thanksgiving is cancelled, mostly because my neices' schools are overrun with Covid. One has already tested positive. They are going remote after Thanksgiving, but no one wants to spend all day with kids that have been exposed to it on a daily basis.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by TLO

Something extremely bogus is going on. Was tested for covid four times today. Two tests came back negative, two came back positive. Same machine, same test, same nurse. Rapid antigen test from BD.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 13, 2020

That's because he's a ****ing alien!!!!! I knew it!!!

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by TLO

Something extremely bogus is going on. Was tested for covid four times today. Two tests came back negative, two came back positive. Same machine, same test, same nurse. Rapid antigen test from BD.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 13, 2020

Elon's a bit of a conspiracy nut himself in some ways, but it also wouldn't surprise me if this was accurate. This guidance suggests that the specificity of those tests is only around 90%, so someone who is positive would get a negative result 10% of the time. It's a little unusual to get two negatives if he's positive, but there's still a 1 in 100 chance of that happening.

It's why those rapid tests are often followed up with other tests to verify.

[TLO]

Hearing through a good source that REGENERON's antibody cocktail will be given EUA status soon.

Bringing more therapeutics to the fight.