***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.”

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy

Just PR

Exactly. Not getting political but Biden's plan was the same as Trump's so he has to do something "different" to make it look good. All PR.

This is all at the State level anyway and the Governors should be engaged in things.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

The governors say they want it and can get them distributed.

Governor Kelly of Kansas has the Dept. of Health delivering vaccines in their trunks, unannounced across Kansas. And I am hearing a lot of them are already thawed giving them a shelf life of 4 days.


Great plan!

[DaFace]

BRC has already been dumped from the thread today. Don't make us force others to join him.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by DaFace

BRC has already been dumped from the thread today. Don't make us force others to join him.

Really? You dumped him? I think from a distribution perspective there has to be some talk of government. Not R v. D but just that they are an integral part of getting the vaccine out.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by petegz28

Really? You dumped him? I think from a distribution perspective there has to be some talk of government. Not R v. D but just that they are an integral part of getting the vaccine out.

Feel free to discuss the plans rather than the politicians.

[petegz28]

On a more serious note, I think the quicker you get pharmacies involved the better. I'd also like to see some sort of traveling van, much like you see with blood drives, that will go to nursing homes and what not.

Seems there are a lot of things we could be doing but aren't.

That being said our health system is going against the country average on health workers wanting the vaccine. I have heard that 90%+ of doctors and 70%+ of nurses, etc. that have been offered the vaccine have taken it.

[TLO]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

Didn't you say your employer can't get it? There is a ton of health care or other businesses that want it but haven't gotten it yet.

We're waiting on our local health department at this point. They had to completely re-do their distribution plan because all of the Moderna vaccine got sent to Walgreens and CVS. Thankfully our health department was able to adapt to get the Pfizer vaccine, but it's still taking some time.

It seems like there was more of a miscommunication or lack of planning on someone's part as opposed to not enough vaccine, but that's just my own personal take on it.

[Donger]

Are CVS and Walgreen (et al) stores equipped to store the vaccines at the temperature they require?

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by petegz28

Really? You dumped him? I think from a distribution perspective there has to be some talk of government. Not R v. D but just that they are an integral part of getting the vaccine out.

It was exactly for the reason you pointed out earlier.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by Donger

Are CVS and Walgreen (et al) stores equipped to store the vaccines at the temperature they require?

As far as I know. There is a plan that's supposed to start using the next phase.

[Donger]

https://news.walgreens.com/covid-19/...january-25.htm

DEERFIELD, Ill., January 06, 2021 - Walgreens expects to complete the administration of COVID-19 vaccine first doses in skilled nursing facilities by Monday, Jan. 25. The company is also rapidly expanding access to vaccinations among assisted living facilities and additional vulnerable populations outlined by states and local jurisdictions as part of expanded distribution plans.

“Since receiving our first allotments of vaccines in late December, Walgreens has remained on track in vaccinating our most vulnerable populations, and we are steadfast in our commitment to accelerating access to COVID-19 vaccines as we receive additional guidance from state governments and jurisdictions,” said John Standley, president, Walgreens. “Walgreens takes immense pride in being a part of protecting our communities from COVID-19 and helping the country take this first step toward emerging from this pandemic.”

As part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program, Walgreens began administering COVID-19 vaccines to residents and staff at long-term care facilities in late December and is now active across 49 states and Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. Activation dates and prioritization of long-term care facilities were determined by each state. In accordance with CDC and state guidance, Walgreens provided COVID-19 vaccination clinics to skilled nursing facilities first and is expanding to assisted living and other types of facilities. The company will continue to partner with states and jurisdictions to provide vaccinations to residents and staff at 35,000 long-term care facilities that are partnering with Walgreens.

Walgreens will continue to work with states as they finalize their Phase 1b and 1c plans to administer COVID-19 vaccines to additional vulnerable populations, which may include essential workers and people ages 75 and older. COVID-19 vaccines will be available in all of Walgreens more than 9,000 store locations once they become available for mass administration. At that time, individuals will be able to schedule vaccination appointments through the Walgreens app or online.

“Walgreens pharmacy team members are embedded in communities and have more than a decade of experience providing immunizations,” said Standley. “They will continue to play a critical role in educating patients and supporting the administration of vaccines, including in rural and underserved communities.”

Walgreens is committed to driving health equity throughout the roll out of COVID-19 vaccines. Reaching underserved and rural areas is a critical component given the disproportionate impact of COVID-19?in?these communities.?While nearly 80 percent of the U.S. population lives within five miles of a Walgreens pharmacy, Walgreens is committed to leveraging different models, such as mobile and off-site clinics, to ensure the delivery of vaccines in underserved and rural areas. These communities have been a focus throughout the pandemic, with more than 70 percent of Walgreens COVID-19 testing sites located in socially vulnerable areas and the implementation of off-site clinics and voucher programs to ensure access to flu vaccinations in underserved areas.

[Donger]

The US Food and Drug Administration has alerted health care providers and labs that genetic variants of the novel coronavirus — including an emerging variant first detected in the United Kingdom called B.1.1.7 — could lead to false negative Covid-19 test results.

The FDA noted in a news release on Friday afternoon that false negative results can occur with any molecular test for the detection of the virus if a mutation has occurred in the part of the virus's genome that the test examines. According to the FDA, the risk that these mutations will impact overall testing accuracy is low. If Covid-19 is suspected after a negative test, the agency recommends repeat testing with a different test.

The agency notes three Covid-19 tests authorized in the United States may be impacted by genetic variants — MesaBiotech Accula, TaqPath Covid-19 Combo Kit and Linea Covid-19 Assay Kit — "but the impact does not appear to be significant.”

Since the TaqPath and Linea Covid-19 tests detect multiple genetic targets, the overall test sensitivity should not be impacted, the FDA noted. However, if certain patterns emerge in individual results from those tests, labs might consider further genetic sequencing of specimens. That “may help with early identification of new variants in patients to reduce further spread of infection,” the FDA said in its letter to labs and health care providers, noting that the B.1.1.7 variant has been associated with an increased risk of transmission

"The FDA will continue to monitor SARS-CoV-2 genetic viral variants to ensure authorized tests continue to provide accurate results for patients," FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn said in the release. SARS-CoV-2 is the name of the novel coronavirus that causes Covid-19.

"While these efforts continue, we are working with authorized test developers and reviewing incoming data to ensure that health care providers and clinical staff can quickly and accurately diagnose patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, including those with emerging genetic variants," Hahn said.

"At this time, we believe the data suggests that the currently authorized COVID-19 vaccines may still be effective against this strain. The FDA will continue to keep health care providers and the public informed of any new information as it becomes available."

[KCUnited]

I shudder at the thought of the Walgreens near me charged with saving mankind

[O.city]

Almost up to a million vaccinations per day

It’s ramping up nicely

[R Clark]

I talked to a friend in Oklahoma today , he has lung problems so he got the vaccine yesterday and said they are doing it thru the health department.I’ve never heard where you go here in Kansas to get it or sign up for it?