***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.”

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by MahomesMagic

They did it with flu vaccines.

In this study, researchers found a 6x increase in fine aerosols (the ones that actually carry infectious virus) of people who were vaccinated, but still caught flu, relative to unvaxed flu pts

Infectious virus in exhaled breath of symptomatic
seasonal influenza cases from a college communityJing Yana,b, Michael Granthama,1, Jovan Pantelica,2, P. Jacob Bueno de Mesquitaa, Barbara Alberta, Fengjie Liua,3,
Sheryl Ehrmanb,4, Donald K. Miltona,5, and EMIT Consortium6

https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/11...zNAfijcnBszQg6

Thanks and that is pretty cool. Seems like they could do this for covid as well. Get it for non-vaccinated, vaccinated and mask usage.

[smithandrew051]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

No need for mask mandates for anyone at this point. You are vaccinated or you aren't. Move on.

I agree with this. Just saying that mandating masks for anyone who is unvaccinated isn’t realistic.

[Sure-Oz]

Originally Posted by sedated

Don't see it posted but KC under mask mandate starting again Monday (August 2) through August 28

https://www.kansascity.com/news/coro...253081963.html

Saw that. Should've just started tomorrow or Friday. People gonna get their maskless weekend on

[wazu]

Originally Posted by Sure-Oz

Saw that. Should've just started tomorrow or Friday. People gonna get their maskless weekend on

Gives businesses a few days to completely ****ing overhaul their operations again. Very benevolent.

[Sure-Oz]

Originally Posted by wazu

Gives businesses a few days to completely ****ing overhaul their operations again. Very benevolent.

I can see that. Some won't take it well and will need to be consoled. That said put up a sign and get ready to mask up. No one in Missouri should be surprised that this was coming. Pretty sure most businesses I've been to have masks on, mainly food areas. Hopefully people don't go too crazy this weekend.

[O.city]

https://twitter.com/venkmurthy/statu...861520387?s=21

[dirk digler]

Vaccine mandates are coming fast. Big Tech companies now mandating them and sound like the Feds are going to mandate it along with the military.

[carlos3652]

Originally Posted by O.city

https://twitter.com/venkmurthy/statu...861520387?s=21

Did you see the replies that contradicted what he posted:

https://twitter.com/OSHeartDoc/statu...041404934?s=20

https://twitter.com/alwayslearni/sta...096615426?s=20

From that same study.

[Chief Pagan]

Originally Posted by DaFace

It's going to be interesting to see how the CDC decides to handle the idea of booster shots. It seems pretty clear that they will be helpful, but how necessary it really is remains to be seen.

Might be reasonable for high risk groups.

My elderly mom has suddenly gotten worried about knee surgery and all the rehab/assisted living contacts that would entail during recovery.

[Fish]

Excess Death Stats.

One of the more useful stats for looking at COVID deaths, in my opinion. It simply compares the rates of death per year from any cause, to the rates of death compared to previous years. It's not perfect data, but it's much more reliable data than most, because the requisites are so simple.

Here's the latest in excess death info for countries across the globe. It paints a pretty consistent picture. Note in the graph in the first link, how the rate of excess death directly corresponds with the rate of infection...

Estimating Under-recognized COVID-19 Deaths, United States, March 2020-May 2021 using an Excess Mortality Modelling Approach

Excess Deaths From COVID-19 and Other Causes in the US, March 1, 2020, to January 2, 2021

The 22.9% increase in all-cause mortality reported here far exceeds annual increases observed in recent years (≤2.5%). The percentage of excess deaths among non-Hispanic Black individuals (16.9%) exceeded their share of the US population (12.5%),5 reflecting racial disparities in COVID-19 mortality. Excess deaths surged in the east in April, followed by extended summer and early winter surges concentrated in southern and western states, respectively. Many of these states weakly embraced, or discouraged, pandemic control measures and lifted restrictions earlier than other states.

Tracking covid-19 excess deaths across countries

Some great graphics via this link. Too many to include

Excess deaths associated with covid-19 pandemic in 2020: age and sex disaggregated time series analysis in 29 high income countries

[Monticore]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

No need for mask mandates for anyone at this point. You are vaccinated or you aren't. Move on.

I agree , but hospital still have to deal with it and if it starts affecting their regular services it becomes an issue for everyone , as a government official it is still pretty hard for them to say if you die from covid it’s your own fault.

We are not going to get 100% vaccination so at some point they are going to have to .

[jdubya]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

Vaccine mandates are coming fast. Big Tech companies now mandating them and sound like the Feds are going to mandate it along with the military.

Scary how easily that is accepted and rolls off the tongue.

Me and my family are all willingly vaccinated but Id like to think it was by choice and not force.

[Otter]

Originally Posted by O.city

https://twitter.com/venkmurthy/statu...861520387?s=21

Doesn't take into account the J&J vax as all input data is measuring 2 doses.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by Otter

Doesn't take into account the J&J vax as all input data is measuring 2 doses.

It was a study on the Pfizer vax, so no, nothing with J and J.

[Otter]

Originally Posted by O.city

It was a study on the Pfizer vax, so no, nothing with J and J.

Ah, my bad. Should have read it more thoroughly.