***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.”

[GloucesterChief]

Originally Posted by MagicHef

Probably could have worded this better. My real question is why is China, outside of Hubei, doing so well? 1.35 billion people, right next to the outbreak source, and they have fewer deaths than France.

If you trust China's official numbers you are a fool. China does not do post mortem testing to see if someone died of Coronavirus. The CCP has a very good reason to hide the actual numbers.

[stevieray]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

This has to continue to be dealt with on a localized basis. These responses have to continue to be tailored. Surgery with a shotgun is the LAST thing we need.

Yup, it's up to the States . They should be banning travel, or closing their airports, etc.

[staylor26]

DJ destroying dudes with sound logic and a very reasonable outlook.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by PAChiefsGuy

I think our President and many of the Governors who have more information than any of us could ever hope to have on the subject would disagree.

Lots of calls to suspend Posse Comitatus are there?

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by PAChiefsGuy

Oh come on comparing cows to what goes on at wet market or Yulin Dog Meat Festival is a little ridiculous.

I’ve spent a lot of time in South Asia. Some with folks that were pretty impacted watching videos of U.S. factory farms. They’d disagree.

I’m not saying I do - our deep freeze is stocked with enough beef to last us two months - and again, I (and China’s own despot) believe China has to seriously alter their wet market regulations.

[Discuss Thrower]

Knock yourselves out with this.

[suzzer99]

Originally Posted by Donger

It's fascinating that India only has 142 cases.

An analysis of 100 Chinese cities found that high temperature & humidity are correlated with lower transmission of #COVID-19 & #coronavirus

This is consistent with evidence that high temperature & humidity significantly reduce transmission of the flu.. https://t.co/JCKcJgZWi8 pic.twitter.com/dUF4ZBpV77

— Jay Van Bavel (@jayvanbavel) March 16, 2020

That said, India has some cold mountainous places like Rajastan that could be vulnerable.

[suzzer99]

Originally Posted by displacedinMN

BREAKING: The Mall of America is closing at 5 p.m. today through at least March 31.

But where will America go now for leggings and Orange Julius?

[suzzer99]

Originally Posted by BWillie

Based on my experience, zinc works wonders. My GF had the flu, she was out for the count for 4 days. I loaded up on zinc for 4 days. My flu-like symptoms only lasted about 24 hrs to 36 hrs.

Maybe it's placebo. I don't know. Maybe my immune system is just stronger than normal and zinc has nothing to do with it. But that is my experience.

What form of zinc? Seems like there's an endless variety out there. Not ZMA right? I tried that stuff once and it gave me freaky dreams.

[MagicHef]

Originally Posted by GloucesterChief

If you trust China's official numbers you are a fool. China does not do post mortem testing to see if someone died of Coronavirus. The CCP has a very good reason to hide the actual numbers.

Whether or not their numbers are fully accurate, the rest of China is not facing the crisis that Italy or Spain are right now. From what we know, it seems like they should be.

[PAChiefsGuy]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

And if your mom gets shot in a robbery they won't let you on the perpetrator's jury.

You don't advocate policy positions from personal loss or hardship. You have to maintain your cool, understand all consequences and work from there.

And 'our healthcare system' is not national. It's local. So long as the spread continues to behave here as it's behaved everywhere, it won't be a national immediate outbreak. It will continue to be a series of localized outbreaks that will need to be dealt with on a localized basis. SF having its hand full right now does NOTHING to impact capacity in Columbia, MO. And when it gets here, it's not going to be hospital beds in SF that determine the outcomes in Columbia.

So effectuating an immediate national lockdown and putting the clamps on thousands of communities that have not been in any way impacted by it right now will immediately start the '**** this' clock and you'll be burning time, good will and buy-in for no reason in those communities. Then if/when it DOES get there, you have a populace of frayed, exhausted, fiscally and emotionally drained people who are simply done. They'll you'll still have your hospital collapse followed by a local populace that no longer has the buy-in or wherewithal to be as responsible as they'd have otherwise been.

This has to continue to be dealt with on a localized basis. These responses have to continue to be tailored. Surgery with a shotgun is the LAST thing we need.

So basically let me get this straight because I don't want to misunderstand your posts. You think nothing should be shut down and society should go about their business as usual because this virus doesn't affect most people? Correct?

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by suzzer99

An analysis of 100 Chinese cities found that high temperature & humidity are correlated with lower transmission of #COVID-19 & #coronavirus

This is consistent with evidence that high temperature & humidity significantly reduce transmission of the flu.. https://t.co/JCKcJgZWi8 pic.twitter.com/dUF4ZBpV77

— Jay Van Bavel (@jayvanbavel) March 16, 2020

Fingers crossed

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by suzzer99

An analysis of 100 Chinese cities found that high temperature & humidity are correlated with lower transmission of #COVID-19 & #coronavirus

This is consistent with evidence that high temperature & humidity significantly reduce transmission of the flu.. https://t.co/JCKcJgZWi8 pic.twitter.com/dUF4ZBpV77

— Jay Van Bavel (@jayvanbavel) March 16, 2020

The most fascinating part of 'seasonal viruses' to me is that we only know which ones ARE seasonal but we don't really know why.

We seem to have settled on humidity being the key limiting factor - it seems to REALLY knock down the viruses ability to survive outside a host. But we can't identify why some viruses demonstrate a seasonal pattern and others don't (which is why we're still largely guessing on COVID). We don't know what it is precisely about high humidity that stalls 'em out.

But any indication that this will follow the same seasonal course as many other coronaviruses (though not all) is obviously outstanding news. If it buys us 5-6 months, that could be all the runway we need.

The smartest people in the world are all putting their efforts at combating this thing. We'll find an answer, provided that there's one to be found.

[suzzer99]

Originally Posted by MagicHef

Probably could have worded this better. My real question is why is China, outside of Hubei, doing so well? 1.35 billion people, right next to the outbreak source, and they have fewer deaths than France.

They shut down the entire country. My boss's parents live in Chongqing - a city with 30 million people. When they got 10 positive tests there, they shut the whole city down.

Sounds similar to what we're doing now - only essential businesses still open, but people can still go to work and go for walks - not like the super hardcore lockdown in Wuhan where you can't even be out on the streets except once a week to buy groceries.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by PAChiefsGuy

So basically let me get this straight because I don't want to misunderstand your posts. You think nothing should be shut down and society should go about their business as usual because this virus doesn't affect most people? Correct?

Dude.

This is so dumb as to not even merit a response. You're welcome to click 'find more posts by this user' and actually read what I've said if you'd like. But if you just want to sit there and kick straw men - well, it's your time.