***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.”

[cdcox]

Outside of Hubei province it does not appear that the case fatality rate will be greater than 1%.

[Fat Elvis]

Originally Posted by cdcox

Outside of Hubei province it does not appear that the mortality rate will be greater than 1%.

Mortality rate is currently over 3%; those over 50 are *significantly* more likely to die from Covid 19.


https://www.yahoo.com/news/confirmed...020009251.html

[DaFace]

I wish the media would at least get the terminology correct. That's a chart of case fatality rates - not mortality rates.

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by DaFace

I wish the media would at least get the terminology correct. That's a chart of case fatality rates - not mortality rates.

Thanks for your precision in language.

[Chiefspants]

DaFace has been doing work in this thread. Major props.

[dlphg9]

Originally Posted by DaFace

I wish the media would at least get the terminology correct. That's a chart of case fatality rates - not mortality rates.

They want to scare people. Scared people will watch the news to get more scared.

[ShowtimeSBMVP]

The new #coronavirus has killed about 3.4% of confirmed cases globally - making it deadlier than the flu, but still containable.

The seasonal flu's fatality rate is below 1% https://t.co/WuZSmsX0yh pic.twitter.com/gtXfr8k0oN

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) March 4, 2020

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by dlphg9

They want to scare people. Scared people will watch the news to get more scared.

And this man figures out the reason I don't watch the news.

[TLO]

Originally Posted by Mecca

And this man figures out the reason I don't watch the news.

I just need DaFace, the WHO, and CDC to give me updates.

[Donger]

128 cases now. I was expecting more than that today.

[dlphg9]

Originally Posted by ShowtimeSBMVP

The new #coronavirus has killed about 3.4% of confirmed cases globally - making it deadlier than the flu, but still containable.

The seasonal flu's fatality rate is below 1% https://t.co/WuZSmsX0yh pic.twitter.com/gtXfr8k0oN

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) March 4, 2020

I love that all these networks seem to forget to mention that the number of unreported cases is probably incredibly high and that would significantly decrease the percentage of people that die from this. If they wanted to be more helpful to people they could be shoving the fact that it's really only harmful to people that are old and are in bad health. More people need to be aware of this, so just in case this does become very widespread, people take the necessary precautions.

Im not trying to be mean here when I say this, but a large number of the workers at nursing homes aren't the sharpest tools in the shed. Im hoping that the workers are getting the necessary training and education, so that they know the symptoms of the virus and just how much worse it is for the elderly. I know some people will think "well I have the coronavirus and I don't feel that bad, so I should be fine to go to work because there is no way this could actually kill someone" and then will go to work and basically do the complete opposite of what they should be doing to keep it from spreading.

[suzzer99]

Originally Posted by cdcox

Outside of Hubei province it does not appear that the case fatality rate will be greater than 1%.

Iran is at 4%

[dlphg9]

Originally Posted by Donger

128 cases now. I was expecting more than that today.

Well if they really are only testing people with the most severe symptoms then the number could be much higher.

Conspiracy theory time, they aren't testing everyone to keep the % that has died higher. If they tested everyone with mild symptoms and there was a couple hundred more infected that had no chance of dying, then the death rate is significantly lower and less people pay attention.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by suzzer99

Iran is at 4%

3.14% Iran pie!

[TLO]

Originally Posted by Donger

128 cases now. I was expecting more than that today.

Same. With testing becoming more readily avaliable, I thought we'd see a large boom.

Contain contain contain