Anyone feeling nervous about this should NOT listen to The Daily podcast from yesterday … It was very good but also very sobering.
referencing the above, I am in the 1.3 percent fatality rate-
is there any data on what the fatality rate is for people in their 50s from the annual flu that everyone keeps comparing this to?
Also from ToS: “Out of respect for both moderators and policies, discussion of moderator actions and forum policies is welcomed via private message or e-mail; these issues are off-topic for the forums.”
But to answer your question, I deleted it because you then expressed a political opinion which began, “I think…”
In fact, the State of California is now, at this moment, tracing the contacts of the Solano County patient, and they would have started a week sooner if she had been tested sooner. This is not a theory. This is a fact; this is what they are doing.
I watched Governor Newsom’s press conference yesterday. He said that as soon as the Solano County test came back positive, public health workers began tracing her contacts. The reporters kept pressing him to release information about where this woman had been before she was hospitalized, and he emphasized that the state and the county were following well-established protocols for tracing contacts for communicable diseases of interest.
Current testing requires it to be done in a certified lab and by highly trained technicians. Lots of manual labor involved, so turnaround time is not that fast.
Some much faster tests are coming:
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/qiagen-ships-test-kits-china-140502736.html
Also, Danaher is expected to update its Genexpert fully automated covid-19 test. And they are working on a new CRISPR based test, too.
Until the california woman’s case, there was no reason to test random people. It looked it was contained since every infected case was connected to China. A bigger outrage imo is the incompetence in enforcing quarantine procedure, lack of training how to interact with the affected.
@bluebayou - I haven’t seen anyone assert that it is currently possible to test everyone with a flu-like illness for coronavirus. That said, I have seen an awful lot of pointless and expensive testing done for other viruses, and I do think it’s reasonable to have a goal of being able to test for coronavirus pretty routinely. I think that would have a lot more value than most of the viral testing that gets done now.
There is a wide, wide gulf between testing everyone with flu-like symptoms and testing ONLY those with a suspicious travel history or contact with known cases. Somewhere in between those two extremes lies a reasonable balance.
As far as the previous comments on conspiracy theories go, I think it is possible to assert that the US is not doing a good job of managing this outbreak without being accused of being a conspiracy theorist. Crises require a strong leader who is committed to marshaling any resources necessary to contain the threat. Our public health resources have been stunted by lack of investment and in fact have had deep cuts. I can’t say that I have seen coronavirus being addressed with the seriousness it deserves by top leadership. Appointing the secretary of the treasury and a talking head to be 50% of the coronavirus team to me seems to suggest a greater concern for the stock markets than for the health of US citizens. I don’t think this is a political party issue, as I can’t imagine any other US president not taking a more aggressive approach. I just don’t see our current leadership being sufficiently concerned.
That is as far as I will go toward the precipice of politics; I understand if this post is edited or deleted.
I sure hope it’s not xanax or else I - and probably lots of other people if they were honest - will be completely out of our minds!
To those who commented earlier that they are not hearing anything about this in their local communities…
Different picture here in NYC commuter town. Costco was as packed as a Saturday before Christmas. Carts piled with multiple cases of tuna fish, canned vegetables, Clorox wipes, paper towels, etc. Costco moves seasonal items to the front of the store; disposable gloves are now one of the first items on display.
Clorox wipes completely sold out.
FRANCE - Update to my recent post - France reported 19 new confirmed coronavirus cases in total today, taking the total to 57, and French Health Minister Olivier Veran recommended that people refrain from shaking hands in order to prevent infection and also said that several schools in the Oise area north of Paris would remain closed after holidays end on Sunday in order to halt the spread of the virus. Separately, Defence Minister Florence Parly said on her Twitter feed that several confirmed coronavirus infections had been reported on the military base of Creil, north of Paris. (Al Jazeera)
ITALY - 233 newly confirmed for a total of 888 and 4 new deaths for a total of 21.
- 821 active cases (including 64 in intensive care and 412 asymptomatic/very mild symptoms)
- 21 deaths
- 46 recovered Distribution of the 888 cases by region (14 out of 20 Italian regions affected): 531 in Lombardy, 151 in Veneto, 145 in Emilia-Romagna, 19 in Liguria, 11 in Piedmont, 8 in Tuscany, 6 nelle Marche, 4 in Sicily, 4 in Campania, 3 in Lazio, 3 in Puglia, 1 in Abruzzo, 1 in Calabria, and 1 in the Province of Bolzano (Alto Adige) 3 Italian soccer players test positive for coronavirus
The US Pianese, a soccer club in the Italian region of Tuscany, has confirmed that three of its players plus one of its staff members have tested positive for coronavirus, according to a statement.
UAE - Guests at two hotels in the United Arab Emirates’ capital Abu Dhabi have been placed under quarantine after interacting with two Italians diagnosed with coronavirus, state news agency WAM reported.
SPAIN - 2 new cases, for a total of 34.
ROMANIA - 2 more cases, both recently returned from Italy. Makes the total 3.
PAKISTAN - re-opened its border with neighboring Iran, allowing hundreds of its stranded citizens to return home.
“We have reopened the border to allow our citizens to enter [the country] in batches,” a spokesperson for the government was quoted as saying…“Those who have touched the virus-hit areas in Iran are being quarantined until they are declared clear.” (Al Jazeera)
Is that really necessary? I stocked Clorox wipes and hand wipes but other than that nothing really.
We couldn’t have confidence, or even any belief at all, that every infected case was connected to China, when we didn’t test any potential infected cases that weren’t connected to China. Lots of people are hospitalized for pneumonia right now. Maybe some have coronavirus. We have no way of knowing, if we don’t test any of them. We can’t make statements about whether unconnected people have coronavirus; we just don’t know.
That’s why sales of alcohol and candy go up in times of crisis.
I don’t know if it is necessary. I bought gloves & wipes in case either of my children ends up sick and moves home to be cared for. Probably highly unlikely, but one lives in Manhattan and the other is living on his college campus. A two week spring break starts in a week. You have to wonder what will emerge with all the travel.
I couldn’t bring myself to buy tuna so I just bought more food I can freeze. Probably overkill. I didn’t buy anything I wouldn’t eat anyway. I didn’t bother trying to track down masks because of their ineffectiveness. I recall gloves being essential for caregivers when my father had C. diff.
BTW, I had a late morning meeting so ordered Chinese takeout from my favorite neighborhood spot. It was really slow for peak Friday lunchtime.
I don’t understand why California public health isn’t informing the public about the movements of the sick woman. Just say 'she went to Safeway and the library and Panera or wherever. Why the secrecy?
We routinely get this info for measles cases.
^^^^Please look at what happened in Italy. If you happen to be in a community that is on quarantine, it would be good to have staples at home. You don’t have to have tons of stuff - its not a weather emergency, but if you are quarantined, you’ll be spending a lot of time at home so it doesn’t hurt to have extra non-perishables.
^^Same
I thought the California patient was being intubated in which case talking to find out where they have been may not be easy.
From what I have seen, most people (about 80%) have little to no symptoms with this virus. Good news. But also bad news in that it means you could have it without knowing it. Symptoms are very similar to colds/flu which goes around this time of year. Who do you test? Vast majority of those who get those seasonal illnesses are not going to seek medical attention. Testing with be a challenge in many cases.
Amid testing capacity concerns, CDC unveils new coronavirus test kits
“The CDC said it’s increasing coronavirus testing capabilities at state and local labs after California officials criticized the agency for delaying testing on a state resident who has COVID-19. Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, announced Thursday on a conference call that the agency has released a new diagnostic test for COVID-19. The CDC, she said, also rolled out guidelines for how state and local health labs can correct previously faulty test kits sent out by the CDC. The changes, she said, will improve the country’s ability to quickly identify and treat COVID-19 patients. “Our goal is to have every state and local health department online, doing their own testing by the end of next week,” she said” (CNBC)
ISRAEL - 2 new coronavirus cases both having returned from Italy, bringing the country’s total to 7. One citizen returned from Italy four days ago; the second returned from Italy six days ago. In total, three cases in Israel are from citizens who returned from Italy. One case is from a transmission from a citizen who returned from Italy. Three other cases are from Israelis who were on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan and tested positive after returning to Israel. (CNN)
I keep waiting for a back story to emerge regarding the CA patient. They are certainly doing a good job of keeping her identity a secret. Lots of possible conspiracy theories on this one. But to avoid hearing the conspiracy theories, I’m hoping they just give some simple details (e.g. Kung foo fighting grandma who regularly runs ultramarathons, just returned from submitting Everest, and serves dinner at the soup kitchen which is next to the capitol building)