There are 159 cases of the coronavirus across the US
Here’s the breakdown:
49 cases were repatriated from abroad: three from Wuhan, China, and 46 from the Princess Diamond cruise ship in Japan.
110 cases were detected and tested on US soil spread out across 15 states
Arizona: 2
California: 36 (including one death)
Florida: 3
Georgia: 2
Illinois: 4
Massachusetts: 2
New Hampshire: 2
New Jersey: 1
New York: 11
North Carolina: 1
@Artist2233 I haven’t seen any data on that. However, of the 80,430 positive cases by the Chinese government, reportedly 52,208 have recovered so far. So that’s some good news. It does seem to take weeks or more to recover and no longer test positive. My understanding is that many people in Wuhan remain quarantined and the city is still pretty locked down. Most of the new cases and deaths everyday pretty much are all in Wuhan and vicinity. So new cases are being reported still. It appears things are much better in other parts of the country.
I think the answers to a lot of your questions just aren’t available right now. It may be some time until they are. Much still to be learned.
I read the story in the Washington Post about several people who have Covid-19 but are doing ok…including one guy who has tested positive but is completely asymptomatic. Seems like it’s possible he might do so for a long time. He’s in home isolation but it seems like an even weirder experience than those who are sick but then start to feel better and have then tested negative. He has no way of measuring progress. He’s not upset about being required to isolate. He doesn’t want to get anyone sick. It’s certainly much better than being very ill. But what a bizarre experience
Take this with huge grains of salt but I figured I’d pass it on.
I had to talk to my rheumatologist about something unrelated today and I asked him if I am at particular risk for COVID. I have lupus & a few other related autoimmune diseases and will be on immune suppression meds for the rest of my life.
He said that from what he’s seen, the immune compromised (like me - there are different severities and types of immune compromised people) aren’t really at particular risk. Of those who are younger, it seems to be affecting those with pre-existing respiratory/cardiovascular problems.
Yes. I read an insurance company “ preliminary analysis” today that said Cancer patients without specific lung involvement fared not much worse than the general public for their age. Those with hypertension and pulmonary disease much worse.
Our local school district, with schools in the two counties with the most deaths, is moving to remote learning starting tomorrow. https://www.nsd.org/ Very mixed reactions online from parents.
For those living in nyc, Long Island, urban centers of nj, I give it 2 weeks til we all know someone (relative, work mate, friend, school mate) who is quarantined.
My dad is probably at extremely high risk with his lung issues. Even though he’s in hospice, I want him around as long as possible. Everyone who comes in the house will need to be really careful. I think I’ll suggest to my sister that people avoid hugging or touching him. Although he does love to have his head rubbed, hmm. I think I’ll remind the caregivers to wash their hands very frequently.
Hand sanitizer and liquid soaps with moisturizer for caregivers may help, as well as moisturizers so their hands don’t dry out too much from frequent washing.
I just wonder, after reading about so many health workers getting sick even though they wore PPE and probably thought they were being careful - is handwashing even enough with this virus? With cab drivers and carpool passengers getting infected from people in the car - it just seems you can be super careful and not touch your face with your washed hands and yet still pick up the virus. I have to tell you guys I think of myself as a rational, calm person but I am getting really concerned (have been for a while actually) and considering canceling me and DS21 trip to Florida to visit potential NMF Benacquisto schools.
The only way to answer these questions is with a test for antibodies to the virus. Current testing detects only the presence of the virus, presumably with PCR. An antibody test will give a better estimate of the total exposure to the virus in a population and will reveal the prevalence of symptomless carriers.
Might be worth a separate thread for treatments and testing. Both vaccines and viral inhibitors are in the pipeline, close to human trials.
Yes, I posted something after I made that comment that indicated 2,100 passengers on board. No mention of the number of crew but sounds like easy 3K+ total.
@KnearSeattle Here’s CNN’s mention of your school district’s situation:
A Washington school district is closing all schools for two weeks
"The Northshore school district in Washington state is closing all schools for up to two weeks, starting today, over coronavirus fears, according to a letter sent to families by Superintendent Michelle Reid.
A total of 26 of the district’s 33 schools have been affected by direct or indirect exposure to the virus, and the absentee rate for students district wide was 20% on Wednesday, the letter said.
The district is working on a plan to transition students to cloud-based online learning by next Monday.
Several people in different schools in the district have been either identified as a presumptive positive case, are under quarantine after possible exposure, or have been tested and are awaiting results.
Cases in Washington: The state is the worst hit in the US, with 39 confirmed or presumptive positive cases, including 10 deaths."
"US health officials originally restricted coronavirus testing to only the sickest patients – but Vice President Mike Pence announced on Tuesday that any American with a doctor’s order should soon be able to access the tests.
Here’s what the testing process looks like:
First, you’ll be swabbed. Doctors need to collect a specimen – a sample that will be checked for the virus. Clinicians may swab your throat, going through both your mouth and your nose. People with “wet” coughs may also be asked to cough up sputum, a mixture of saliva and mucous. It’s unlikely that other bodily fluids like urine or stool will be tested.
Your specimen will be sent to a qualified lab. The sample is sent to a lab that has access to a test kit. Most of these kits are provided by the US Centers for Disease Control, but New York has received emergency authorization for its own test. The process might look different for commercial tests that may be available soon.
Your sample will be tested: Technicians then use a procedure that allows them to see whether a certain genetic sequence is present in your sample. Essentially, the coronavirus test works by determining whether any given specimen contains the distinct coronavirus genome.
How long does the test take? Once a sample arrives at a state lab, test results can be available in as little as 24 hours, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
What can go wrong? Because the test looks for viral genetic material in a swab or sputum sample, the quality of a specimen is critical."
Starbucks halts the use of personal cups at its stores
"Starbucks announced yesterday that it is temporarily suspending the use of personal cups and tumblers at its stores to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.
EVP Rossann Williams said the company will continue to honor its 10-cent discount for anyone who brings in a personal cup or tumbler for coffee, even though customers can’t use them."
Starbucks said it is also increasing the number of cleanings at all its company-operated stores and suspending business-related air travel, both domestic and international, for the rest of March" (CNN)
The US military is now screening recruits for coronavirus
"Multiple US military branches are screening new recruits for the coronavirus as part of a sweeping effort to prevent the virus from spreading among the armed forces.
While recruits are always screened for health issues, the coronavirus is now a particular concern…The Navy told CNN in a statement Wednesday that it began screening for the coronavirus in the initial processing of recruits in January. All incoming recruits are screened using medical and exposure risk criteria and any individuals identified as having potential risk would be further treated – though none have met that criteria yet.
The screenings involve evaluation for related symptoms such as a fever or lower respiratory illness and questions about overseas travel history and whether they’ve had close contact with anyone with the virus." (CNN)