Coronavirus in the US

@doschicos I have really appreciated your efforts to find and summarize new info on coronavirus for us!
Just wanted to make a small correction for post #609 about the man who tested positive for coronavirus in the Philippines. One of the pathogens affecting his lungs was the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae. But, according to the article, the other was not the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae, but was influenza B virus. It seems very odd that he would have both corona virus and flu virus.

Thanks for the clarification, @BunnyBlue. I had copied and pasted it at the time I read the story. Looks like the article changed since I read it as this is now at the bottom of the article:

ā€œCorrection: This story has been updated to remove a reference to a tweet from the World Health Organization Philippines, which contained erroneous information on the type of infections the man had.ā€

Actually, I can’t see why any patient couldn’t have the flu + the 2019-nCoV at the same time and die from both.

On Sunday, South Korea reported three more confirmed cases of the new virus, bringing the total in the country to 15. A further 87 people are being tested for possible infection.

here’s new worldometer of confirmed cases and deaths by country as well as daily changes.

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

Are all the shower drains like this? Shower drains don’t have a P or S traps as far as I know. Does it mean a shower drain is something to watch out for?

Some of us have immuno-compromised people in our families which makes every new and unknown virus scary. If someone you love falls into this category it’s a whole nother level. It’s so great that many of you ate dirt as kids and now have super immune systems. My loved one who’s immuno-compromised is not so because she didn’t eat enough dirt as a child.

Additionally my kids go to BS with plenty of Chinese kids. If transmission is possible before symptoms begin and my kids can be infected after March break without knowing it and pass it to someone with no immune system…do you see how we might be a bit on edge?

Purdue just announced its cancelling its study abroad for their six students currently in China. They are paying to get them home, finding housing on campus, and getting them enrolled in courses. Nothing about quarantine first. Praying that’s just a given at this point.

^Anyone who comes from China for now will be subject to quarantine for 14 days at one of the DoD facilities. Those Purdue students won’t be exceptions.

@catahoula, @BunsenBurner

-NEJM, ā€œ First Case of 2019 Novel Coronavirus in the United Statesā€ 1/31/2020

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2001191

@Iglooo — properly constructed showers have traps. And if they didn’t, you would know it!

I doubt those students will be going home on March break with the 14 day rule now in effect. But I definite understand your concerns with a child with a compromised immune system.

Just fwiw, (in a semi response to a post up thread) I’m immune compromised. I’ll be on immune suppression meds for the rest of my life and I’m pregnant now which makes it even worse.

I’m personally not worried about nCoV or every other new strain that pops up. I’m worried about the flu, measles, and whooping cough - all of which I’ve been exposed to in the last few years.

Honestly, it’s just too much energy to be stressed about whatever new thing the media wants to pick up.

The cancer treatment wards where I get my treatments don’t seem to be concerned so I’m not either lol

It’s still a struggle to determine who is or is not infected. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a test, but lacks enough confidence in its accuracy to make it widely available. Too little is known about possible methods — throat or nose swabs versus blood or other samples — and how many false alarms or missed cases each might give at any point in time.

ā€œIf we had an absolutely accurate test that was very sensitive and very specific, then we could just test people and say, ā€˜OK, we’re good to go,ā€™ā€ Fauci said at the news conference. ā€œWe don’t know the accuracy of this test. (National Institutes of Health’s infectious disease chief, Dr. Anthony Fauci) (AP)

With all due respect, romani, this situation has medical and infectious disease professionals voicing serious concerns - CDC, WHO, NIH - not just ā€œwhatever new thing the media wants to pick upā€. Risks in the USA are minimal now, but much is still unknown.

New Chinese City Locked Down

10 days after locking down Wuhan, authorities imposed similar draconian measures on Wenzhou, a coastal city of nine million people in Zhejiang province, part of the eastern industrial heartland that has powered China’s economic rise over recent decades…Zhejiang has 661 confirmed infections, with 265 of those in Wenzhou, according to the government.

This is the highest tally for any province in China after ground-zero Hubei." (AFP)

16 years old but I don’t believe I’d call it ā€œBSā€ for age. Might call it ā€œBSā€, if over the last 16 years it had been conclusively refuted. If it has, please do me a solid and share.

Actually, maybe you read someone else’s post because mine didn’t say the current strain was SARS or even suggest it. Did point to the possible gastrointestinal similarity, in that the Washington state patient had a positive test for the virus in his feces. Some people might believe that a common trait means two things are the same but I don’t believe you would, so I’m still stumped as to why my post smelled off to you.

Oh, well.

(Not much worried about the cats. Might if I kept pet bats, but…)

Germany’s confirmed cases go up 2 to 10 total as 2 people who were evacuated have the virus.

As far as this virus and SARS go and any similarities, just a reminder that SARS is a coronavirus as well.

From NYT, as usual the government suppressed the info facilitating it to develop to epidemic. Wasn’t WHO toeing the same line first saying there’s no evidence to human to human transmission although it was already know by then to local doctors?

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/01/world/asia/china-coronavirus.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

ā€œActually, maybe you read someone else’s post because mine didn’t say the current strain was SARS or even suggest it.ā€

The 2004 NEJM article linked was about SARS.

Yes, coronviruses are/can be shed in feces. Does it mean that you can get infected if you house is on a sewer and someone on your street or in your condo building has the infection? RIDICULOUS.

This is why the toilets - squat toilets - were a source of infection (from your MSNBC link):

"Squat latrines, common in China, lacking covers and hands that aren’t washed thoroughly with soap and water after visiting the bathroom could be a source of virus transmission, said Nicholls, who was part of the research team that isolated and characterized the SARS virus.

A virus-laden aerosol plume emanating from a SARS patient with diarrhea was implicated in possibly hundreds of cases at Hong Kong’s Amoy Gardens housing complex in 2003. That led the city’s researchers to understand the importance of the virus’s spread through the gastrointestinal tract, and to recognize both the limitation of face masks and importance of cleanliness and hygiene, Nicholls said in an interview."

Sewer gases? No, dirty surfaces and lack of hand cleaning.

Wash your hands and do not spread rumors.