One should also note Italy is similar to a state rather than the US… But don’t let facts get in the way.
Once more, people need to stop comparing this to the flu. The flu has a treatment, we have some immunity, and there are vaccines.
I was in the ER and on oxygen last week because of h1n1 - a flu strain I had gotten before. Without tamiflu, the flu shot, and previous immunity I might not have pulled through it. ESPECIALLY if I didn’t have access to oxygen.
This has a higher mortality rate than the flu and none of the things i listed above. No treatment, no immunity, and we’re quickly running out of ways to help people breathe.
Further we PLAN for the flu every year. We know about how many beds and resources we’ll need and implement it in a way that flattens the curve. We had no such planning time for this.
It is incredibly callous and just rude to essentially say “sorry go die” to certain groups when there is prevention. What we’re doing now is prevention.
The first coronavirus case in the U.S. and South Korea was detected on the same day. By late January, Seoul had medical companies starting to work on a diagnostic test — one was approved a week later. Today, the U.S. isn’t even close to meeting test demand
"South Korea’s swift action stands in stark contrast to what has transpired in the United States. Seven weeks after the train station meeting, the Koreans have tested well over 290,000 people and identified over 8,000 infections. New cases are falling off: Ninety-three were reported Wednesday, down from a daily peak of 909 two weeks earlier.
The United States, whose first case was detected the same day as South Korea’s, is not even close to meeting demand for testing. About 60,000 tests have been run by public and private labs in a country of 330 million, federal officials said Tuesday.
As a result, U.S. officials don’t fully grasp how many Americans have been infected and where they are concentrated - crucial to containment efforts. While more than 7,000 U.S. cases had been identified as of Wednesday, as many as 96 million people could be infected in coming months, and 480,000 could die, according to a projection prepared for the American Hospital Association by Dr. James Lawler, an infectious disease expert at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
“You cannot fight what you cannot see,” said Roger Klein, a former laboratory medical director at the Cleveland Clinic and previously an adviser to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on clinical laboratory issues.
How the United States fell so far behind South Korea, according to infectious disease experts, clinicians and state and local officials, is a tale of many contrasts in the two nations’ public health systems: a streamlined bureaucracy versus a congested one, bold versus cautious leadership, and a sense of urgency versus a reliance on protocol.
The delayed and chaotic testing in the United States will cost lives, potentially including those of doctors and nurses, many medical experts predict. Already more than 100 people have died overall, and fears of rampant spread have led to extraordinary restrictions on social interaction, upending the U.S. economy, schools, hospitals and everyday life.
“It makes me feel like I’m living in a farce,” said Dr. Ritu Thamman, a cardiologist and clinical assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Even hospital staff who may have been exposed can’t get a test, she said. “We are a rich country but we don’t have these kinds of things?” "
Andrew Cuomo
@NYGovCuomo
·
2h
We just had a very productive meeting with the Army Corps of Engineers.
NY needs expanded hospital capacity. We appreciate the help from the
@USACEHQ
to retrofit buildings as temporary hospitals.
We must get this done — together.
Andrew Cuomo
@NYGovCuomo
·
28m
I just signed into law paid sick leave to guarantee pay for those under mandatory or precautionary quarantine.
In New York we stand with our workers in sickness and in health.
First congress person dx’ed -
(CNN)Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida has become the first member of Congress to test positive for coronavirus.
“On Saturday evening, Congressman Diaz-Balart developed symptoms including a fever and headache. Just a short while ago, he was notified that he has tested positive for COVID-19,” his office said in a news release.
Diaz-Balart said in a statement that he is “feeling much better” but urged the public to take the virus “extremely seriously.”
https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/18/politics/mario-diaz-balart-coronavirus/index.html
Maybe this has been posted? Video of doctor about treating Covid-19 in Italy including statistics. Whatever the true percentages are of how many will get it etc in the general population, from the sound of things in this video, a high % of people who are sick enough to get tested end up needing to be in the ICU to get help to breath.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=235&v=BY7te2LH6_k&feature=emb_logo
Also, extensive contact tracing and enforced quarantines, including an app built to track quarantines, more rigorous enforcement at their borders and at airports (returners from Italy were just skating through US airports all last week without fever checks, questioning, no mention of quarantine. Dr. Thamman is correct, it is a big farce. NBA players get tested, our frontline hospital staff couldn’t. 
New C.D.C. data showed that nearly 40 percent of patients sick enough to be hospitalized were aged 20 to 54. But the risk of dying was significantly higher in older people.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/health/coronavirus-young-people.html
"American adults of all ages — not just those in their 70s, 80s and 90s — are being seriously sickened by the coronavirus, according to a report on nearly 2,500 of the first recorded cases in the United States.
The report, issued Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that — as in other countries — the oldest patients had the greatest likelihood of dying and of being hospitalized. But of the 508 patients known to have been hospitalized, 38 percent were notably younger — between 20 and 54. And nearly half of the 121 patients who were admitted to intensive care units were adults under 65, the C.D.C. reported.
“I think everyone should be paying attention to this,” said Stephen S. Morse, a professor of epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. “It’s not just going to be the elderly. There will be people age 20 and up. They do have to be careful, even if they think that they’re young and healthy.”
The findings served to underscore an appeal issued Wednesday at a White House briefing by Dr. Deborah Birx, a physician and State Department official who is a leader of the administration’s coronavirus task force. Citing similar reports of young adults in Italy and in France being hospitalized and needing intensive care, Dr. Birx implored the millennial generation to stop socializing in groups and to take care to protect themselves and others.
“You have the potential then to spread it to someone who does have a condition that none of us knew about, and cause them to have a disastrous outcome,” Dr. Birx said, addressing young people.
In the C.D.C. report, 20 percent of the hospitalized patients and 12 percent of the intensive care patients were between the ages of 20 and 44, basically spanning the millennial generation."
This is heartbreaking. 42 year old mother of 6.
I had placed a large grocery order for pick-up from my Hannaford. We are holed up at home for a few reasons so I was pumped about getting a spot. It was scheduled for tomorrow at 2PM. I had grabbed the spot 6 days ago - the earliest I could get vs the normal next day thing back when life was normal - which was fine because we had stuff in the house. Just got a call that they canceled my order. They are cancelling the service completely. The reason stated was so many complaints about orders only getting 30% or so filled because of the lack of products. Bummed. 
New York state leads the country with 2014 cases which are largely in the southern tier.
I would like to see downstate quarantined. Governor Cuomo refuses.
New part of the stimulus being put together.
“The administration would create a “small business interruption loan program” targeted at businesses with fewer than 500 employees that would cover six weeks of payroll. The amount for each employee’s wages would be capped at $1,540 per week, or about $80,000 a year.”
I feel like this needs to be said in regard to all the back & forth about triage & deciding who gets to live and who dies if our healthcare system gets overwhelmed: Italy has been basing it on age to a degree. If things get that dire here in the US, what would the criteria be to have access to the ventilators & what not. There are so many people that have health issues already (obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.) I am truly fearful that the ability to pay would play a part in the decision.
I am hopeful that the majority of people are social distancing and that we can flatten the curve and not overwhelm our healthcare, and I pray that no one has to make that decision of who to treat.
So sad. 
Nine coronavirus tests are now FDA-authorized for emergency use
From CNN’s Arman Azad
The US Food and Drug Administration has now authorized nine coronavirus tests for emergency use.
The maker of one of those tests, Abbott, promised on Wednesday to ship 150,000 laboratory tests “immediately."
The authorizations are somewhat of a formality. FDA guidance issued earlier this week allows companies to manufacture and ship tests before receiving permission.
Yet the authorizations still offer a stamp of approval to tests, signaling that federal regulators are satisfied with their validation data and believe their benefits outweigh any risks, such as false positives or negatives.
Four tests were authorized this week, according to the FDA, including tests from LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics.
Unlike tests that give results at home or in a doctor’s office, coronavirus tests must be run on specialized equipment in clinical labs.
The Abbott system can process up to 470 tests per day, according to the company, whose test was authorized Tuesday. The Swiss firm Roche, whose test was greenlit last week, says its systems can process up to 960 results in eight hours.
Such “high-throughput” systems have the potential to dramatically increase testing capacity in the United States. But shortages of the people and tools needed to run the tests – like health care workers and cotton swabs – could still slow testing.
[ Still waiting for the millions. Now we have a cotton swab shortage, too. ]
FDA temporarily postpones all domestic routine surveillance facility inspections
From CNN’s Wes Bruer
The US Food and Drug Administration will temporarily postpone all domestic routine surveillance facility inspections due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn announced Wednesday.
It made the move for the health of its staff, state inspectors “and because of industry concerns about visitors," he said.
The agency handles facility inspections for all FDA-regulated products, such as food, animal feed, drugs, biological products, devices and tobacco.
“All domestic for-cause inspection assignments will be evaluated and will proceed if mission-critical. We will continue to respond to natural disasters, outbreaks and other public health emergencies involving FDA-regulated products,” Hahn said.
But the FDA will be looking at other ways to complete inspections, such as “evaluating records in lieu of conducting an onsite inspection on an interim basis when travel is not permissible, when appropriate," he said.
The FDA had previously postponed most foreign facility inspections through April.
Hahn stated that the FDA “will continue to assess and calibrate our approach as needed and we stand ready to resume any postponed inspections as soon as feasible.”
Hahn also said the FDA directed all eligible employees to begin teleworking this week.
California governor issues order to waive standardized testing for students
From CNN’s Sarah Moon
California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order to waive this year’s statewide standardized testing for K-12 students, according to a statement from his office. The order is pending federal approval.
“This time is stressful enough for students, families and educators without the additional burden of annual testing,” Newsom said. “This is an unprecedented time, and our main focus is on supporting the mental and socioemotional health of students, while continuing to provide educational opportunities such as distance learning.”
More than 6 million students are out of school in California due to closures to prevent the spread of coronavirus
Arizona governor pleads for blood donations during outbreak
From CNN’s Dave Alsup
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said blood supplies in his state are at critical levels.
“People are asking how they can help their communities. Here’s what you can do. You can donate blood. You can donate blood. You can donate blood. Blood levels dangerously low at our blood banks,” he said during a news conference Wednesday
According to Ducey, 32 blood drives have been canceled in the state.
There are at least 27 cases of coronavirus in Arizona, according to the state’s Health Director Dr. Cara Christ.
Nearly 1 in 4 Californians are under “shelter-in-place” orders
From CNN’s Cheri Mossburg
Nearly one in every four Californians has been ordered to stay home to help curb the coronavirus spread.
Napa, Yolo, and San Luis Obispo counties, and the city of Fresno are the latest areas to issue “shelter-in-place” orders, joining ten other Northern California counties.
“These are extremely difficult times. The COVID-19 virus continues to spread around the world and in our local communities,” said Dr. Ron Chapman, public health officer for Yolo County. “We need to do everything we can to protect our most vulnerable people from the harmful impacts of the virus.”
Fresno Mayor Lee Brand is also asking his city’s nearly 600,000 residents to stay home until further notice, with an updated emergency order that goes into effect at midnight.
Residents are still allowed to leave their house to buy groceries and get medical supplies. They can also go outside for a walk or a hike, as long as social distancing is maintained.
These directives do not apply to essential workers, like health care professionals or vital infrastructure employees.
There’s a backlog of coronavirus tests in Minnesota, governor says
From CNN’s Andy Rose
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said more than 1,000 coronavirus tests are still waiting to be processed because of the state’s backlog.
“We’ve had to freeze 1,700 samples,” Walz said at a news conference Wednesday. “We can’t test them.”
The governor said they have put in three requests for additional testing supplies in the past 10 days that have not been fulfilled. Walz said the backlog is hurting their ability to respond to the pandemic.
"It’s the data from testing that allows us to model where this is going to go, and then the response is based on that modeling,” Walz said.
Iran to pardon 10,000 prisoners
Reuters is reporting that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will pardon 10,000 prisoners including political ones in honour of the Iranian new year on Friday, state TV reported.
“Those who will be pardoned will not return to jail … almost half of those security-related prisoners will be pardoned as well,” judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili told state TV on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Esmaili said Iran had temporarily freed about 85,000 people from jail, including political prisoners, in response to the coronavirus epidemic.
“A large number of prisoners who have been temporarily freed do not need to return to jail after the leader’s pardon,” Esmaili said.
“The unprecedented point is that the pardon also includes the security-related prisoners with less than five-year jail sentences,” Esmaili said.
Esmaili did not say whether it would include British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was released on Tuesday for two weeks.
It’s also not clear if British-Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert would be pardoned. On Wednesday it was reported that she was not among the 85,000 prisoners temporarily released from Iranian jails.
Tasmania in isolation
Tasmania is going into quarantine to prevent mainland Australians from spreading the virus.
It is the first time border controls have been introduced between Australian states, and a particularly extreme measure in a state whose economy relies heavily on tourism.
The Tasmanian premier, Peter Gutwein, told reporters in Hobart on Thursday that from midnight on Friday (AEDT), all arrivals to Tasmania — including Tasmanians returning home — will have to go into a 14-day mandatory self-isolation.
The only exception is for essential services, like health workers. The penalty for breaching this mandatory self-isolation is a fine of up to AUD$16,800 (£8,366) or six months jail. Gutwein said:
I think it is an extra layer of protection on Tasmanians. This will be, in Tasmania, the strongest border measures in the country in terms of the states and territories…
But I want to make it clear as well: any Tasmanian can still come home. If they come home after midnight on Friday, they will need to go into a two-week quarantine.
This is an extension of the rules on quarantine for people returning to Australia from overseas, which have applied nationally since Monday.
Costa Rica announces first death
The Costa Rican health ministry has announced the country’s first death from Covid-19.
An 87-year-old man who was in intensive care in Alajuela, Costa Rica’s second largest city, died at 4:15pm (CST) on Wednesday.
The country’s president, Carlos Alvarado, expressed solidarity with the man’s family and urged Costa Ricans to react to the government’s social distancing advice.
The death comes as the Central American country announced its largest day-to-day rise in cases: up 19 to 69 on Wednesday.
Mauritius has confirmed its first three cases of coronavirus, the island nation’s government has said.
It concerns three Mauritian nationals who have travelled back to Mauritius recently aged 21, 25 and 59 years, respectively. Two have worked on cruise ships and one is from the United Kingdom.
Guardian
How are the South Koreans managing 10,000 per day? Is their test different? or were they able to upscale to increase the capacity of their facilities?
It seems to me that we are reinventing the wheel when clearly there is a way to do more. I realize that there might be issues with the South Korea test system in terms of quality control (for example, a higher than desirable level of false positives or false negatives) – but it seems to me that we ought to have a system in place that we are working to improve rather than starting from scratch.
In post 7278 I described the lack of value of the additional screening returning people form Europe went through. My friend’s son was one of thousands and thousands of study abroad students who rushed home.
No big surprise - he is presumed to have it. Medical advice was against testing since he is doing ok (similar to my daughter.)
He lives on a farm just north of Hooterville and his mom has had him locked down tight.
Deciding who lives or dies based on ability to pay and other factors is nothing new. The US does it all the time even if we’re less explicit about it.
We’ll do it based on who is best able to survive, too, when needed.
The fewer cases, the more people survive as there’s less rationing.