Coronavirus Thread

[slugboy]

Very useful post. But you left out laughing. That can spread virus as effectively as coughing.

Everything starting with “before you put on this mask” came from a doctor, and wasn’t mine originally (hence the link).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Deleted member 2897]

1 of 5 has heart damage, but no respiratory damage. I may have missed it, but didn’t see anything about if it’s different in different strains.

https://khn.org/news/mysterious-heart-damage-not-just-lung-troubles-befalling-covid-19-patients/

 

[Deleted member 2897]

Pretty unimpressive article, devoid of any scientific analysis. He asked good questions, but merely asking a good question doesn’t have much value.

Our country has been in a lockdown for many weeks. Yet despite that, we lost about a third of a years worth of Flu deaths in 1 single week. The Flu doesn’t kill 3,000 people a day. And certainly not while the entire country is shut down.

Back to the points he should have made in my opinion. The CDC “has 1 job”. When this kicked off, why didn’t they have testing manufacturer qualification exemptions during pandemics? Same with supplies? If we had such a framework in effect, we could have tested and quarantined people while keeping the country moving. We could have done no handshakes and social distancing, but not a shut down. Or at least we would have a better chance to at least try. Our CDCs inability to have any plans or framework in place is just sad. Given that’s their only real job, I hope we completely restructure them when the dust settles from this.

 

[Deleted member 2897]

A director over testing at the HHS said there are enough tests for everyone who needs one to get one. He said they’ll push past 3 million tests this week, excluding private labs too. He said the primary problem continues to be ignorance, where various hospitals don’t know what their options and access is.

 

[GCdaJuiceMan]

Georgia Tech and cvs opening a drive thru testing facility on Techs campus that can test 1000 people a day:

https://www.11alive.com/mobile/arti...ril-6/85-7c6fbf89-c1a0-4b96-9e80-5a3c04f99103

 

[GT_EE78]

The more I think about it, the more I think you're right and I was wrong. I know they eat dogs, maybe not cats.

There were articles out back in Feb regarding Chinese cities that had forced restaurants to take dog and cat off their menu.It's true they eat a lot of gross stuff over there.

 

[dtm1997]

A director over testing at the HHS said there are enough tests for everyone who needs one to get one. He said they’ll push past 3 million tests this week, excluding private labs too. He said the primary problem continues to be ignorance, where various hospitals don’t know what their options and access is.

What constitutes a "need" to get one?

Here in NYC Metro, I'd say almost everyone "needs" to get one so we can truly clamp down on who needs to be in quarantine.

I'm asymptomatic with no fever, but I'd like to get one to confirm if I should still go to the grocery store or walks or if I should really be in true lockdown.

 

[Deleted member 2897]

What constitutes a "need" to get one?

Here in NYC Metro, I'd say almost everyone "needs" to get one so we can truly clamp down on who needs to be in quarantine.

I'm asymptomatic with no fever, but I'd like to get one to confirm if I should still go to the grocery store or walks or if I should really be in true lockdown.

If you wear a mask, separate from everyone, wash your hands, and so on, you should be able to go out to do anything that is a true need. You shouldn't be doing otherwise even if you're not sick really.

 

[GoldZ]

I am not sure where this information is coming from but none of the other coronaviruses are seasonal. So I do not know why we would expect this one to be. Aside from the hottest of summer days in Atlanta, there is not an environment for the virus much more hot or humid than the human body. It will not disappear because of heat and humidity kicking in. I will grant you that the virus probably doesn't like UV light, though. The rapid test will be like the rapid flu test. Valuable if positive, but will have lots of false negatives. Will work well as a screening test, but negatives will require follow-up testing. Plaquenil and azithromycin are 2 drugs that are being tried because we have no other treatment options. Neither of these drugs have proven to do anything for COVID-19. If they do work at all, it will be of very minimal effect. I agree, there will definitely be changes if the football season is going to happen this year. We are going to be washing/gelling our hands a lot more and casting shameful looks towards anyone in public with a cough or runny nose. We might even be wearing white and gold masks in the stands!

"Thanks" chem for your posts. One of the most frustrating elements of this crisis is misinformation. Imagine what our leaders are facing when it comes to our very best and brightest, not knowing what amounts to the unknowable. Nobody here, or for that matter most places, can hold a candle to Dr. Fauci. I'm reminded of his quote earlier:
"It isn't something the American public needs to worry about or be frightened about, because we have ways of preparing and screening of people coming in [from China]," National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Anthony Fauci, January 2020

 

[Deleted member 2897]

The experiment in Sweden may be coming to an end. News this weekend was that the government was putting the finishing touches on new strict measures. Their death count is higher than their nordic neighbors all combined. Stockholm has built a new mobile field hospital and they are prepping the convention center to be used as well. A few days ago a group of 2,500 academics in the country sent a public letter to the government imploring a lockdown.

 

[dtm1997]

If you wear a mask, separate from everyone, wash your hands, and so on, you should be able to go out to do anything that is a true need. You shouldn't be doing otherwise even if you're not sick really.

I'm definitely doing all of those. Using bandanas right now, but was finally able to order some masks.

That said, if I'm asymptomatic, but have it, I'm of the view I shouldn't be outside for any reason. Probably more of a POV on my part than appropriate protocol.

My biggest concern I've had is me being asymptomatic/positive and spreading it to others.

 

[Milwaukee]

On a vaccine:
I see people putting a lot of hope in a vaccine. I would caution against that. By the time a vaccine is actually developed, there is probably going to be a fair amount of herd immunity to COVID-19 and a vaccine may not even be warranted. But even if a vaccine is warranted there are other issues: Immunity to coronaviruses does not typically last very long, may be 2 to 3 years on average. The reason we do not have vaccines for other coronaviruses is twofold: one is because they do not cause significant mortality and the other is because a vaccine is unlikely to create immunity that would last for more than 2 to 3 years. I also do not expect to see a seasonal COVID-19 vaccine because COVID-19 outbreaks are likely to become sporadic rather than seasonal like the flu and COVID-19 doesn't seasonally mutate like the flu. Lastly, the population who would benefit most from a coronavirus vaccine are the elderly and immune suppressed, and unfortunately, elderly and immune suppressed people are the ones that respond poorest to a vaccine. On a more positive note, if a vaccine is going to be developed we certainly have the best and brightest working on it. I am hopeful that this will happen. If it does, we need to encourage everyone including the young and healthy to get it in order for it to have the best chance of success.

On a treatment:
Sorry to be a Debbie-downer, but I have similar pessimism about a treatment. We have been trying to come up with a treatment for the other coronaviruses that cause the common cold for many years. All we have to show for it is Vicks vapor rub and NyQuil. I would love more than anything for a proven treatment to be developed and hopefully it is, but I am also not holding my breath on this one either.

Isn't COVID-19 just a bad cold like the other coronaviruses or the flu?:
Hell no! COVID-19 is way worse than other coronaviruses because it has a protein structure that allows it to bind to and invade respiratory epithelial cells much more effectively than its predecessors. As Red mentioned above, it is super contagious - much more contagious than MERS or SARS. The mortality rate of COVID-19 speaks for itself. Of note, the mortality rate that does not speak for itself is influenza. The number of influenza-caused deaths in this country, and therefore the mortality rate, are likely much lower than the CDC estimates. I am not some sort of weird conspiracy theorist, but I have read on its own website in detail how the CDC makes this calculation and I think it is poorly-contrived at best. They do not actually use death certificates, but they have weird formulas that make a lot of assumptions about who may have had flu and who may have died from it. I will spare you any additional comments on that but bottom line is that the flu deaths are a gross underestimate. Think about it. How many celebrities or prominent figures have you already heard of that have died of COVID-19? Now, how many have you heard of that have died of influenza this season? COVID-19 isn't just a little bit more deadly than the flu, it's way more deadly than the flu especially in the elderly and chronically ill.

If you believe your theory on the flu data from the cdc why wouldn’t you believe that the covid numbers are also inaccurate? Doesn’t make sense to not believe the cdc in one instance and then to believe the cdc in the other unless trying to make one’s own point.

 

[ncjacket79]

It is going to be a seasonal flu. Good news is it will disappear when the heat and humidity kick in. Bad news it will always come back. The flu that we deal with today is a form of the Spanish flu. The drugs that have been used are working it will just matter of a time to ramp up production of the two drugs combined with ramp up production of the rapid test. This will give us time until a vaccine (u of Pitt has started human trials) is found. I think they will play this year, but I think there will be some changes. They may start/finish sooner, shorter schedule.... if they don’t play this year, you may see some programs go under/make cuts to some athletic sports.

Way more optimistic than current trials/experience warrants. While I hope you are correct the evidence is pretty thin right now.

 

[gtchem05]

If you believe your theory on the flu data from the cdc why wouldn’t you believe that the covid numbers are also inaccurate? Doesn’t make sense to not believe the cdc in one instance and then to believe the cdc in the other unless trying to make one’s own point.

Great question! I believe the COVID numbers in the US because they are based on actual death certificates (this may cause a slight underestimate of deaths but probably not much). I actually do believe the pediatric flu death numbers from the CDC because they are also based on death certificates. There have been 162 pediatric flu deaths this season. Again, it's not that I don't trust the CDC. They don't hide the fact that they estimate adult flu deaths apart from death certificates. I just don't agree with the way they calculate it.

 

[bobongo]

Good Lord, why can't you understand that hospitals are being pushed to the breaking point in some areas, and that health care workers are in jeopardy of their lives. We all have an obligation and duty to practice social distancing.

 

[FredJacket]

Good Lord, why can't you understand that hospitals are being pushed to the breaking point in some areas, and that health care workers are in jeopardy of their lives. We all have an obligation and duty to practice social distancing.

Probably too soon to have the philosophical discussion... not probably, it is too soon.

But do we have a duty & obligation to not drive our cars due risk of death to others? How much pain/death is acceptable given the benefit of actions?

I did not read the referenced article in the tweet, but there does need to be a risk assessment to all our behavior....now and going forward.

For record, I'm doing my part on social distancing.

 

[Techster]

Good Lord, why can't you understand that hospitals are being pushed to the breaking point in some areas, and that health care workers are in jeopardy of their lives. We all have an obligation and duty to practice social distancing.

Just look at social distancing like eating your veggies as a kid. You might not like it, but it's good for you...eat it first to get it out of the way then you can enjoy the nice T-bone steak.

IF we would have clamped down and went through shelter in place back in February when the numbers were far less and far more manageable, I'm sure all of us would be at the office and going to our favorite bars and restaurants at the end of the day.

But here we are.

 

[bobongo]

Probably too soon to have the philosophical discussion... not probably, it is too soon.

But do we have a duty & obligation to not drive our cars due risk of death to others? How much pain/death is acceptable given the benefit of actions?

I did not read the referenced article in the tweet, but there does need to be a risk assessment to all our behavior....now and going forward.

For record, I'm doing my part on social distancing.

You have a duty to drive SAFELY. What's not to understand?

 

[FredJacket]

You have a duty to drive SAFELY. What's not to understand?

Is driving safely always at speed limit (or is 60 in 55, ok?... I bet it might "depend"?

Is it 6 feet (or is 8 feet better)? Should I go to get groceries every 3rd day or twice a month?

These are just a few things I need to understand.

 

[LibertyTurns]

There were articles out back in Feb regarding Chinese cities that had forced restaurants to take dog and cat off their menu.It's true they eat a lot of gross stuff over there.

There’s a lot of people that have not been overseas or have lived a sheltered life in their burb house behind their gate.

I knew it would take long for the “always offended” crowd to raise their hackles and scream racism. The default reason they’re not getting more of what someone else has.