On Topic Discussion 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2)

[NotHardUp1]

Re: 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Some of the earliest cases were around Vò which is where the first death (a 78 year old male) occurred.

I haven't seen any investigation into the source but in most early cases across Europe, it has been business travelers to China or one of the nearby countries. Since Milan is a major hub for business, one would expect that a business travel was also the source of the earliest infections. The Chinese government put the brakes on travel before Chinese New Year, so travel to Wuhan by Chinese nationals would have been less than in a typical year.

My guess is that the Italians are so overwhelmed with the crisis conditions that contact tracing is the last thing on their minds. I'm hampered by not being fluent in Italian (and they seem to have different regional words for the same thing?) , so I can't find the articles that I would normally find with a Google search.

Vò ended up being a epidemiological case study for successful eradication of infection. When the first death occurred, the public health officials went to Vò on 6-March and tested the residents (population 3,400 people, 3,000 were tested). They found 90 people who were infected who were put in isolation for 14 days. After 14 days, they retested and found 6 asymptomatic carriers who continued isolation. Since the isolation, there have no further cases.


I would agree. I haven't spent much time in that part of Italy but other than this being a more rural, agricultural area of Italy, there doesn't seem to be any reason why hygiene would be an issue in the epidemic. Unless there's something that I'm not aware of, they people of that region seem to be like most Mediterranean people in their habits.

There are things that an epidemiologist would consider: They are very social. They spent a lot of time in social gatherings. Kissing as a greeting seems to be common.

But the thing with Italy is that, because of the history of the country, it's very hard to generalize about the whole of the country versus the individual regions of the country.

Agreed that Italy is not that much more of one country today than when it coalesced in the middle of the 19th century.

However, the kissing greeting is very much a shared cultural thing with much of Southern Europe and is exactly the sort of thing that I meant both by referencing hygiene and culture vs. a genetic susceptibility or resistance to a disease. For example, it would seem very likely that Nordic countries will see little contagion for multiple social reasons more than medical or genetic.

The vector of infection can absolutely be cultural habits, which involve hygiene. One would think a culture that is accustomed bowing instead of touching may well have an advantage in blunting community spread. Maybe.

Of course, all humans trying to avoid it must follow the guidance to avoid touching the mucus membranes. Maybe there is an advantage THERE for wearing face masks in that they prevent the touch of the nose or mouth, so retard self-infection.

 

[rareboy]

Re: 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19)

 

[KaraBulut]

Re: 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19)

20-Mar-2020:

COVID-19 stats
Cases reported: 245,484 (up from 222,642 yesterday)
Deaths: 10,031 (up from 9,115 yesterday) - 916 people died yesterday

Cases reported in the US - 14,250 cases (up from 9,415 yesterday), 205 deaths

• The nexus of the cases has shifted from the far east to Europe and the US. China and South Korea have minimal new cases. Italy remains the hot spot but the US is catching up quickly.
• Italy now has more deaths (3,405) than China (3,253).
• Boris Johnson's government in the UK seems to be living-in-denial. People in London are still gathering in pubs and indulging in the same social behaviors that caused the situation in Italy.
• The Olympic Committee says they still plan on holding the Olympics in Japan in July.
• Goldman Sachs estimates that 2.25 million unemployment claims were filed this week. The Trump Administration sent a letter to states telling them to not send out specific numbers of new claims.

Global coronavirus cases in major countries:

• Italy - 41,035 cases (up from 35,713 yesterday) - 3,405 deaths.
• Iran - 18,407 cases (no update from 18,407 yesterday) - 1,284 deaths
• Spain - 18,077 (up from 15,014 cases yesterday) - 833 deaths
• Germany - 16,290 cases (up from 13,093 cases yesterday), 44 deaths
• France - 10,891 cases (up from 9,058 cases yesterday), 371 deaths
• South Korea - 8,652 cases (from 8,565 cases) - 94 deaths
• Switzerland - 4,164 cases (up from 3,067 cases yesterday), 43 deaths
• UK - 2,717 cases (up from 2,644 cases yesterday), 138 deaths
• Netherlands - 2,468 cases (up from 2,056 cases yesterday), 77 deaths
• Canada - 872 cases (up from 727 yesterday), 12 deaths
• Australia - 681 cases (no reported change from 681 cases yesterday), 6 deaths

United States:

• The US exceeded 1,000 cases on 11-March. Yesterday at this time, it was 9,415 cases. New cases reported yesterday - 4,835 - an over 50% increase. The increased infection count in the US does not indicate new infections- it is because the US has finally implemented testing sites and is able to find people who infected who were never counted before the tests became available. The infections that were diagnosed yesterday occurred in the past 2 weeks before the National Emergency was declared.
• New York added over 2,300 new cases yesterday. New Jersey added 315 new cases yesterday.
  - New York - 5,298 (up from 2,914 cases yesterday), 32 deaths
  - Washington - 1,376 (up from 1,187 cases yesterday), 74 deaths
  - California - 894 (up from 833 cases yesterday), 19 deaths
  - New Jersey - 742 (up from 427 case yesterday), 9 deaths
  - Massachusetts - 328 (up from 256 cases yesterday)
  - Florida - 426 (up from 322 cases yesterday), 8 deaths
  - Illinois - 422 cases (up from 288 cases yesterday), 4 deaths
  - Louisiana - 380 cases (up from 280 cases yesterday), 10 deaths
  - Georgia -287 (up fom 197 cases yesterday), 10 deaths
  - Colorado - 183 (unchanged from 183 yesterday), 2 deaths
  - Texas -156 (up from 108 yesterday), 4 deaths
  
• California is in complete lockdown. All 40 million people in California are expected to stay home and only leave for essential things like to get food or medicine.
• The governors of Florida and Texas woke up yesterday. Gov DeSantis (R-FL) ordered beaches and bars to close to finally get Spring Break kids off the beaches after they had been there for a week. Gov Abbott (R-Tx) ordered bars, restaurants and schools to close.
  

 

[NotHardUp1]

Re: 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19)

The Trump Administration sent a letter to states telling them to not send out specific numbers of new claims.

I suspect they don't have the authority to stifle the release of state information. It is administered as a state agency, and the factual information will probably be released regardless of the Administration's attempts to control the news in an election year.

The Democrats are not likely to allow it.

 

[KaraBulut]

Re: 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19)

I suspect they don't have the authority to stifle the release of state information. It is administered as a state agency, and the factual information will probably be released regardless of the Administration's attempts to control the news in an election year.

The Democrats are not likely to allow it.

The news about the Labor Department "advise" just became public. The States were told to to use terms like "higher" instead of providing numbers to the media. The fact that the story was leaked is an indication that the States aren't happy and you right, expect that the Press and the Democrats will insist on getting accurate information.

Source:
Labor Department asked states to delay releasing increased unemployment numbers: report [The Hill]

The Trump administration asked state labor officials to delay releasing exact numbers for increased unemployment claims, according to a report in The New York Times.

“States should not provide numeric values to the public,” Gay Gilbert, the administrator of Labor Department’s Office of Employment Insurance, wrote in a memo Wednesday that was reviewed by the news outlet...

The Labor Department email also asks states to only “provide information using generalities to describe claims levels (very high, large increase)” until the department releases the total number of nationwide jobless claims for this week on Thursday of next week...

 

[belamyi]

Re: 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19)

- - - Updated - - -

"Around the world": "UK, US, Italy, France Germany & Spain" LOL

The Anglo Basin with its holiday backyard.

 

[Harke the Boeotarch]

Re: 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Great! Now Belgium is fining travelers! Never going to get to Paris from Amsterdam at this rate!

 

[KaraBulut]

Re: 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Trivia for those who are interested...

WHO sent out an advisory notice that the virus has been officially named "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2" (SARS-CoV-2).

The pandemic illness that SARS-CoV-2 causes has been termed "coronavirus disease" (COVID-19).

For Google search purposes, I've added the virus name to the thread title.

 

[cityboy-stl]

Re: 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Trivia for those who are interested...

WHO sent out an advisory notice that the virus has been officially named "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2" (SARS-CoV-2).

The pandemic illness that SARS-CoV-2 causes has been termed "coronavirus disease" (COVID-19).

For Google search purposes, I've added the virus name to the thread title.

This is just going to confuse people. Bad move, especially now.

 

[KaraBulut]

Video from one of the hospitals in Italy:

 

[KaraBulut]

12 hours ago:

• Iran - 18,407 cases
• Spain - 18,077
• Germany - 16,290
• US - 14,250 cases

Now:

• Spain - 20,410
• Germany - 19,848
• Iran - 19,644
• US - 19,285

12 hours ago:

• New York - 2,914
• Washington - 1,187
• California - 833
• New Jersey - 427
• Massachusetts - 256
• Florida - 322
• Illinois - 288 cases
• Louisiana - 280 cases
• Massachusetts - 256 cases

Now:

• New York - 7,845
• Washington - 1,513
• California - 1,077
• New Jersey - 890
• Illinois - 585
• Michigan - 549
• Louisiana - 537
• Florida - 514
• Georgia - 420
• Massachusetts - 413

Keep your eye on Florida and Louisiana over the weekend.

 

[eddielee]

The US seems to be having a coronavirus explosion. Very scary. What will happen to countries like India, with a very dense population and often poor access to healthcare?

 

[zoltanspawn]

The US seems to be having a coronavirus explosion. Very scary. What will happen to countries like India, with a very dense population and often poor access to healthcare?

God help them.

Things will be bad here.

Unless the heat and humidity "miraculously" represses the virus, it will be devastation.

 

[Telstra]

Lock down question ...

Why can't people go out if they know its 100% safe ??
(meaning they are not going to go near anyone)
The law treating people like little kids is not a good law i think.

https://au.yahoo.com/news/coronavir...tedly-kicked-out-china-jogging-032021782.html

 

[KaraBulut]

The US seems to be having a coronavirus explosion. Very scary. What will happen to countries like India, with a very dense population and often poor access to healthcare?

It's been going on for weeks. What has happened is that we now have tests and can confirm how many cases are out there. And we're hitting that 2-3 week mark where people who just thought they "had a cold" are now starting to feel really sick.

Ever been on a NYC subway at rush hour? Unfortunately, these people who weren't tested didn't know to stay home so they didn't spread the virus, so we've got another 3-4 weeks of this to go before we will know whether the number of cases will start to go down from the "stay at home" orders.

Keep in mind that these people aren't going to die but unfortunately, they have likely infected 2-6 other people, some of whom might.

 

[Dominus]

^ Also, I have read reports that some infected people no matter how young and healthy they were recovered with lungs that looked like they smoked for 60 years.

 

[KaraBulut]

^ Also, I have read reports that some infected people no matter how young and healthy they were recovered with lungs that looked like they smoked for 60 years.

That is always true for ARDS. ICU nurses are very familiar with ARDS- it's not just related to COVID-19- it happens to trauma patients and patients with pneumonias. If they survive (ARDS mortality is 40-50%), they do have residual lung problems that take weeks to months to resolve.

For those who get COVID-19 but don't have the severe complications, the flu-like symptoms last a few days but the dry cough seems to persist for days or weeks.

 

[KaraBulut]

Re: Lock down question ...

Why can't people go out if they know its 100% safe ??
(meaning they are not going to go near anyone)

https://au.yahoo.com/news/coronavir...tedly-kicked-out-china-jogging-032021782.html

It's two different systems. The article you linked is about China. China has an authoritarian government. At one point, the Chinese government was flying drones around and using their facial recognition software to make their citizens follow the rules.

One of the problems with democracies is that it is difficult to get citizens to follow laws because they don't have an authoritarian government that forces citizens to follow the rules and punishes them severely when they don't.

The law treating people like little kids is not a good law i think.

In normal societies, children aren't put into prison. Adults who act like children are put in prison, though.

The Italian government has run out of patience with adults who act like children:

Italy calls in military to enforce coronavirus lockdown as 627 people die in 24 hours [CNN]

...Chinese medical experts helping Italy deal with the crisis have said the restrictions imposed in Lombardy are "not strict enough."
The government has now agreed that the military can be used to help enforce the lockdown, the president of the Lombardy region, Attilio Fontana, told a news conference on Friday.

"(The request to use the army) has been accepted... and 114 soldiers will be on the ground throughout Lombardy... it is still too little, but it is positive," Fontana said. "Unfortunately we are not seeing a change of trend in the numbers, which are rising."

Meanwhile, the Chinese Red Cross vice president, Sun Shuopeng, urged tougher measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus....

"In the city of Wuhan after one month since the adoption of the lockdown policy, we see a decreasing trend from the peak of the disease," Sun Shuopeng said. "Here in Milan, the hardest-hit area by Covid-19, there isn't a very strict lockdown: public transportation is still working and people are still moving around, you're still having dinners and parties in the hotels and you're not wearing masks."

"I don't know what everyone is thinking."

 

[Alistair]

The Cleveland Clinic reported that a problem they might run into is a lack of swabs for testing. The swabs are produced in the hardest hit area of Italy.

 

[metta]

^
500,000 Kits were recently shipped from Italy to Tennessee.
They have cut back on testing in Los Angeles because it cannot be contained.

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SYMPTOMS

Digestive issues could be first symptom of coronavirus, study says

"Researchers found that almost half — 48.5% — of the 204 patients in the study said their “chief complaint” was digestive issues, such as diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain."

Coronavirus Symptoms Start About Five Days After Infection, New Research Finds

The CDC suggests that immediate medical attention is necessary if you think or know you have the new coronavirus and are experiencing:

1. Difficulty breathing
2. Persistent chest pain or pressure
3. Confusion that you weren’t experiencing before
4. An inability to get up
5. A blue tint to your lips or face

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MAKE YOUR OWN MASKS AND LEARN HOW TO BRING NEW ITEMS INTO YOUR HOME SAFELY

Here’s a DIY Way to Make Your Own Protective Face Mask
What Are The Best Materials for Making DIY Masks?
How to Handle Packages During the Coronavirus Pandemic


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HOSPITALS SHORTAGE OF SUPPLIES

In a Seattle hospital, they are making masks out of office supplies. I have a neighbor that is is going to make maks for hospitals. This is really bad!

'At War With No Ammo': Doctors Say Shortage of Protective Gear Is Dire
'This system is doomed': Doctors, nurses sound off in NBC News coronavirus survey
Doctors and nurses ask public to donate protective gear
Hospital Workers Make Masks From Office Supplies Amid U.S. Shortage

‘We’re not getting new supplies and our stores are almost depleted.’

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TRACK FEVERS AROUND THE COUNTRY

Fever-tracking smart thermometers may trace the spread of COVID-19

There are over 1 million Kinsa smart thermometers in the US and they are telling a tale of illness across the country.

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Coronavirus: Newsom says 56% of Californians are expected to be infected with COVID-19, ask Trump to send hospital ship