COVID-19 Coronavirus current events

Is that actually dangerous though? If they test negative after 14 days, then surely they don't have it?
it should be 14 days from any exposure. if youre trapped in a cruise ship (and being fed food by crew, who many came down with the virus) youre still exposed.

the Americans that flew home, they [quarantined within the plane] the people who tested positive before the flight, but then later found 22 people in the main plane cabins tested positive.


But on Monday, the CDC reported that 22 of the other US evacuees had tested positive for the coronavirus.
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https://www.businessinsider.com/how...es-had-tested-positive-for-the-coronavirus-28
 
Is that actually dangerous though? If they test negative after 14 days, then surely they don't have it?
Well, the UK evacuated their nationals who tested negative (and put them into a new quarantine). Four of them have tested positive since.
Coronavirus: Four new UK cases among ship evacuees

Four cruise ship passengers flown to Britain on Saturday have tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases in the UK to 13.

They were among 30 repatriated Britons and two Irish citizens beginning a 14-day quarantine at Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral.

The four UK nationals caught the virus on the Diamond Princess liner in Japan, England's chief medical officer said.
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51606368
 
Is that actually dangerous though? If they test negative after 14 days, then surely they don't have it?

"The accuracy rate of the test is only 30 to 50 per cent, said Wang Chen, president of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, during a CCTV interview on Wednesday."
https://www.scmp.com/tech/science-r...eat-coronavirus-patients-constrained-shortage

Compare with: "Rapid flu tests only 50 to 70 percent accurate, CDC says"
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rapid-flu-tests-only-50-to-70-percent-accurate-cdc-says
 
The CDC now says that 36 evacuees from the ship tested positive
36. that's the same number as my article .. there were 14 positive put in isolation on the plane before the flight. and they found 22 more in the main cabin.
Fourteen US citizens who tested positive for the virus flew home in an isolation box
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Business Insider
 
36. that's the same number as my article .. there were 14 positive put in isolation on the plane before the flight. and they found 22 more in the main cabin.
Fourteen US citizens who tested positive for the virus flew home in an isolation box
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Business Insider

Right, when Business Insider was reporting 36, the CDC page was showing 18. Now Business Insider updated it to 40, and the CDC is showing 36. Maybe it'll update to 40 later.
Also, Business Insider describes an isolation box, while the Washington Post reported, "The two Boeing 747s had 18 seats cordoned off with 10-foot-high plastic on all four sides." Maybe the box was for something else.
 
I'm very curious about that isolation box. Are these specially equipped aircraft?
they are regular aircraft that were chartered (and i'm assuming sprayed down really good after use... since they are in flight now.

Source: https://twitter.com/flightradar24/status/1229163332084666373


im not sure if both planes had the isolation boxes (although I imagine they did). these re the two planes
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n716ck to SKF - San Antonio [Kelly Field (Lackland AFB], TX, US .
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n710ck to Travis Airforce base
 
Oh, they're freighters. I was wondering how they got those boxes inside and tied down, without having to remove a ton of seats. Or squeeze them through a way too small door.
 
Oh, they're freighters. I was wondering how they got those boxes inside and tied down, without having to remove a ton of seats. Or squeeze them through a way too small door.
knowing technology today, they probably fold up into the size of a pocket square :)
 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...89693a-580e-11ea-9000-f3cffee23036_story.html

Live updates: First U.S coronavirus case of unknown origin confirmed in Northern California, a sign the virus may be spreading in a local area

Feb. 26, 2020 at 3:40 p.m. PST

BREAKING: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been informed of the first case of the coronavirus in a person who did not recently return from a foreign country or have contact with a confirmed case, according to a person briefed on the case. Officials have begun tracing the contacts of the resident to find out how the person may have been infected and who else might have been exposed..
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This seems potentially significant - and possibly means there's going to be an outbreak in Northern California. Which is where I live.
 
Right, when Business Insider was reporting 36, the CDC page was showing 18. Now Business Insider updated it to 40, and the CDC is showing 36. Maybe it'll update to 40 later.

Yup, now the CDC shows 42 cases from the cruise ship. Updated February 26, "Numbers closed out at 4 p.m. the day before reporting." So Business Insider was ahead of the CDC reporting.
 
This seems potentially significant - and possibly means there's going to be an outbreak in Northern California. Which is where I live.
Yes, it is more of a question of when and where outbreaks will occur in the U.S. rather than a question of if, and Northern California may be at risk. What also remains uncertain is how severe the outbreaks will be and how effective the responses will be. Faith in the U.S. response may be low given who is now in charge of coronavirus matters in the U.S., but each state does have strong public health enforcement agencies that know how to do their job and function mostly independently from federal agencies. So, it could be severe or it could be mild, hard to predict at this point. The best we can do is stay informed, listen to public health officials, and consider the possibility of your city being on lockdown in the coming weeks/months. Caution and swift action are key in these situations.
 
Faith in the U.S. response may be low given who is now in charge
Actually, I think this is one area that his super narcissism is going to benefit us. He mentioned our low numbers at least a dozen times in the press conference yesterday. I get the feeling he wants to "win" the numbers game with "those other" countries. Motivation is good (whether the cause of the motivation is warped or not)

edit add: and a U.S. pandemic will annihilate him in the Election.
 
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Actually, I think this is one area that his super narcissism is going to benefit us.
I was referring the fact that the VP has been put in charge, as of yesterday. Which is...very questionable. But again, there are still many experts who can do their job at the state level.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...ak-reporters-he-battles-democrats/4879117002/
President Donald Trump said the nation is prepared for the coronavirus during a Wednesday press conference where he announced that Vice President Mike Pence would lead the administration's response.
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First case in the USA, reported today in Sacramento, CA.....as an "unknown source" of the viral infection.
This is the worst-case fears for the spread of the virus.
It's maybe too early to trace back this particular infection source, reliably...... (it may be solved) but this is the kind of sporadic infection that is troubling.

Also note, that depending on floating cruise ship conditions, 14 days in room seclusion does not necessarily mean 14 days of viral seclusion....depending on how the virus is spread. Viralologist scientists are not 100% sure about the transmission methods..
So, I could spend 14 days in seclusion, but be exposed on the 12th day.....and be deemed "OK" on the 14th day.
(I think Deirdra mentioned this too)




..
 
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Italy has an outbreak, and today is Ash Wendsday where huge groups of people meet.
The Pope was seen to be experiencing symptoms of a cold. Rumors of papal virus are streaming.
Even if not legitimately convo19 virus (Pope)....certain customs and religious greetings exist in many countries where cheek kissing or hearty hugs and handshakes are customary.
These customs can be transition methods.
 
Today WHO upgraded Coronavirus risk from "high" to "very high" at a global level, they still do not consider it a pandemic.
“We do not see evidence as yet that the virus is spreading freely in communities,” he said. “As long as that’s the case, we still have a chance of containing this virus.”
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Source: https://www.scmp.com/news/world/eur...o-upgrades-global-risk-virus-spread-very-high

The financial market sell-off is troubling. The stock market is down 13% in 5 days, factories remain closed in central China, and we're starting to see some production shortages.

The FDA just announced its first drug shortage - https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-supply-chain-update

And there could be up to 150 other drugs that could run into supply line shortages https://www.axios.com/coronavirus-t...il&utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosam&stream=top

Not to mention consumer goods and electronics like the iPhone, or even artificial sweeteners used in Diet Coke are running into a shortage - https://6abc.com/food/diet-coke-shortage-coronavirus-affecting-supply-of-sweeteners/5971356/

Everyone needs to be skeptical of the 'it will all blow over' response, especially if it's true that HHS workers helped spread the virus because they weren't wearing protective gear and didn't get tested.

Officials at the Department of Health and Human Services sent more than a dozen workers to receive the first Americans evacuated from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, without proper training for infection control or appropriate protective gear, according to a whistleblower complaint.

The workers did not show symptoms of infection and were not tested for the virus, according to lawyers for the whistleblower, a senior HHS official based in Washington who oversees workers at the Administration for Children and Families, a unit within HHS.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/heal...-coronavirus-evacuees-hhs-whistleblower-says/
 
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from your link:

The shortage is due to an issue with manufacturing of an active pharmaceutical ingredient used in the drug."

"It is important to note that there are other alternatives that can be used by patients," he added. "We are working with the manufacturer as well as other manufacturers to mitigate the shortage. We will do everything possible to mitigate the shortage."
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And there could be up to 150 other drugs that could run into supply line shortages https://www.axios.com/coronavirus-t...il&utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosam&stream=top
from your link:


Why it matters: China is a huge supplier of the ingredients used to make drugs that are sold in the U.S. If the virus decreases China's production capability, Americans who rely on the drugs made from these ingredients could be in trouble.


What they're saying: The FDA declined to comment on the list, but said in a statement that it's "keenly aware that the outbreak could impact the medical product supply chain," and has devoted additional resources toward identifying potential vulnerabilities to U.S. medical products stemming specifically from the outbreak.

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Not to mention consumer goods and electronics like the iPhone, or even artificial sweeteners used in Diet Coke are running into a shortage - https://6abc.com/food/diet-coke-shortage-coronavirus-affecting-supply-of-sweeteners/5971356/

That is good news that I never thought of. Trusting the governments to handle things effectively is iffy, but corporate greed... that i trust! :)


"The safety and health of the company's associates remains a high priority," according to the statement. "The company has implemented precautionary measures to protect employees in China, which includes providing face masks and hand sanitizers; installing temperature screening in offices and manufacturing facilities; and setting up health monitoring mechanisms across the Coca-Cola system in China."

Coca-Cola also is donating to organizations involved with helping patients and containing the virus. The amount of its donations was not disclosed.

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First U.S. death reported a day after Trump said, "So far we have lost nobody to coronavirus," and "This is their [Democrats'] new hoax."
 
The President's Chief of Staff is literally saying the media is covering the virus because they think it will bring down Trump.

“Why didn’t you hear about it?” Mulvaney asked the conservative audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference. “What was still going on four or five weeks ago? Impeachment, and that’s all the press wanted to talk about.”

“The press was covering their hoax of the day because they thought it would bring down the president,” Mulvaney continued. “The reason you’re seeing so much attention to [the coronavirus] today is that they think this is going to be what brings down the president. That’s what this is all about.”
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Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...opes-coronavirus-bring-down-trump/4907058002/

This messaging seems totally reckless, this is a highly contagious virus and information can protect people's health, even save lives. Obfuscating it as an electoral issue is totally unproductive toward the goal of containing & eliminating the virus.


Source: https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1233603105977225216
 
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Officials at the Department of Health and Human Services sent more than a dozen workers to receive the first Americans evacuated from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, without proper training for infection control or appropriate protective gear, according to a whistleblower complaint.

The workers did not show symptoms of infection and were not tested for the virus, according to lawyers for the whistleblower, a senior HHS official based in Washington who oversees workers at the Administration for Children and Families, a unit within HHS.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/heal...-coronavirus-evacuees-hhs-whistleblower-says/


Travis AFB is in Northern CA between the Bay Area and Sacramento.

Feb. 5 and Feb. 7 - 234 evacuees were flown from China by the U.S. State Department and arrived at Travis AFB.

Feb 17 - 167 people were flown to Travis AFB from Japan after possibly being exposed to the virus while aboard the cruise ship Diamond Princess.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/27/us/politics/coronavirus-us-whistleblower.html

Federal health employees interacted with Americans quarantined for possible exposure to the coronavirus without proper medical training or protective gear, then scattered into the general population, according to a government whistle-blower...

The team was “improperly deployed” to two military bases in California to assist the processing of Americans who had been evacuated from coronavirus hot zones in China and elsewhere....

Staff members from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families were sent to Travis Air Force Base and March Air Reserve Base in late January and early February and were ordered to enter quarantined areas, including a hangar where coronavirus evacuees were being received, the complaint said. They were not provided safety-protocol training until five days into their assignment...

Without proper training or equipment, some of the exposed staff members moved freely around and off the bases, with at least one person staying in a nearby hotel and leaving California on a commercial flight.
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Is this why we're seeing "community spread" cases in this part of the country? Not from the evacuees, but from the exposed workers. The infected people are not the workers themselves or, as far as is known, first degree contacts with the workers. Are they second or third degree contacts? This would imply that there's a hidden population of infected people, with only the sickest being identified.

The first person who was found to have the virus, but was not exposed to anyone known to be infected with the coronavirus, is a resident of Solano County, Calif. Travis AFB is in Solano County.
 
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Is this why we're seeing "community spread" cases in this part of the country?
I was thinking that too, 2 asymptomatic carriers? one went north and one went south? but I would think the CDC would think of that esp because of the whistleblower.

but they also get a lot of flights into CA, and for most incoming destinations (that aren't wuhan ) all they are doing to screen people is taking their temperature... which is basically the same as doing nothing. i'm in shock we dont have cases all over the place!

from 3 days ago:


(CNN)There are "ongoing" conversations at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about expanding airport health screenings for the novel coronavirus due to the rapid spread of the infection in Italy, South Korea and Japan, according to an agency spokesperson.

Currently, the United States is doing health screenings only for passengers who are flying in from China. Those screenings involve a temperature check and observations for symptoms.
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https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/26/health/coronavirus-airport-screening-expansion-cdc/index.html
 
The goal is to break the transmission chain. That could be as simple as washing hands, or larger actions like closing schools, canceling public events, or limiting travel to affected areas.

I listened to one expert who explained why hand washing works, because this virus has a lipped outer shell that is broken down by soapy water. Hand sanitizers work when the alcohol evaporates .

Some basic info from a poster in Singapore:

IMG_20200224_104808576.jpg
 
The lipid bilayer is a thin, fatty membrane that acts as the boundary of the cell. They tend to be insoluble to water alone (the cell tension can't be loosened). Soap contains acidic compounds known as "surfactants" which release that tension on the surface of the cell, that allows you to rinse off the virus.

Edit: Here's an easier to read study about the efficacy of hand washing: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4839906/
 
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that allows you to rinse off the virus.

I don't understand your quote, but thanks :) it sounded like his source was saying just soap would kill the virus. (and I was wondering why hospitals use rubbing alcohol etc if this was so)
 
Got it, regular soap isn't going to kill the virus. Antibacterial soap or hand sanitizer might, but it's equally effective as regular soap. I think for hospitals, they just choose hand sanitizer because it's convenient, not because there's any advantage. The important thing is to just keep your hands clean :)
 
because it's convenient
plus they probably don't trust guests to wash correctly. I recently told my mom if she goes shopping to wash fully twice on returning home doing the full ABC song each time and she said "what?" She's in her 70s and never heard you have to wash your hands a certain amount of time to do any good. :) she experimented and told me "I wash till "j". so I said "stop doing that".
 
A friend of a friend was in home quarantine in Singapore after being close to a cluster of infections.

- The quarantine meant not leaving the bedroom for two weeks. The bedroom had it's own bathroom. Food was delivered outside the door. Some food items were provided by the government.
- There was also an option to go to a quarantine center if home isolation wasn't possible.
- Temperature was taken five times a day, and the government checked in with a video app at random times each day to make sure the quarantined person was at home.
- The persons employer was paid by the government, something like $50 a day, for each day of lost work. Unemployed or self employed quarantine people were paid directly.

Singapore has been able to contain the virus so far, but I wonder if other governments, including here in the US, are prepared to do the same.
 
strange days down here, as spooked citizens stockpile toilet paper


Supermarkets stockpile, toilet paper production runs 24 hours
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/...production-runs-24-hours-20200303-p546hm.html

Australia's largest toilet paper manufacturer is moving into 24-hour production as major supermarket chains ramp up supplies of long-life pantry items over growing fears of a coronavirus-induced supply shortage.

89034337_2626639430995771_3673332739102212096_n.jpg


more troubling is Hong kong airport on Tuesday 8:00 pm


88113172_3644069992302143_932277012997865472_n.jpg


or BKK Suvarnabhumi airport

88184721_10220081773261814_3569453513324888064_n.jpg
 
Singapore has been able to contain the virus so far, but I wonder if other governments, including here in the US, are prepared to do the same.

UCLA and CalState LA quarantined students and staff after a measles outbreak last year. A friend was in home quarantine while her blood was tested to prove immunity. She had measles as a child, but it wasn't documented.
"Measles quarantine issued at two California universities"
https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/25/health/california-universities-measles-quarantine/index.html
The order was announced by public health officials Thursday at the University of California, Los Angeles and California State University, Los Angeles for students, faculty and staff who were exposed to a confirmed case of measles and who cannot prove that they have been vaccinated against measles. Those students and university employees -- numbering more than 200 people -- were ordered to stay home, avoid contact with others and notify public health officials if they develop symptoms.
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Singapore has been able to contain the virus so far, but I wonder if other governments, including here in the US, are prepared to do the same.

I think the U.S. will shift from containment to mitigation, but for now states are still trying to contain it.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/heal...solation-potentially-exposing-others-n1148641
The first coronavirus patient in New Hampshire — an employee of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center — defied instruction from public health officials to stay away from other people...
That action prompted the state to issue "an official order of isolation to the first patient." Most states have such rules. And breaking these rules may be punishable, depending on each state's legal guidance... The CDC says that most states regard breaking a quarantine order as a criminal misdemeanor.
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What do they do with violators, put them in jail?
 
So, I've been getting flooded with ads for face masks due to the virus, first on my newsfeed and now in youtube ads. All for the same design of mask that's almost certainly -not- actually certified. I'll probably make a post about it when I get home from work, mainly because I find people selling shoddy priducts to exploit fear to be utterly reprehensible.
 
So, I've been getting flooded with ads for face masks due to the virus, first on my newsfeed and now in youtube ads. All for the same design of mask that's almost certainly -not- actually certified. I'll probably make a post about it when I get home from work, mainly because I find people selling shoddy priducts to exploit fear to be utterly reprehensible.

Ebay bans sellers from using coronavirus to 'profit from tragedies and disasters'
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/e...t-from-tragedies-and-disasters-150927277.html
eBay requests that all sellers who have live listings offering items such as face masks, hand sanitiser gel or wipes, etc., review their listings and make sure that they comply with eBay Listing policies.
  • Health claims and misuse of keywords: titles and item descriptions containing health claims and misusing terms such as "Coronavirus", "Covid-19", ‘Virus”, "epidemic" are prohibited.
  • Prices inflated above prevailing market value: listings that attempt to profit from tragedies and disasters (such as the Coronavirus outbreak) are prohibited.
  • Laws and Regulations: we recognise this is a fast changing situation. We advise sellers to always check local laws and regulations when listing. We will continue to monitor the situation globally and provide further updates as necessary.
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Silly recent story (this week), but true, and I'll share....
....about casual handshakes in this cautious and potentially over-hyped period of human-to-human viral transmission.
I had the opportunity to meet, greet, and shake hands with two of the wealthiest men in the world. We all exchanged hands.
(no names, dont ask, privacy)

Then later that night, my body felt sore, and my eyes felt hot....like as if I had a fever.
I tested my temp, and I was normal. I probably felt that way because of a very long active day.

However, fear was distilling inside me....
Could I have potentially innocently spread Covid19 to these "important" men ?
I doubt so...., but it did cross my mind, even knowing the odds would be extremely remote.
But media-blasting of Covid certainly kept my mind rolling....even when realizing the media (TV and radio) are potentially highlighting and inflaming public fears.
I do remember washing my hands minutes earlier, in almost burning hot water and soap.

I certainly became a victim of a virus..... a victim of a fear virus, not a respiratory virus.
 
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meet, greet, and shake hands
stop doing that. you've got cases throughout CA and as a painter you have damaged lungs. Your safety counts too.


Officials urged the public to frequently wash their hands, opt for verbal salutations in place of hugs and handshakes and try to maintain a distance of 6 feet from strangers.


“We have to be prepared. We have to protect the well-being of our loved ones and our neighbors,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said.
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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/c...e-ship-passengers/ar-BB10L3EY?ocid=spartanntp
 
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