Thin bed sheets?
US preparedness.
Compare this to crews in full hazmat gear in South Korea.
Heaven help us.
1
Hopefully by now they are not restricting the criteria for who gets tested to people who traveled to China, Iran, or South Korea. I do believe this is now spreading as the case in California and cases in Washington and Oregon show. Way more testing free of charge is in order and then act accordingly.
This might seem cold to readers who don't have a background in the history of medicine, but when you're 89 and already confined to a nursing home because of comorbidities, any virus that results in pneumonia will probably be the cause of death listed on the death certificate. Whether it's a seasonal strain of influenza (the vaccine is at best an educated guess as to which strains will circulate the next year and doesn't account for antigenic drift and shift), garden variety "common cold" that descends into the lungs to cause pneumonia, Covid-19 or any other virus. Whether by the virus itself, or the virus weakening pulmonary tissue and causing a perfect environment for "super-infection" by nasty bacteria or fungi.
Pneumonia has always been called "the old man's friend" because as far as these things go in the frail and elderly, it's a relatively quick and painless way to go.
For me at least, and I know the dangers of the slippery-slope yada yada, of far greater concern is the virus infecting folks who are productive members of society, a group that includes many elderly folks who are more vulnerable, as well as younger folks with certain comorbities.
An 89 year old confined to a nursing home for the past seven years is a different story, yes they have loved and have ones that love them, but they've lived a full life and aren't about to go twirling through the field while sniffing the flowers.
1
As a RN I am appalled to see that only the EMT/firefighters have the necessary PPE. The masks on the women are all inadequate. They, who presumably are working with these patients all through their shifts, do not have N95 masks or eye protection. C'mon, owners of this facility-step up and get them the protection required by the CDC! We will certainly see many more infections if this is the infection control being practiced in the community.
5
Where is our incompetent big moth president and his hapless associate Pence? Aren’t they satisfied with the stupid way they have handled the Corona contagion in America and the cuts they made in medicine these last years— or are they planning to do worse?
5
Why isn’t the CDC supplying the test kits for Corona that they Were supposed to supply? Where is our cowardly president and his inadequate staff who were supposed to protect us?
5
@Grandma
Right on Grandma!
When figures for coronavirus deaths are published, death figures for the flu should also be published. For instance, this flu season October till now, 18,000 people in the US have died. Why is this not being given any coverage? I am more afraid of getting the flu than the coronavirus. Am I wrong? Would love a medical opinion.
The good news remains that despite these two deaths, we are not seeing explosions of contagion in clusters. In 1918, people began dropping by the hundreds and then thousands within the day of attending the war-bond rally in Philly. This is clearly neither as lethal nor infectious as originally thought.
We should also begin to see the fatality rate drop as it becomes clear that many have mild cases. That said, none of that absolves this nation for how woefully unprepared we are.
Again, it's just dumb luck that this one does not seem to be "the big one." It certainly is not less threatening for our planning skills, which are basically non-existent despite dry runs with MERS and SARS and Ebola. We're now months into this and still no routine testing, no testing at airports, still letting people fly to and return from hotspots without being tested or quarantined, still no coordinated plan for all schools, no plans for mass hospitalizations, no assurances that we will lose pay over being quarantined. Nada.
I'll say it again: Pure. Dumb. Luck. If this were the fabled "big one" we'd be toast.
-----
My points are based on current data; I remain concerned about the heightened level of concern from those in charge of the CDC, WHO, in China, etc and have to keep wondering if they know something we don't.
2
Americans were told to fear terrorists. Americans were bombarded with propaganda about the danger posed by asylum and job-seeking immigrants. We are encouraged to see journalists as an enemy, scientists as irrelevant and facts as being fungible. Now the government tells us not to worry about a highly transmissible virus for which no-one has immunity, in our country where many people don't have access to healthcare. Finally an actual threat....but unfortunately for all of us it doesn't fit the political profile to become a high level priority. The guy in charge of the response (Mike Pence) recommended prayer to cure HIV. We are woefully unprepared, and the administration is committed to staying that way.
4
The media hype over the dangers of the coronavirus is may have much more dangerous consequences than the virus itself.
I am a Professor of Medical Genetics. There are numerous unexplained cases of coronavirus in the US and elsewhere. This raises the possibility that the Coronavirus was for a long time indigenous to humans where only recently a pathogenic variant or unknown co-factor. result in a flu. If true, asymptomatic carriers were for a long time present in the human population. I suspect that population wide screening will show that in every country a certain % of the population are corona virus carriers. The test kit just enables to quantitate indigenous coronavirus carriers that have been there long ago. In other words, it may well be that the hundred of thousands of people that are known to come down with the flu each year in spite of the flu vaccine, actually were infected with the Coronavirus instead to the 4 variants of the common types of influenza viruses: A, B, C and D. The bottomline-Covid-19 is essentially a flu with low mortality rates like the common flu that may have went molecularly undiagnosed for a long time. Caution & 14 days quarantine of carriers are a good approach until a vaccine is at hand, but all the hype and economical panic may have much more dangerous consequences than the virus itself.
45
@lieberma Thank you for this. While lacking a scientific background, basic logic has led me to suspect that the Coronavirus has been among us for a while. I don’t understand why there hasn’t been more skepticism or analysis in reporting. Please continue to share your expertise and inspire others with scientific backgrounds to do the same.
8
@lieberma
I.e., Covid-19 sleeper cells just waiting to be activated in a coordinated world-wide attack.
1
@lieberma COVID 19 is not influenza. It is a coronavirus. The two are different. Influenza has vaccines and pharmaceutical treatment. Coronavirus has no treatment other than non pharmaceutical prevention. COVID 19 has a higher transmission rate.
18
I have family in Kirkland. My brother had about as much information in Kirkland as I had in WV...which is to say not much in terms of planning for the general population.
Unfortunately this is what happens when you pit an incoherent president with a sadly diminished CDC against a real world emergency...trump and pence are not up to the challenge. Trump's hoax comment at a rally on Friday and his attempts to walk back what was on video says it all for me.
96
@Darby Stevens
I agree with much of what you said, EXCEPT the idea that the CDC is diminished is actually NOT TRUE. Do some fact-checking on this please.
3
@Ariel, YOU are the one who is incorrect. See: https://fortune.com/2020/02/26/coronavirus-covid-19-cdc-budget-cuts-us-trump/
10
@Ariel
Mr. Trump certainly has not been at the forefront of leadership in bolstering confidence with his budget recommendations regarding the CDC.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-cut-cdc-budget/
5
Trump's administration reminds me of the scene in "Dr. Strangelove" when Slim Pickens jumps onto the nuclear bomb and rides it down whooping in joy. It's a fun ride until the explosion. (In this case, the Corona Virus.)
21
@Rob Kneller
The response out of Dems and ‘progressives’ reminds me of Chicken Little.
1
Klobuchar and Bloomberg need to get out. Gabbard is just a joke. Warren should stay in and take votes from Bernie.
3
The overblown impact of the Red Virus on world flow economy points out that -- it is well time for the profiteers of many major US corporations to vacate all China operations .. there are countless other spots in the world to use.. of top choice home base
America .....
3
Timing is everything and it is a terrible time to have the most inept President in our history in charge.
182
@NYChap
What's a fact is that the Democrats are trying to restore funding for the Center for Disease Control and other heath related issues that (prior to this crisis) Mr. Trump had been busy cutting. If that makes Trump look bad, then so be it.
23
@NYChap
"What I said is a fact not an opinion."
No. It is complete fantasy.
Trump disbanded a White House group precisely focused on pandemic response (apparently because Obama created it) and has been underfunding the CDC and NIH for his entire time in office. He is a science denying demagogue who revels in narcissistic ignorance.
He has ignored what health professionals tell him and pronounces that COVID-19 is basically contained when it is spreading widely.
There are actual facts with documents and video evidence to back them up.
Your statement was opinion grounded in fantasy and marinated in bias.
12
So your point is that the Democrats prevented Trump from addressing the crisis? If not for the impeachment we would be well prepared? The thing that amazes me is the inability of Trump supporters to see the truth staring them in the face. How do people contort themselves to somehow fit reality into their mistaken belief systems? When I read things like this I know we are doomed.
10
The photographs depicting staff using bedsheets as protection during transfer of patients clearly shows how unprepared we are as a nation.
132
@SridharC: They are using bedsheets to protect the privacy of the patient being transported, not for infection control. However, I do agree that we are unprepared for the spread of the virus here in the states.
The article mentions that Pence and Co. are working on procuring 50,000 commercial tests from 15,000 available. At 1,000 more tests/state, that seems incredibly insufficient as one block in Manhattan alone might require that.
194
I believe the sheets are shielding the patient for observing HIPPA - preserving confidentiality to the patient - not for a microbe barrier.
61
@SridharC consider they were just protecting the patient's privacy. Imagine what happens to the family when this patient's face hits the news.
28
Criticism from Democrats and ‘progressives’ over the Trump Admin response to ‘the crisis’ is priceless.
You know, the same people who enable the filth and disease on the streets of LA and SF. Typhus, rats, etc.
Yeah, let’s put them in charge. Right after they figure out how to count caucus votes.
5
@EGD So far, none of the victims have been part of the homeless community and I doubt they are visitors to healthcare facilities where the loci of infections seem to be a cluster. Nice attempt at a double hit on poor people and Democrats but you seem to have struck out. Batter up!
4
@EGD try to disagree on the merits, you are pulling in unrelated concerns.
3
I see photos of healthcare workers in other countries wearing HAZMAT suits when working with coronavirus victims. I see photos of Americans working with coronavirus victims and they are using sheets and wearing the same scrubs they'll be wearing when they give your beloved grandmother her pills.
3
Redfield, Azar, & whomever the Surgeon General is, need to step down or be fired. They have gravely mishandled the beginning of this pandemic, bungling it like mad, we have no sense of leadership or urgency, all is muddled when we need clarity. Let Dr. Fauci pick their energetic wise replacements. Enough of this!
Vote wisely. Leadership counts.
5
The published phylogeny of the virus is remarkable work and worth looking at to understand why Washington may have community transmission. Such would give me some optimism, suggesting that the transmission of virus does not appear to lead to clinical illness.
What I would like to know is what the status is in the rest of China. If COVID's spread were as clinically infectious as measles (which I've had), then I think we would have seen a lot more cases both in Wuhan and the rest of China.
South Korea's drive in testing may give us the answer to a lot of questions about subclinical infection. I would have hoped the US would have provided leadership in this area, but alas, this appears to not be the case.
1
Pence: "if you pray, it will go away."
3
@POV
Sigh.
I've been praying desperately since November 9, 2016 for him and Trump to go away but every time I wake from the nightmare they're still there.
2
alan brown
With respect, the pneumonia vaccine is for the bacterial pneumococcal variety. Not viral.
The Wuhan virus directly attacks and kills the mucus cells of the lungs in order to reproduce.
China’s expertise with Wuhan virus testing is way ahead of the CDC which cannot even get their third (control) reagent to work. So CDC gave up and went ahead without the control reagent. Sloppy? It looks that way.
2
There is a huge difference between panic-stricken and being prepared.
I am doing my level best to be as prepared as I can, just in case this virus hits closer to home than I would want.
My husband and I have a healthy food supply on hand (canned as well as frozen) in addition to various medical supplies which we would probably use sometime within the 2024 expiration date listed.
Most importantly, we exercise great caution when it comes to being diligent in washing our hands, wiping down door knobs in our building with alcohol and trying to stay clear of not touching our mouths with our fingers.
Let's face it - at least for today and probably the very near future, there is only so much preventative stuff one can do.
Common sense plays a big role. I keep reminding myself to breath, relax, and to take each day as it comes.
I am the very first person I know who is extremely prone to overreacting and become scared over something that I have little control over.
5
@Marge Keller
Very good.
Also get 8 hours of sleep and don't touch your eyes or nose, either. Sanitize your phone frequently.
Sleep is key to immunity - and it seems to be most important after seven hours, so sleeping less means that you miss the maximum immune boosting benefit. Naps of at least 30 minutes can make up any deficit if you get less than 7 hours one night.
Probiotics are really important for immunity, as well.
An article on immunity and sleep:
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/how-sleep-affects-your-immunity
1
@Bohemian Sarah
Thanks for the added reading material and suggestions. Very much for the intel.
1
Meanwhile, Seattle is proceeding to allow this upcoming weekend a Seattle Sounders soccer match, with 50,000 fans expected to crowd the stands.
At a time when France limits crowds to 5,000 or less at any event, our national epicenter for Coronavirus is this foolhardy.
Shocking.
4
@Jean
We have the unionized workers at the Louvre to thank, who refused to work without more safety precautions and that, in turn, led to the very wise decision to close the museum for the time being.
Time for the workers at the soccer match to refuse to work the game. The risk for them is crazy.
2
Like was determined in the last few years regarding bubonic plague and HIV, some people are genetically susceptible and others resistant. With the gene sequencing equipment now available I hope the scientists are testing the few patients who became critically ill and the many for whom it was a bad cold or flu. That could help with both prevention and treatment.
Also I read an article that described an experimental treatment (the new Gilead drug? something else?) which cleared a critical patient in the US in two days; also a treatment in China using anti HIV and antiviral medications that cleared patients in five days. But we don’t hear much about these treatments. The science news disappears as the media glorifies each new case, tries to link them to Trump, and creates more panic. This is the worst type of journalism and will contribute to more people getting sick.
Final thought. Most of these cases seem to have come in clusters of overcrowding, no doubt including the heavy use of public transit in Chinese and Italian cities. This outbreak adds a strong reason why society should rethink the mass transit and high density model that big government liberals have pushed for decades. Small urban electric commuter vehicles, sure to come in the next few years, plus nuclear families in individual homes may not be such a bad idea after all.
1
@Paul
Alas, the stress of sitting in Bay Area traffic for hours each day, immobile, drove my blood pressure into the orange zone. Here in Europe I get a healthy walk in most days, and enjoy widespread public transit at bargain prices. Out of morning and evening rush hour it's not too crowded.
I have switched to walking wherever possible and taxis during rush hour, but when this moment passes I will very happily return to our colorful trams, zero-emission busses and scenic national rail.
Isolation is the bane of modern existence. We are a happier species when we live in villages where we know our neighbors, and houses with extended familly with whom to cheerfully argue and babysit.
After a few months in Europe, with its transport, culture, happy pedestrian streets and convivial cafes, the idea of returning to the soulless alienation of an American city with all noses pressed to cellphones and glares from all the trapped drivers in gridlock is literally frightening.
If you look back at Feb 7 and earlier reportings from the NYTimes, symptoms include diarrhea, causing many Coronavirus patients to go undetected while transmitting to others. This based on information coming from China with its many cases and longer experience with treating this illness. However I do not see this on the CDC website and hence not in the current U.S. news either. This would be important information to help lower the spread, for doctors and potential patients to be aware of. Also, one thing I find lacking is first hand experience from patients describing the symptoms they had and how they felt, the duration of their symptoms, etc explained. Especially in Chinese as we have a lot of Chinese-American doctors. I think perhaps this may help the medical community diagnose discern this illness from common cold, flu a little more easily. Which is likely causing a lot of unnecessary panic when specifics of the illness are not known. In other words I feel like the U.S. is starting from scratch trying to figure things out when if we had a good relationship with China could have more knowledge to get a quicker handle on this.
5
@GPH
Absolutely. I see diarrhea listed as a symptom in the WHO, European CDC and Johns Hopkins / Lancet literature banks, in the reports from China.
A little light reading for days spent housebound out of prudence.
1
The current number of people in China who are or have been infected with the Corona virus is just over 80,000 and, if the data coming out of China is reliable, it is increasing arithmetically, not geometrically. 80,000 may seem like a large number but, in China, it is only 1 out of every 17,500 people. Based on the latest data, it can be inferred that the number infected in China will never even reach 1% of the population, let alone the 30% or even 70% that some experts have predicted. China is showing that this virus can be contained. To contain it in the United States, it may be necessary to sacrifice some of the freedoms that Americans take for granted. However, IMHO, Americans have shown a willingness to sacrifice freedoms to save lives ever since the Patriot Act was enacted. All that is really necessary is to take the threat of COVID-19 as seriously as we take the threat of terrorism.
1
A request to the writers of this article (Mike Baker, Sheri Fink, Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs and Jack Healy) - PLEASE investigate & report to the public on the potential prudence for family members to consider temporarily evacuating elderly family members from nursing homes, assisted living facilities & other senior care entities.
As seniors are THE most susceptible to this deadly virus, optimal-isolation of this most vulnerable demographic is logical & akin to CDC guidance - with planning being readied to isolate the full array of all other demographics - from school & college closings (then increased tele-learning), to plans for workers to stay home (with at least some tele-commuting if their jobs can be supported remotely).
While typical protocol in facilities for the elderly have residents stay in their bedrooms 24x7 & have meals brought to them (rather than congregate in dining rooms for 3 meals a day), in spite of potential lock-downs that block family visits, these facilities still get daily deliveries of foods, medicines, supplies (etc.) thus potential for virus getting in remains vastly higher than isolating an elder at a family home. Further, some assisted living facilities permit small pets to live with elder residents. News reports from Hong Kong over the weekend advised that a Pomeranian was confirmed to have coronavirus thus also pets can be potential carriers. A locked down, infected senior facility could become a de facto death camp.
1
@John BaRoss
Agree with you overall, but the "infected" dog was ruled inconclusive, as the dog was asymptomatic and could well have been simply picked up some virus particles by having chewed or licked an object with the virus on it, which then got on the swab.
There has been zero other evidence of transmission from pets, and companion animals are vital to the well-being and comfort of many shut-ins and people in quarantine.
Check the WHO and European CDC websites for details.
Right now the biggest threat from COVID-19 is unwarranted panic - people stripping the shelves in stores, isolating themselves, This disease primarily affects the same target group as flu; the elderly and people with pre-existing conditions. Flu has killed 41,000 people since October (per the CDC) but we don’t hear about that because it isn’t sexy. its been circulating in Washington for 6 weeks and has a 2 Week incubation period. So why haven’t we seen large numbers of new cases for the last four weeks? Probably because most of the people who catch it get over it quickly without even knowing what they had.
3
Just wait until this hits our uncrowded and well-managed prison system....
2
I believe the mortality rate of 2% is with modern medical intervention to treat the Acute Respiratory Distress that a very high percentage of people inevitably develop. If this were 1918 with 1918 medical technology, I imagine the death rate would be closer to 15%.
The goal now is to slow the spread so that hospitals can cope. It behooves us to realize that and plan accordingly. The lack of leadership and veracity at the federal level is apparent, but I imagine that one of the governors will take up the slack. Or, alternatively, the situation will soon become readily apparent on its own.
A little pushing by the news media on this issue is well advised. Hint hint.
4
@Mark Allen One thing people need to start taking into consideration is that the 1918 pandemic did NOT have a 2 to 3% fatality rate. I do not know where they are getting that figures because even the CDC website states, "An estimated 500 million people were infected globally with at least 50 million to 100 million deaths." If we are tallying the mortality rate of COVID-19 by dividing the number of deaths by the number of known tested cases, then we need to have the same parameters for the 1918 pandemic which would mean it had a 10 to 20% mortality rate. I dare you. Research it. It is not pretty. Some populations lost 8% or more of their ENTIRE population. Things that contributed to that was post wartime poverty, no medical technology, and severe outbreaks of both tuberculosis and malaria. Comparing the two outbreaks is like comparing apples to bricks.
There needs to be a place set aside by local health departments dedicated testing for coronavirus instead of patients infecting doctors' offices and emergency rooms at hospitals.
There also need to be test kits available everywhere. We are way behind in dealing with this outbreak.
15
It is unfortunate that we botched the time afforded us before the virus hit us here, they held those ppl in the cruise ship and all but seems like we didn’t use that time wisely as WHO warned. What’s the use of travel ban if we didn’t use that time to prepare and coordinate. The challenge of infectious disease is control, that’s why we have the C in CDC. But seems like the CDC wasn’t adequate. Hmmm, I wonder why? Budget cuts, non qualified people that only has to be loyal to you know who?
3
@Mary
Totally.
In a couple of places here in Europe and, I believe, the UK, there are drive-through testing facilities.
In Eastern Europe our rate of private car ownership remains low, but we have several countries where you can call a hotline if you have symptoms and they will come and test you at your home. The public health service keeps you informed afterwards of your next steps - monitoring if you are to isolate at home, supervised quarantine lodging, or the hospital. All paid.
5
The budgets for neither the CDC nor the NIH have NOT been cut! Google it. Look it up on Snopes. Stop politicizing this - it's not at all helpful.
I don't think Americans are prepared for how fast and deadly this pandemic is going to become in just weeks.
Containment failed in the USA for the same reason it failed in the PRC, the government under-reacted and failed to test and quarantine adequately. The genie is out of the bottle and we probably now have thousands of hosts that are incubators for the virus and vectors for transmission to hundreds more.
The virus is already in our healthcare facilities and in the ranks of first responders and healthcare workers and their families and so the schools and countless employers where spouses of such people work. The negligence of the Trump Administration in not making detection a top priority back in January is now apparent. Without testing, one cannot contain the virus or the people who act as transmission vectors.
I have never seen such incompetence and ignorance - literally i have not - we had clowns taking the temperatures of people at airports as if every person with a sub-clinical infection would present clinically with acute symptoms as they walk pass the moron with the hand-held inaccurate thermometer. Now the American people will pay for the gross incompetence of the Trump Administration with their lives.
We have 1/20 the number of ventilators we need and grossly inadequate stockpiles of N95 masks and anti-viral drugs such that many will die due to rationing. As we bury our family members, we should understand why they died.
12
I am seriously worried at the ineptness of our federal agencies who are responsible for taking action. CDC was aware in early January about the Coronavirus. In February they sent testing kits to 40 centers in the US. These kits were flawed and new one's had to be sent. CDC put a bureaucratic rule where they had to approve the test to hide the fact that there was a shortage of testing kits. On Thursday FDA woke up and said they would approve any lab in the US that sent us the documentation of how the test would be done. The first lab in New York was approved today for testing. On the political side, Trump appointed Pence, who as governor of Indiana, refused to allow his health agency to provide needle exchange even as HIV was rapidly spreading among drug users. The bottom line, if this gets out of hand, even an donkey will route Trump in November. I am not sure our political leadership nor the federal agencies have woken up to the fact this is the most dangerous threat to our economy, to our people. Focus on this side of the wall Mr. President.
10
@Ben The issue is more with state agencies. They are responsible for local control. CDC just coordinates and it only exerts control over entry to the county from outside. At least the initial problems of internal contagion are all blue states. If you want to blame someone blame the Democrats who control those states. Better yet, stop trying to make a political statement out of a health issue.
2
My 98 year old Mom is in independant living in a large full service, very good CCRC. She cannot cook for herself therefore she would need to go to the dinning room where she could catch this virus when it arrives in NC.
I'd love some advice somewhere on if we should remove our family members from retirement facilities if they are healthy .
Also for those who can't get their loved ones out what can they do to help keep them safe.
2
@Chelsea
I completely understand your concern.
Not sure if you have the resources, but what about having your own private aide (or volunteer family member) support your mom staying in her room for the time being and limiting visits from facility staff? That volunteer could do the bed changing, cleaning, and bring meals. Read up on how to limit transmission of viruses on surfaces like plates and cutlery, and you might be able to reduce her exposure through the critical period of perhaps the next month or so. I defer to health professionals on the risk of going out, but i would think that this aide could even take your mom on walks, etc., if she's mobile, but avoiding the common areas or close contact and practicing extremely good hand hygeine.
2
@chelsea By all means bring your mother home. The only way to protect her, a nursing home is one of those places you don’t want to be in a pandemic. Take responsibility of your loved ones and yourself. Follow your States recommendations for washing hands and cleaning surfaces that can be infected with any bacteria not only corona virus.
2
Based on what I have observed over the weekend going about my business in Chicago, I don't think the hardy people of this city are unhealthily fearful or concerned about COVID-19. I dodged innumerable fresh splotches of spit on my four-block walk to work this morning (I work at a large academic medical center). And, from what I can tell, many folks haven't yet gotten the memo to cover their mouths when they sneeze or cough. Anyone who wants a mask but continues to spit and/or sneeze/cough uncovered begs questioning.
Here's another reason why masks for the general public may not be advisable: in a population where spitting and uncovered sneezing/coughing is highly prevalent, masks may lead to moral hazard. Masking the general population may create a false sense of security that leads to jettisoning basic hygiene principles; it may also lead to underestimation of risk associated with large, dense gatherings should a local outbreak arise.
The perverse empirical result that might ensue is this: downstream data would end up showing that broad distribution of masks is ineffective in preventing infection at the population level -- not because masks are ineffective, but because of moral hazard.
4
When you believe a spin doctor instead of a doctor, you’re in deep trouble!
4
In a case like that at this facility, beyond the risk to patients- some of who were among the most fragile, who have been eluding death by just a hair -- there is risk to all staff and all of the staff's children and other family members. And then to everyone they come in contact with- at the grocery store, etc.
It is looking like we will get to a place where there will have to be a shutdown of public places -- no longer to reduce transmission ( we may have missed that boat anyway) but because we will not have enough healthy people to operate things, public and private.
The testing apparatus had best be available soon enough so that people who have been exposed or had the infection can be cleared to resume their lives.
Our ill-informed Pres. could not have stopped this virus from its spread, but he should have pressed for full national preparations at the first signs of major trouble - and did not. And he did maim the CDC out of his ignorance - - so strange that a germophobe has so little respect for the people and institutions which attempt to manage the very risks he dreads.
9
The photo of the nursing staff protecting this patient's privacy from the media with bedsheets is very moving to me.
In this case our country's nurses are the first responders. They are putting themselves at risk to help those that are sick and it just really hits home how selfless they are every other day too.
Just a big thank you to the healthcare workers out there worldwide--we're going to need you.
20
@Ashley Thanks for your comment, my daughter-in-Law is a nurse on the progressive care unit at a hospital she is exposed to all these viruses and many other things. God Bless these commendable nurses and all first responders.
5
@Ashley Now if only they were provided with N95 masks, cover gowns and eye protection. So sad to see they are lacking these basics. The EMTs look like they've got much better supplies.
1
Please inform, not inflame. Moderation on both the disease and political fronts would be much appreciated in these troubled times.
6
Is this for real? If so why isn't it more widely reported?
After 4 years of research funded by Israel’s Ministry of Science & Technology, MIGAL’s researchers have developed an effective vaccine against avian coronavirus Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV), to be adapted soon and create a human vaccine against COVID-19. Israel’s Minister of Science and Technology, Mr. Ofir Akunis, commented: Minister Akunis has instructed the Director General of the Ministry of Science and Technology to fast-track all approval processes with the goal of bringing the human vaccine to market as quickly as possible.
MIGAL has now made required genetic adjustments to adapt the vaccine to COVID-19, to enable the initiation of production of a vaccine to counter the Coronavirus epidemic currently spreading throughout the world, which so far has claimed 2,666 lives. From research conducted at MIGAL.
The Jerusalem Post reported:
Israeli scientists are on the cusp of developing the first vaccine against the novel coronavirus, according to Science Technology Minister Ofir Akunis. If all goes as planned, the vaccine could be ready within a few weeks and available in 90 days, according to a release. “Congratulations to MIGAL [The Galilee Research Institute] on this exciting breakthrough,” Akunis said. “I am confident there will be further rapid progress, enabling us to provide a needed response to the grave global COVID-19 threat,” Akunis said, referring to the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
5
@rich
Interestingly, it was reported here in Eastern Europe, though not in the UK press that I read daily (Guardian, mostly). I heard it last week from a neighbor and then went and looked it up.
@Bohemian Sarah
Hard to tell what is real and what is not these days. I'm hoping that the NYTimes will let us know about this.
3
@rich
I agree. I've become skeptical about pretty much anything. For what it's worth, here is an article in the Jerusalem Post, a mainstream paper of reasonable repute:
https://www.jpost.com/HEALTH-SCIENCE/Israeli-scientists-In-three-weeks-we-will-have-coronavirus-vaccine-619101
Trump’s guide to handling this crisis appears to be:
1. Limit testing to keep the numbers down. “If we don’t know it, you ain’t got it!”
2. Talk about how “cheap” stocks are to get the market bubble percolating again.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 daily.
9
What are the care workers trying to do with bed sheets in the picture?
And none have any real protective clothing on.
4
@Gitanjali
I think it's HIPAA gone a bit haywire. They are screening the patients from being on-camera, I reckon. We should do something more creative and charming - perhaps offer the patients a spray of flowers with which to cover their faces, or some fedoras (mob-style), or maybe just one of those suntanning reflectors.
Don't those aides have something more important to do than a silly march of pseudo-privacy?
In my home-away-from-home here in Europe, we have a much more reassuring approach. With only a few COVID-19 patients, our ministry of health includes an update on their condition, along with a very comprehensive report on the entire situation, four times a day.
We don't know their names, but we know their ages, where they are from, how they might have caught it, if they have a fever today, what their other symptoms are today, how they feel overall, and how may people from their circle were tested and how that is going.
It's very nice. It makes us feel like a big family getting updates on a sick relative. It's very reassuring.
And yet, most people here look up to America. I regret that I am the wiser and refrain from cluing them in.
2
@Gitanjali Did you expect Tyvek suits and respirators? It’s a respiratory illness affecting lungs and spread by droplets (people coughing and sneezing) and enters humans via nose and mouth. So the healthcare staff are appropriately wearing masks ( not recommended for the general public that is not sick, yes recommended for the coughing and sneezing public to protect the rest of us) and washing their hands a lot!
And they are evacuating sick and elderly nursing home patients. Would you like being evacuated on a stretcher gawked at by everyone?
2
I am very surprised that the staff visible in the picture are not wearing the proper equipnment. Health care staff in a place where there have been two cases should ALL be wearing full isolation clothing. that means at a minimum gowns, shoe covers, head covers, N95 masks, and no outer personal clothing. everything stays at the care centre. No wonder it's spreading.
13
@Christine Gloin And let's hope they change clothes before venturing out into the community. I often see health care workers in scrubs at the grocery store at the end of the day.
5
It's like Chad Gadya - the Passover song that tells how a simple purchase of one little goat spawns a huge chain of events.
Trump's election is the goat.
It has led to hideous consequences for so many. That is why we are so upset. Anyone else in office could readily have avoided this mess, but Trump systematically dismantled the plans, teams, and even the basic truth-telling and transparency that kept us safe.
A measure of totalitarianism is when everything in the society becomes political.
You wouldn't think any President would want to slow down or inhibit Anthony Fauci from communicating about an infectious disease, but here we are. You wouldn't think any President would call an epidemic a hoax, but here we are. You wouldn't think any President would make everything for show -- a very bad, inept show for a very thick audience - even epidemic press briefings, but here we are.
Here we are with a gutted CDC that has not performed anywhere near the level of European agencies, and whose credibility is damaged. Here we are with junk health care plans, thanks to Trump, with huge deductibles, and years of expansion of Obamacare neglected. Here we are with a lack of clarity about whether being tested for this disease is covered, where to get tested, and why.
It is tragic that the buck stops on us instead of the Resolute desk. That is why people are upset. It is tragic that our peace, health and sanity are crushed daily under the weight of his colossal ego.
17
@Bohemian Sarah - Our two-month chance to get ahead of the situation was completely bungled by the U.S. federal government. Lack of test kits and federal rules limiting their use put us where we are now, only beginning to test and find out how far this virus has already spread. This crisis will have to be dealt with on the local/state level, since our federal resources to fight contagious diseases have been largely defunded in the past few years. It will take a while for the federal government to get up to speed. Localities can and will move faster. States and cities must resist federal pressure to limit reporting. We need to know quickly where clusters pop up so we can take appropriate actions in those areas.
5
@Freedean
"States and cities must resist federal pressure to limit reporting. "
From your mouth to God's ear, as they say. We need an underground news network, stat. The county health agencies of my Bay Area home are pretty conservative and I regret their lack of moxie in getting out anything but very bland statements.
This is when we need people like Rogue NASA, Rogue EPA and some way of confirming their identity so we can trust the source.
I can't imagine that it has come to this, but here we are. Completely agree with your entire comment.
4
“We have a real handle on this, folks.” Nothing could be further from the truth.
6
I prefer hand washing over hand wringing.
5
OMG 2 deaths from respiratory comprised individuals We have had 10,000 deaths so far this season from the flu. People are panicking everywhere, fueled by the media that desires ratings, clicks, etc. You have a better chance of being struck by lightning twice in the same day. Scare tactics being politicized by our representatives especially in the Democrat party. Trump shuts down travel and the Democrats called racist or xenophobic. My 93-year-old mother had her pneumonia shot and is not worried. Let’s all get a grip.
3
a pneumonia shot will not protrct her from the pneumonia caused by Covid 19
4
@Christine, could you cite a source for this, please?
Pandemic panic has hit the US. Hopefully, precaution, preparedness and realistic possibilities will prevail and replace panic. Just to get an idea relative to other real viral pandemics, a table was shared by a Facebook friend. Corona virus COVID-19 is NO BIG DEAL in comparison to other pandemics. The worst was Marburg with a fatality of 80%. Compare that with Corona 2% in China that was not so well prepared for Corona. Of the roughly 150,000 people who die each day across the globe, about two thirds—100,000 per day—die of age-related causes. In industrialized nations, the proportion is much higher, reaching 90%. Death is inevitable for everyone and Corona should be the least of our worries. I am not panicking, I am prepared to let my immune system defeat the Corona virus, if it dares to come close to me. Fear of Corona virus will be the killer not the virus. That said, I will of course practice personal hygiene that has kept me alive so far and not shake hands for a while with anyone and I will keep my distance and greet people with folded hands and utter the words "Namaste" from a distance.
https://www.sciencealert.com/images/2020-01/5e32faee24306a25ce0db2ca-1200.png?fbclid=IwAR0a4bzs_uKvxMnq2IGA-93G-fsAgYHnSeNb-DeV_DH7OHm2crTZcnYi-eA
3
Pastor Pence will pray us through the crisis....just as he did through the Indiana AIDS epidemic he helped worsen with religious ignorance and antipathy.
"I'm a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican.....and a scientist last......in that order."
Boy is America in trouble.
85
@Socrates
True, dat.
Anyone with the arrogance to demand that Anthony Fauci submit his statements to them for prior review is a demagogue and a madman.
Fauci may have had the grace, wit (or perhaps self-preservation for our benefit) to claim he wasn't muzzled, but he's under a censor now.
Despicable.
10
As one reader already pointed out, Democrats running major cities and allowing homeless people to live on the streets amidst filth and disease have a lot of chutzpah criticizing the Trump administration's efforts to quell the virus.
3
Maybe if the blue states didn’t have to prop up the red states with their tax revenues, they might have the funds to deal with housing for the homeless. Socialism is ok, if the red states get the benefits, I guess?
12
@MCH
Enjoy your whataboutism - or shall I say, what-a-bot-ism, but if I must --
The problems faced by the homeless are the ones that have traditionally been answered by federal programs and regulations. Both have been gutted systematically since the Reagan administration.
The plight of the homeless is a direct result of the destruction by Republicans of federal housing, unemployment, disability, de-institutionalization, and veteran services programs.
6
@MCH
Ronald Reagan closed California's mental hospitals when he was governor and dumped the patients onto the streets of California.
When he was President, he gutted aid to cities and states and began Reverse Robin Hood economics which has devastated American incomes, healthcare and the common good.
Easy to blame those 'evil' cities for the world's problems when you refuse to acknowledge history and reality.
"By the end of Reagan’s term in office federal assistance to local governments was cut 60%. Reagan eliminated general revenue sharing to cities, slashed funding for public service jobs and job training, almost dismantled federally funded legal services for the poor, cut the anti-poverty Community Development Block Grant program and reduced funds for public transit. The only “urban” program that survived the cuts was federal aid for highways—which primarily benefited suburbs, not cities."
These cutbacks had a disastrous effect on cities with high levels of poverty and limited property tax bases, many of which depended on federal aid. In 1980 federal dollars accounted for 22% of big city budgets. By the end of Reagan’s second term, federal aid was only 6%.
"The consequences were devastating to urban schools and libraries, municipal hospitals and clinics, and sanitation, police and fire departments – many of which had to shut their doors."
https://shelterforce.org/2004/05/01/reagans-legacy-homelessness-in-america/
Reverse Robin Hood Republicanism destroyed America.
8
At this time do you feel safe in America lead by an idiot with no empathy, and reflexive autocratic mob-like instincts? A man who is supported by sycophants, white supremacists and cultish religious extremists who think they know better than scientists of merit? Yes like the Republican congress man who initiated the return of the Diamond Princess cruise ship passengers to California ignoring the advice of infectious disease experts. There were no procedures or training in place for containment protocol. Now you have it.
10
This mistake hasn’t been reported in national news:
https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/CDC-Coronavirus-virus-patient-released-in-San-15097374.php?t=2ebd1672c5
1
Widespread testing on the West Coast and elsewhere will show thousands of cases of Coronavirus, and more deaths that had been attributed to something else.
Where are the testing kits? The US is not prepared.
This is entirely due to Trump’s denial and incompetence.
Every American death will be on Trump’s head!
18
@AKJersey - Speed is of the essence and we're two months behind due to lack of preparedness on the federal level and failure to quickly recognize the scope of the problem. And this business about calling everyone who dies "immune-compromised" is bogus and must stop. The statistics from China already clearly show that even healthy senior citizens will be affected at high rates. Do we just write off our parents and grandparents? Truth is important and we won't be able to respond effectively if people continue to downplay this thing. What has happened in China is now happening here in the U.S. Let's admit it, muster our resources, institute protective measures right away (like banning large gatherings) and do our best to slow it down and beat it back.
1
Proper drugs, treatment, support, infrastructure all takes money and in the US all the money is tied up in the hands of the super rich (from tax breaks and loopholes).
The rich are not going to be inclined to give up their ill gotten gains as they as a class are much more capable of "hunkering down" and avoiding the diseased and madding crowds.
On the other hand, they had better be very careful as revolution awaits these bourgeoisie, just beyond their gates.
5
@JFR That's all we need. Yahoos armed with guns and a chip on their shoulder. I'm not one of the rich but certainly don't support your threats.
2
@JFR
Ah, O possible bot, I wanted revolution once and more than once sounded like this after a few too many Harvey Wallbangers in college (yes, that dates me).
May I politely suggest working for evolutionary change? We have a democratic system, in tatters, in America, and we have to use it or lose. What you - or your bot farm - is proposing will just get Trump's goons down on our heads.
1
Of course the US is not prepared to deal with a pandemic virus. It isn't prepared to deal with anything which requires an understanding of science, such as climate change. The electorate seems determined to put people with ideas from the 15th century into office, much to the detriment of us all.
If the problem can't be solved by the positive power of prayer, then to coin a phrase, we don't have a prayer. It depresses me to live in a country that is not just ill informed but willfully and joyously ignorant and proud of it.
5
I went shopping on Saturday. The local Costco had employees wiping down carts as customers were entering the store as well as offering wipes for customers’ hand. The local Walmart was out of wipes and had a bottle of hand sanitizer propped in a rail. With virtually no option but self checkout, I’m sure the screens are never wiped down. I believe all employers should be advocates for both their employees and their customers in efforts to protect the spread of infection. As cash and credit cards are passed back and forth it would be quite easy to be infected by pathogens without any known contact with at risk individuals.
3
@Hla3452
Wear outdoor-style gloves when out and about. Carry hand sanitizer and clean your finger after being forced to remove that glove to use the self-pay checkout's touch screen. Pay using touchless methods like Apple Pay on your phone.
Wash your hands when you get home, using the WHO guidelines. Wash those outdoor gloves. Wash your phone with alcohol. Clean your doorknob and your key - any hard surface that has touched a public hard surface.
Soap, clorox and alcohol save lives.
2
A virus is a very simple thing, it has one main way to jump hosts - a cough. However else it exchanges hosts a cough is the main delivery system. A cough signals other humans that the person before them is sick.when walking on a street, or in a big box store you can move away from a cough, but in certain situations you are trapped, a subway car is a perfect example. A bus if it’s crowded is another, a classroom, with it’s closed environment is another. So a simple way to curtail an epidemic is to remove the sick from the equation.In Japan they stopped the Corona Virus by passing a rule that told the sick “ to stay home, to stay off trains , to stay off buses, to stay out of work and school, and the people listened and they are well on their way to stopping the problem, it was bold quick action that did this , but then again Asia has dealt first hand with SARS, which the United States was spared, so they are taking this very seriously because they learned first hand that the economic and psychological toil is just worse than the physical toll.
The United States is about to learn first hand about all this. The next time this happens we will be ready and will not take it lightly . It’s a shame that our leadership is stubborn , pride goeth before a fall they say. Corona will be terrible but in many ways, ironically, it will change our country for the better, the way SARS in its way made Japan safer and more ready to fight the much more contagious corona virus.
2
I am a physician, not an ID specialist, but I believe the most serious contagion we should fear is the contagion of fear, not the Corona virus. Remember China does not have the medical expertise we have in the U.S. China does not have the pneumonia vaccine that many Americans have taken and it is the pneumonia that kills. All that have not taken it should, especially if they are elderly, have chronic disease or weakened immune systems. That is my opinion. Each person should consult their physician. I am not their doctor and do not know their condition. We have survived epidemics before. We have seen the flu ravage our society, along with polio, AIDS and we have survived.
55
@alan brown
Why in the world would a responsible physician want to deter people from taking appropriate action to protect themselves and their loved ones?
I see no redeeming social benefit to minimizing a disease that has the potential to put a previously healthy 60-something on a ventilator in an underinsured country.
I also wonder why I, a mere theater professional who has run away to Europe to escape the Mango Mussolini, knows that they are not dying of infectious pneumonia but from the ravages of the coronavirus itself on their lungs.
Hmmm..
29
@alan brown China also strictly locked down the Wuhan area and people were not at work, not out on the streets, schools were closed. Their infection control measures were way more aggressive than what may be politically feasible in this country. The pneumonia vaccine I assume you refer to is for bacterial pneumonia, which could be a secondary effect of viral pneumonia, but there are currently no approved vaccines for this viral pneumonia and won't be for at least a year. We have already had 2 deaths in 90ish cases, which is quite close to the estimated death rate. Given the highly contagious nature of this virus, if the US population is broadly infected, hundreds of thousands of deaths is not unlikely. I have no doubt that we will "survive" but it is callous to not consider the risks to an elderly parent, a friend with COPD, a pregnant health worker, a cancer patient, and many others.
25
@lieberma I'm pretty sure they are testing for this particular strain of coronavirus out of Wuhan, COVID-19, whose sequence has been released. Yes, there are other types of coronaviruses circulating in the general public which cause colds but are not lethal. The mortality rate appears to be higher than the flu, or perhaps similar to a pandemic flu year strain.
4
Since before the virus was officially detected millions of people have traveled and intersected with those who were carrying the virus but weren't aware of it.
What our government can do is to encourage and subsidize (something like unemployment compensation) for those who work as caretakers in nursing homes, prisons, food preparation facilities, etc, to stay home if they have symptoms. The loss of pay is often a deciding factor in going to work when not feeling well especially when not diagnosed officially.
7
First, I applaud those in this article for using their names. Hiding towns, shopping areas, neighborhoods from we, the general public, does nothing but increase fears. The Oregon news conference, dealing with our first case, was identified only by county- so everyone in the county, everyone traveling in that county....was worried. We don’t need specific names, but being too general is counter productive. So again, gutsy people in this article. They are acting more in the public interest, more in protecting their friends, families, than, others.
As for the bedsheets- a bit dramatic; just put a light towel over someone’s face for the minute of transfer.
Two other questions; early on, reports from China indicated using blood plasma from mild cases was being given to the more severe cases. Has that proven effective (even mildly so), and is it being done here? And second, again, is any hospital, agency keeping track of which patients have had the pneumonia vaccine- and is their outcome any different?
2
I visited my son in Kirkland, WA 2 years ago. It is a beautiful area, similar to New England, with a friendly and charming downtown.
He changed jobs and moved to northern LA last summer- his friends that are still in Kirkland are extremely worried about what is happening.
I'm not certain anyplace is safe from this anymore. I'd love to see my son, but I'm afraid to get on a plane right now, and I don't want to put him in danger to fly to the East Coast and visit me, either.
Frightening times.
4
Because of the time lapse between a couple of these cases where contact was the cause of transmission, is the incubation period espoused by CDC and WHO of 5 to 14 days no longer valid?
2
If the genetic researcher in Washing had not announced the results of his research via Twitter, we wouldn't know about the connection between the first Washington case from mid January and these later cases associated with the nursing home. What else don't we know? How long before censorship starts to be exerted on scientists and doctors in this country?
12
@Clarice In case you missed it, censorship is here via Trump. No medical organization associated with the feds can say a peep without Pence and his 'experts' giving it their blessing. Thank goodness for state and local governments who are not under gag order.
6
Look at the picture of the healthcare workers in Washington and compare it to the pictures coming out of Asia. The staff in Washington are wearing flimsy masks, no eye protection and no protective gowns. If frontline workers who are actively exposed to the virus cannot get easy access the correct protective gear the entire medical system is threatened.
12
Yes but the politician Vice President Mike Pence, who is clearly primarily focused on the 2020 election, was on half of the Sunday morning shows addressing the coronavirus crisis.
Being ' a Christian, a conservative and a Republican in that order' makes Pence completely unqualified to speak on the issue.
While the lawyer pharmaceutical executive lobbyist Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, who was on the other half of the Sunday morning shows, is equally unqualified to address the human biological health science related to coronavirus.
During his press conference Trump completely confused who among his underlings Pence and Azar was equal and /or first. Except that we know that in Trump's mind that Jared Kushner's 'hidden genius' will not yet be available and necessary.
Let the scientific career professionals at the top, middle and bottom of the CDC, NIH, HHS, USGEN etc. lead and speak to the American people without regard to election year politics and economics.
9
@Blackmamba
Right on.
We need to encourage these NIH and CDC professionals to create an outlet like Rogue NASA/ Rogue EPA so that we get this information immediately, without censorship.
I myself rely on the World Health Organization and the European CDC (ECDC) for timely and comprehensive info. I no longer trust our CDC, especially after their foot-dragging on testing and the gutting of their staff by Trump.
It’s up to the people themselves now to stop this. Just as workers at the louvre museum shut down the museum because they were afraid for their safety. The key step is for local leaders to put common sense rules in place , people must be told to stay home if they are sick, especially if they have a cough. The MTA union should tell its workers to walk off the job until this rule is put in place, or people are going to be afraid to get on subways and buses for very good reason, this is a highly contagious disease.
The odd thing, is that even without these rules they will happen the hard way, when bus drivers get sick because a passenger infected them, there will be nobody to drive the buses anyway.
We can do this the easy way ( get ahead of it) or the hard way( wait till it blows up and we are all quarantined for two weeks ) I prefer the easy way.
The chief job of a union is to keep its workers safe. If our elected leaders don’t have the long range wisdom to take bold decisive action, the people must do it themselves, it might save a city from economic disaster
If Corona is going to spread quickly it will spread in places where people are jammed together, the places people always get sick, subway cars, buses, classrooms, in line at the grocery store.
If people who are sick are told to stay home and a rule put in place, this epidemic will be halted before it begins.
I feel bad for everyone who has to take a bus and the subway, every cough will bring fear and anxiety
8
@Lonnie
Great idea. Also, a thinking President (okay, well, never mind)...
... would immediately authorize unemployment insurance to be sure that no one in America stays home without pay, and make some kind of provision for gig workers, as well.
@JoeBftsplk Btw, the pneumonia vaccine helps arrest bacterial infections not viral ones. You’d need an anti viral specifically made for and tested in animal and human populations.
1
True, but I think the concern is about secondary infections
1
I am still not sure whether the „panic“ is justified. From a rational point of view the current epidemic doesn’t qualify as a pandemic. For that it would need to have an exponentially higher proliferation rate.
The total numbers in the most infected countries are somehow stagnating (China, South Korea, Italy, Iran) - within a week the total number of infected globally (!) grew only roundabout from 75k to 80k. And the death toll a few hundreds. At the same time more than several thousand people died from the ordinary seasonal flu.
Pleas put that in context to moderate your emotions.
Population world: 8 billion. 80000 infected.
4
@Oliver I hope you're right, I really do.
@Oliver "The total numbers in the most infected countries are somehow stagnating" is because these countries have taken very aggressive measures to try to contain the spread of the virus.
The way this is being covered by the press is panicking the country. What good does this do? It actually does considerable harm, not the least of which is to the economy.
Please - report the facts in a calm manner. We don’t need banner headlines with each death.
3
Having lived and traveled through the SARS epidemic, a couple of distinctions stand out. First, the level of panic over COVID-19 seems higher. COVID-19 is evidently more transmissible, but less lethal, than SARS. Many cases are believed to be going completely undetected. And second, people obtain their news and information from social media and the web far more today than in 2003, when SARS was most active here. So, if people want to believe that SARS is a clear and present danger to their own health, they can be selective about their news outlets and feed that fear, whether its rational or not. If readers want to mix COVID-19 with politics, there are plenty of sources that will do that, too. The result of this is it appears that there is less uniformity in reporting, and less confidence in traditionally reliable sources. All of this sows confusion, which, continuing the cycle, generates more fear and panic.
38
@MWR
What this actually speaks to is the government's loss of credibility as a trusted source, and for good reason.
Trump has called the epidemic a hoax. His COVID-19 team has censored the medical experts that report to them instead of leading the effort.
People at risk of being put on a ventilator or having to pay out of pocket for a test, people with the junk health care plans with massive deductibles that Trump allowed to enter the market, and people who live in communities with Trump supporters who declare this a hoax and refuse to cover their sneezes or wash their hands have every right to be frightened in an environment where most of us cannot afford the co-pays of a catastrophic illness and have no consistent or trustworthy source for information.
Sure, call it panic. Call it whatever you like, but it is beneath the dignity of the USA to be in this situation.
19
@MWR : "The result of this is it appears that there is less uniformity in reporting"
Not among the actual news outlets, which report facts.
I don't call the mix of propaganda, shouting, and fear-mongering on Fox "reporting," nor is Fox a news outlet.
1
All the lying president has to do is to take competent measures and the market would recover to some extent.
4
Meanwhile, our president's odious son said that Democrats want millions of Americans to die.
Mike Pence would not disagree with that, given the opportunity in an interview...
I'm pretty skeptical about this administration's equal application of resources, given that trump often reminds America that he's only interested in his team, not all of us.
Man, how hard would it have been to just say "No, I am an adult and understand that Jr. is wrong when he claims such silliness."? But no. Pence actually said that when people are so very mean to poor trump, it's no wonder that he and his family get so frustrated that they have to concoct these idiot plots and schemes.....
trump does whatever he needs to look good and get reelected. That is why I doubt his sincere approach to viral epidemic.
11
There are over 7 billion humans on this planet 3000 have died from this "new" virus. the sky is not falling Wall St.. and this is
not 1918 .. it is highly suggested the media supply information on the virus rather than spray fear about .. let;'s start with a profile of all of the individuals who have passed...
4
@SMPH It is estimated that at least 70% of the world's population will get it, and that there is an overall mortality rate of 2.3%.
All of the individuals who have thus far are someone's loved one- aunt, uncle, mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, husband, wife, something like that. That's what their profile is.
6
Japan has closed its schools for the next month but, sure, no big deal.
Let's talk about Burisma instead, right?
3
and how many cancer deaths yesterday? flu desths? gun deaths? car deaths? this coronavirus is so overblown garbage
3
@Pilot It is estimated that at least 70% of the world's population will get it, and that there is an overall mortality rate of 2.3%. The concern is hardly "overblown garbage."
2
Ok, let's go over it again, two deaths in America from this virus in the past year and we are gearing up for an all out crusade to stop it.
In the same period app. 100,000 Americans were killed seriously wounded by guns in America, an aberration re our peer countries and not a thing is being done about it.
37
@Paul remember the early days in Wuhan and the numbers going up and up and up to close to 80000 in the province over a period of weeks? we are sooooo behind in our ability to test. with our "dont test dont tell" policy, this may really have a foothold already. and if so, we can expect the numbers to go up and up and up. at that point, even though "only" a couple percent die, remember that up to 20% may be seriously ill. that means those people are out of commission. that means that they often need hospital care. and if it happens to enough people, social order will break down. then, yes, we will really have to worry about the guns.
33
@Paul the reason we scramble to contain novel outbreaks is because we need to prevent them from becoming endemic. Endemic means that the virus now exists within the population and can be passed around indefinitely. We are probably at that point already for COVID-19. We passed that point long, long ago with guns. The sad difference is our society loves the “endemic” nature of guns.
6
@Paul Even if you point out the facts, people who are against ANY type of gun reform just don't care. Last week someone opened fire on their colleagues in Milwaukee, killing 5 and no one batted an eye.
According to Pew Research Center, a BIPARTISAN research source, over 100 are killed EVERY DAY by gun in the U.S.
Children aren't dying from Coronavirus, but nearly 1,500 CHILDREN under age of 18 die by gun every year. The U.S. leads in children's death by gun. No widespread panic over that.
Just another day in America, nothing to see here.
6
Unfortunately, for Trump and America, the "genie" is out of the bottle and all his bluster cannot put it back.
You will know that the situation is dire when Trump leaves for the last place on earth considered virus free. And in the age of faked videos he may already have left, and what you see on your screens are digital avatars.
16
In Germany last week I read in the newspaper that an American himself had ordered a Covid19 test because he had symptoms. He had to pay $3,000 for the test. Only $1,500 was refunded by his insurance company. And a lot of other people in the US have no private money for the test and no insurance at all.
I appreciate the freedoms I associate with the United States. But a pandemic is a collective fate that can only be dealt with through collective effort.
The first thing that needs to be done in my view is to have a clear picture of the facts of the spread. Without free testing for all citizens you will not learn anything. The most important incubation period has been frittered away. By the way, here in Germany too. Singapore and Switzerland eg. are more careful and act much faster.
It's not about locking away all people but about avoiding a dynamisation of the spread. But all countries do it differently. Italy bans the carnival in Venice and football matches, and in our country no one cares if 50,000 people meet. So how can people trust in their governments?
29
@Heinz I grew up in Germany. Don't compare a well run health care program in Germany that covers all citizens to the fear mongering "socialism is communism" jingoism in the US. Sadly, universal healthcare will never occur in America.
4
@Heinz Link to the newspaper article, please?
1
Only the wealthy can afford healthcare here in America. All this "free testing" requires taxes. And if there's one thing Americans hate more than anything, it's paying taxes. We'd rather have a bunch of people die.
1
Here in the US, we have seen the rapid disease spread in other countries and the dangerous role that denial plays in furthering this virus. We were given the gift of time to prepare, prevent, and learn from mistakes made in other countries and we are squandering it. Some helpful actions have been taken, but the situation in Seattle demonstrates that they are not enough. Why are we not closing all schools in affected cities? These are major transmission locations-especially since the symptoms in children are mild and often go unnoticed. Why are not more employers who can telling their employees to work from home? In Oregon, our governor said "I want to encourage Oregonians to go about their daily lives." No, we shouldn't. We need to make some foundational and very "inconvenient" changes in our communities immediately if we are going to contain the spread of this virus.
26
@Kalive I agree with your excellent assessment here, my grandkids are in school, and places like that, as well as other large public gatherings, are prime transmission centers. Daily life has to include self-quarantine action. As the vaccine is more than a year away, only personal responsibility is the key to prevention. Science deniers have their agenda, and unfortunately it thwarts the efforts towards maintaining the health and safety of all Americans.
I am a 64 year old nurse. I have my DNR (out of hospital ) ready. If I get the virus and die from it, I hope to get enough comfort measure meds on the journey out. I will probably be scared but it shouldn't hopefully last too long--worst case scenario. More people should think of getting their affairs ready way ahead of time. It is amazing how many 80 and 70 yr olds come into the hospital and haven't even bothered to discuss issues with their family. Death is a part of life, people. I don't plan to leave what savings I have to the hospital to pay bills......
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As a nation, the US has been very lukewarm about sciences in this country since the later days of the Apollo missions outside of any technologies that move products. This attitude didn't start with Trump, but he's the worst symptom we've seen so far in this culture of of free market worship. Whether it's climate change or pandemics or any challenges that aren't immediately thought of as profit motivated, we are exposed and unprepared. Hopes and prayers are not enough for those who are going to get sick and this in on all of us to make sure that our public health and crises management is as world class as a Wall Street steakhouse dinner.
9
Most of the coverage I have seen has been how would the virus effect the election or how would the virus effect the stock market. Is humanity really this shallow? The answer is sadly yes.
22
More PR and obfuscation are not the way to manage a crisis. Watching the administration over the weekend simply reinforced their image of incompetence. This week, Trump has scheduled a made-for-TV stunt at the CDC in Atlanta, a highly-respected agency he has gutted.
Instead of working for obtainable goals like massive production and distribution of testing kits and an expedited development of a vaccine, we have another version of celebrity TV.
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Who are we kidding? The Coronavirus is in New York. It was in Seattle for weeks and you think someone didn’t come to New York?
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@Kingsley Arthur Rowe She came from Iran. She's in her home because she didn't need strict medical attention.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/01/nyregion/new-york-coronvirus-confirmed.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
1
Yes. There are confirmed cases in Manhattan as of this morning. I see no reason to expect it won’t spread rapidly since the government has been so relaxed about this “hoax”, providing nothing in the way of widely broadcast CDC recommendations, supplies, ie masks which are sold out locally. For this to have started in December 2019, and the US to have done next to nothing to prepare. This is a place where the ineptitude of DJT is on display for the world.
Trump said we’d be down to nearly zero cases by now. Washington state officials say COVID-19 has been spreading undetected in communities for six weeks. Rhode Island and New York are reporting new cases. Media, please ignore the con man in chief and focus on statewide health officials who are on the front lines. At least they are taking their jobs seriously. Even Dr. Fauci and the CDC are now too afraid to stand up to Trump.
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@PABD Need to fear Jesus, blaming a disease on any one person or group is wrong. Read in scriptures Jesus is coming back soon get your soul in the right place because eternity matters not this life on Earth, make the decision to cast all your burdens on him and ask him into your life and trust in him and he will give you peace from your fears and your worries.
With over a month to prepare, our government did not have enough test kits to check for the virus. And of the people who should have been tested, many, regardless of their health or contacts, were not.
What is wrong with these people? All I hear is how we have the best medical resources in the world, but we can't even figure out when to test for the virus.
I am very concerned for our country as those responsible for keeping us safe are inept so far.
The question for Pence is not how many test kits are being produced now but why weren't they produced a month ago? Also, why would anyone think that the protocols of who to test would be so specific as to not test for those who have been exposed even if they have no symptoms? That decision allowed the virus to be passed on without anyone's knowledge. I mean, how could Washington State be considered as to having the virus spreading for weeks before anyone knew or tested those who should have been tested?
As an individual who is in his sixties with health problems like diabetes and heart disease I am very worried but don't feel confident in the governments response. Especially with that worm Pence in charge. His main objective, as always, is nothing more that kissing up to Trump and making sure Trump is happy. He is absolutely the wrong man for the job.
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@wfisher1 Where in the constitution does it say it’s the government’s job to keep us from catching a cold? More people die from the flu - 41,000 since October 2019 per the CDC - but we don’t see the level of hyperbole and panic associated with COVID-19. Could they have done some things better? Of course. But with the benefit of hindsight, you can criticize anyone about anything.
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@Jeff M :
no, it's no one's "job" to help prevent us from catching a cold, but this is not a cold.
Just for giggles, see this:
1918 Spanish Flu historical documentary | Swine Flu Pandemic | Deadly plague of 1918
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@Jeff M Right at the beginning, in fact:
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution..."
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If ever there was time for all the world’s pharmacy research companies to work for the common good this is it.
Take a leaf out of the open source software communities and publish the result of research, both positive and negative results.
This should speed up the development of a working vaccine by cutting out unnecessary duplication.
I realise that this is counter to the way in which patents are created currently but I firmly believe that this is the best way forward.
Even a few months saved could save countless lives. Of course shareholders might suffer a trifle in lost profits but an open non patented vaccine may be the best route to solve this crisis.
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It appears that the coronavirus kills elderly patients mainly because they get pneumonia, which may be actually caused by a bacterial or different virus infection that attacks when the patient is weakened. If so, it makes sense to get a shot for pneumonia. Had yours?
13
@JoeBftsplk
Yes. Over 65 you should get it every 5 years
1
Looks like those nursing home health care workers just exposed themselves and many to the coronovirus.
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@AW Yes the health care workers have none or insufficient protection. They are infecting ALL their elderly residents. The workers then go home spreading to all they meet along the way AND leave the virus behind with everything they touch.
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@AW Where is their personal protective gear? Their N95 masks? a bed sheet is not enough to protect from transmission
I’m thinking most of the Americans tested for corona virus were the WH staff, Trump family and relatives, and employees at Mar a Lago and various golf clubs that Trump visits frequently. Why did Trump spring a spontaneous weekend visit to Walter Reed Hospital in mid November 2019?
7
@Princess & the Pea Are you kidding me? I am not a Trump fan at all, but this type of invective is both highly inaccurate and extremely unhelpful during the crisis.. Trump has provided some leadership and I doubt he, or anyone in his administratin, were aware of the virus in November 2019 as nobody was infected in China at that point. This type of comment is so disappointing.
12
The media hype over the dangers of the coronavirus is may have much more dangerous consequences than the virus itself.
I am a Professor of Medical Genetics. There are numerous unexplained cases of coronavirus in the US and elsewhere. This raises the possibility that the Coronavirus was for a long time indigenous to humans where only recently a pathogenic variant or unknown co-factor. result in a flu. If true, asymptomatic carriers were for a long time present in the human population. I suspect that population wide screening will show that in every country a certain % of the population are corona virus carriers. The test kit just enables to quantitate indigenous coronavirus carriers that have been there long ago. In other words, it may well be that the hundred of thousands of people that are known to come down with the flu each year in spite of the flu vaccine, actually were infected with the Coronavirus instead to the 4 variants of the common types of influenza viruses: A, B, C and D. The bottomline-Covid-19 is essentially a flu with low mortality rates like the common flu that may have went molecularly undiagnosed for a long time. Caution & 14 days quarantine of carriers are a good approach until a vaccine is at hand, but all the hype and economical panic may have much more dangerous consequences than the virus itself.
11
The media hype over the dangers of the coronavirus is may have much more dangerous consequences than the virus itself.
I am a Professor of Medical Genetics. There are numerous unexplained cases of coronavirus in the US and elsewhere. This raises the possibility that the Coronavirus was for a long time indigenous to humans where only recently a pathogenic variant or unknown co-factor. result in a flu. If true, asymptomatic carriers were for a long time present in the human population. I suspect that population wide screening will show that in every country a certain % of the population are corona virus carriers. The test kit just enables to quantitate indigenous coronavirus carriers that have been there long ago. In other words, it may well be that the hundred of thousands of people that are known to come down with the flu each year in spite of the flu vaccine, actually were infected with the Coronavirus instead to the 4 variants of the common types of influenza viruses: A, B, C and D. The bottomline-Covid-19 is essentially a flu with low mortality rates like the common flu that may have went molecularly undiagnosed for a long time. Caution & 14 days quarantine of carriers are a good approach until a vaccine is at hand, but all the hype and economical panic may have much more dangerous consequences than the virus itself.
6
@lieberma
Methinks the "lady" doth post too much (three times in under a minute).
Unfortunately Covid-19 is closely related to two other viruses (SARS and MERS) which have obviously been recently introduced to humans through animal vectors. That seems to detract from the 'long present in humans' scenario. The highly variable incubation period and virulence point to something more novel than these suggestions. As does the unusual period of asymptomatic infectiousness, and the possibility of dormant periods between bouts of infection.
In regard to this virus the boundaries of our ignorance are still very much unmapped.
34
I'm scared for my brother who lives in America.
Here is Australia if you had any notion that you were coming down with it you can call your doctor and advise them of the fact and usually be seen within the day to be tested. All at no cost. (Yes yes I know we pay in our taxes ..)
Its frightens me because I expect in America many people will be tempted to just hold off until they are in urgent need of care and in that time may have passed it onto others who aren't so well equipped physically to handle it.
If it cost me to get treatment I would probably be the same. It's a frightening scenario for us Aussies who know when we are in need our healthcare is covered almost all of the time. Especially in a crisis mode.
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@Kb People will go to the ER. In fact, after the ACA was passed, even more people went to the ER as it was acting as their primary care physician. Not, it does cost those without insurance to go to the ER by law: : The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (42 U.S.C. § 1395dd, EMTALA) is a United States Act of Congress passed in 1986 as part of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. It requires hospitals and ambulance services to provide care to anyone needing emergency treatment regardless of citizenship, legal status or ability to pay.
11
@Kb When I was a manager at a large U.S. coffeehouse chain, I had an excellent health plan, but when I had severe tendinitis and needed medical care, my boss threatened to fire me if I took time off to see my doctor, let alone call in sick.
I am sure that some Australians face similar problems; not all bosses like to comply with labor laws, and if you can't risk losing your job, you're likely to ignore your health and say "yessir, massa" instead.
Personally, my best reason to forgo a visit to my health provider is that that's where all the sick people are.
33
@Dominik Jacobs No, actually. This is not the case in Australia or New Zealand. With socialised medicine, the employers do not pay for medical care and workers have the right to be sick and to go to the doctor. The health of the individual and of society at large is valued.
In comparison, the US is a backwards medieval country with no public health system and is thus incredibly vulnerable to things like Covid-19.
153
This is proof at how absolutely inept this Administration and our president is in handling pandemic like this. Money is not everything. We need a government and a president that is going to protect Americans from pandemics And crisis like this. . We are not going to get that with this President and this Administration. It is time for a big change. . It is time to care about our families and our health more than we do the stock market.
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@Never Ever Again You are a person who is complaining about President Trump and our nations infrastructure and system of health care for only one reason. You hate Trump and do not want him re-elected. While the coronavirus was just beginning to be identified around the World what were the Democrats doing. They were impeaching the President and then trying to remove him from office on unsubstantiated articles of impeachment. The entire country was fixated on removing the President. that is what wasted precious time as far as being kept up to date on coronavirus.
Right at the top of things that will need to be closed in reaction to outbreaks has to be polling places. what happens when the democrats have to cancel the convention? what if a number of cities are unable to conduct the general in november? just thinking aloud...
8
@AB Oregon has been a vote by mail state for years. For those living in other states it might be sensible to vote absentee.
13
In the USA, by not testing, there are bound to be many infections that are not detected so far. I fear that there will soon be a rough wake-up call for the USA, since even the son of the 'very stable genius' in the WH is doubting his father's competence in this most serious virus outbreak.
It is not so much the percentage of people dying, as it is the percentage of people falling sick, some for many weeks. If a large percentage of the population can no longer go to work, the economy will slow down to a dangerous low.
In a country like the USA, where medical care is not available to millions of people who simply do not have the means to 'buy' proper care, the effects will be devastating.
No country is prepared for an outbreak like this, but there is a difference between 'not being prepared' and 'not coping at all'.
Worldwide, stock exchanges are plunging because of this virus. Attributing the downward slide of Wall Street to the poor quality of the candidates of the Democratic Party, is another proof of the total lack of knowledge of this issue by DJT.
All the 'prayers' of VP Pence will not be of any help...
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@ES
And I feel grateful to live in your country as an expat. I know the quality and accessibility of health care here is amazing. Even our 19 year old said that the he feels more secure here knowing what actions are being taken and what services are available. Thank you for letting us be here!
4
The current administration is treating this issue with the seriousness it deserves. Don't forget that in April of 2009, the H1N1 became a pandemic. But it wasn't until six months later, October, that then-President Obama declared a public health emergency on what was already a pandemic. By that time, the disease had infected millions of Americans and more than 1,000 people had died in the U.S.
CNN reported at the time: Since the H1N1 flu pandemic began in April, millions of people in the United States have been infected, at least 20,000 have been hospitalized and more than 1,000 have died, said Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
4
@BeanerECMO If only the person in charge wasn't there to suppress facts emparted to the public. The truth is we cannot trust those in charge, as they have proven repeatedly that they want to control what we know, not control the problems we have.
22
@BeanerECMO you deflect to the Obama era to demonstrate how effective the current response is but you offer no evidence the current response is good.
23
@BeanerECMO
there are significant differences
WHO mortality rates
o H1N1 Swine Flu mortality rate 0.02%
o all seasonal flu mortality rate 0.1%
o CORVID-19 mortality rate 2.0 %
conclusion
---------------
o H1n1 is 5 times less deadly than all other seasonal Flus
o H1n1 is 100 times less deadly than CORVID-19
therefore those 1000 deaths were less than the number of deaths from Seasonal flus.
when Obama did declare a National Emergency . those on the right complained that he only did it to cause a panic among the Public to push his healthcare Agenda .
1
While Mr. Trump is busy congratulating himself for putting additional travel restrictions on other countries, a potentially major outbreak has been brewing in our own backyard. Other countries may well start putting travel restrictions on anyone who's been in Washington State recently.
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@Julie W.
He is doing a lousy incompetent job yet he constantly brags how well he is doing. Who brags like that? Just do the job with modesty. Such boasting is really sick in itself. Donald just do the job well and quit saying how great you are. Everybody knows you are not.
Its really disgusting.
5
@Julie W.
What is happening in Washington State has already triggered panicked buying of food staples and other items in Vancouver. Seattle is like our sister city. People here travel down to watch the football games. The mood has shifted in this city.
1
I’m puzzled why no health care workers in King County are wearing protective clothing. It appears standard procedure in other hot spots around the world. And was raised as an issue when Diamond Princess evacuees were met in California.
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@Joan
The article notes the facility has been flagged for problems with infection control procedures.
8
@Joan Right? The EMTs appear to be well prepared, but the poor care facility employees, who are at exteremely high risk, are wearing only ill fitting surgical masks without eye protection. I hope this company provides the required equipment ASAP!
1
I am surprised Trump hasn't blamed the deaths on the Democratic Governor of Washington. He must be slipping.
The reality is that this virus spreads before it manifests itself in readily visible symptoms. In other words, you can have it, spread it, and not yet feel ill. Guarding against that is impossible without a vaccine.
If the government wants us to stay home during our times of minor illness (this virus can appear to be a cold to many), they need to protect the very same people from financial ruin for doing so. Considering most folks these days are one paycheck away from bankruptcy and/or homelessness, having little to no sick time only means the spread of a disease.
Consider this: One week of a year is 1/52 of a year's income, or almost 2%. Yet many doctors won't take any action for someone who reports cold symptoms until ten days after the first symptoms. That is more than one work week.
COVID-19 may force us to rethink how we react to the symptoms of a common cold. It seems necessary.
32
The first case here in Scotland was confirmed here just the other day.
I live in a very international community here at the University of Aberdeen. With varying levels of coverage in regards to healthcare for international students, it’s pretty worrying to consider how many students would be affected even financially by a major outbreak.
Not to mention that accommodation for students often resemble military barracks with people closely packed in, conditions for viruses to spread like wildfire. I’ve noticed more and more students wearing masks when going on campus.
40
@Desmond Bouse
At least these are YOUNG people who apparently are not at an immediate risk of dying of the virus, like 65+ people are.
Furthermore, these students do not yet participate actively in the working force, so even if they fall sick, the impact is not as devastating as if more than half of a country's workforce is sick and forced to stay home or be hospitalized.
The number of hospital beds available (in almost all the countries concerned) will not suffice to care for people falling seriously ill.
Only in China are they capable of building a 1000-bed hospital in a mere week and to dispatch 25'000 doctors and nurses to the Wuhan district where this virus apparently came from.
This is all very, very scary.
15
@ES
Eeeeek, those youth whom you are so happy to pack together and wish good luck have professors in the dead center of the risk group, as well as campus staff.
We are all a heartbeat away from each other.
6
They keep saying that 2% of people who get corona virus die but the reality is that we are probably missing over 95% of infections. In other words, only one tenth of of one percent die. To know the answer, we need to check for antibodies, not live virus. It is interesting that neither here nor in China have they tested large populations for residual antibodies. It is as if they don't really want to know. Why? Why are they not testing for antibodies in healthy people?
38
@Michael Green
They are desperately looking for reasons why children are hardly or not at all concerned by this virus.
My guess is that children have an immune system which is optimal, and therefore they escape this virus for the greater part.
At 74 years of age, I do not feel comfortable at all with the risk of being infected, even though I am in good health and have adequate health insurance.
21
@Michael Green
because up to now, the antibodies have not been characterized. Source: RKI (German federal institute for disease control and prevention).
At present RT-PCR testing for the virus would be sufficient. But as long as your government is not willing to test thoroughly especially all asymptomatic but contagious patients and as long as the test lasts 4 days America has no chance to win this battle.
21
@Michael Green It is called a crisis for a reason.
14
"The state then went weeks without any more positive tests, but only a few dozen potential cases were tested in that period." And there is the issue. We haven't been testing, so we don't know the extent of the spread. I can only hope that now that the FDA has given the green light for many states to doing their own testing, we'll see a lot more people being tested.
49
I've seen comments that the media is over-reacting & instilling fear.
I'm much more concerned by the casual, off-hand approach of government & employers.
On Friday Boris Johnson said that the situation was so serious that he was calling a meeting of the government's emergency response committee to be held today, three days later.
Last night one of my sister's colleagues returned to Scotland from northern Italy via London. No checks before leaving Italy, no checks in London & no checks in Glasgow. His manager made it clear on Friday that he was to be at work today, no working from home which he could do with ease, he had to be there in person. Same for all his colleagues on the trip. My sister isn't happy.
Preparing for the worst & hoping for the best is an old cliché. If there's a safer way forward I've yet to hear it.
89
@VambomadeSAHB "Last night one of my sister's colleagues returned to Scotland from northern Italy via London. No checks before leaving Italy, no checks in London & no checks in Glasgow. His manager made it clear on Friday that he was to be at work today, no working from home which he could do with ease, he had to be there in person. Same for all his colleagues on the trip. My sister isn't happy." This is where our work culture will become a liability for everyone.
59
And how many employees who "aren't happy" feel they have to "put up or shut up" for fear of either losing their jobs or being seen as overreacting. I take a major commuter line into a major transit hub and then a bus (and, in my way home) a subway to get to / from my job where there are six of us sitting in a room with no windows. I want to say, "I'm working from home until further notice" but I'm still relatively new there and know that will be seen as "hysterical" ... despite being my over 60 and having a long history of upper respiratory issues.
56
@VambomadeSAHB
The Johnson Government has made no effort whatsoever to prepare the UK for Coronavirus. Johnson is the do nothing PM and has been missing from the Houses of Parliament for weeks on end in February.
During February we have had large swathes of the UK flooded in 3 consecutive weeks with this abysmal PM not showing his face to the victims of these flood or any other Tory Minister. Simultaneously the Coronavirus has been establishing itself in the UK with absolutely NO intervention by this callous government.
The NHS has been starved of funds in 10 years of criminal Tory austerity, as a result NHS beds are often 95% to a 100% full. Consequently any response from the Johnson Government will come as too little and far too late for many people in the UK who have weakened immunity because of them living without the capability to feed themselves properly because of the Tory war on poor people.
In short the Johnson Government has NO plan to tackle this crisis and do not expect anything from this Government who are criminally negligent and self interested.
10