Wuhan virus (coronavirus) arrives in the USA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems like the news websites are changing now. It was odd that in past days, all the top news was politics, while all the most read articles were about the virus by contrast. I'd switched to BBC World on TV to see what was going on with the virus.

Whatever sells the news.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it is just a mild cold for most people, why are large countries shutting down schools and cancelling events? It feels like we aren't being told something.

Because it's a new strain of coronavirus and they weren't sure what they were dealing with at first. Thankfully, it doesn't appear to be as bad as initially feared.

Coronaviruses are not uncommon, btw.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it is just a mild cold for most people, why are large countries shutting down schools and cancelling events? It feels like we aren't being told something.

The outbreak in China is far worse than is being reported; hence the reason for the reaction. My coworker is from Wuhan and has been talking with family still in Wuhan; she said her family is reporting it is worse than what is claimed. (Because we were at work, I didn’t have time to get details... not sure I want to know either!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it is just a mild cold for most people, why are large countries shutting down schools and cancelling events? It feels like we aren't being told something.

Because if we had 80K deaths from the flu last season and no school closings, or other measures then the whole China ..world has less cov cases combined so far, let alone deaths. Maybe we just don't excite that easily?

Because you hope that the flu shot gives you immunity or a more mild case. There's no immunity or vaccine with this virus, so I think people feel helpless.

You also need to look at the age distribution of that 80,000. Sadly, people probably react less if it's mainly hitting people over >80 years of age with other significant health issues. With the new virus though we are hearing about 29 year doctors and whole households dying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it is just a mild cold for most people, why are large countries shutting down schools and cancelling events? It feels like we aren't being told something.

It seems to be more infectious than the flu and has a high mortality rate in the elderly. The experiences of Italy and South Korea with the virus will tell us a lot as far as what percentage of people need hospital care, as opposed to what percentage can just ride it out at home.

People who compare it to the flu need to remember that there's a vaccine for the flu and several antivirals that can be used for treatment. And lots of people have immunity to the flu.

None of that applies to the coronavirus.

Italy just announced its 7th death. I think all have been in people over 70.

A seventh person has died in Italy, according ANSA news agency.

The patient was a 80-year-old man in Lodi, who was taken to hospital last week after suffering a heart attack. Doctors believe he caught the virus there from another patient, the ANSA reports.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/coronavirus-news-uk-china-italy-outbreak-death-toll/#update-20200224-0818

[Anonymous]

Seems that comes to preventive isolation, would make sense only for the risks groups. Not everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it is just a mild cold for most people, why are large countries shutting down schools and cancelling events? It feels like we aren't being told something.

1/5 of people require hospitalization, 1/20 ventilation. These numbers are an order of magnitude worse than the flu. And it seems to spread as easily.

They are practising social distancing (closing schools etc) because if they don't slow the spread of the disease, hospitals will end up with about 10 or 50 times as many patients as they can accommodate. At which point the death rates start skyrocketing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

People who compare it to the flu need to remember that there's a vaccine for the flu and several antivirals that can be used for treatment. And lots of people have immunity to the flu.

None of that applies to the coronavirus.

If nobody had immunity to coronavirus then all who came near it would die. Meanwhile not everybody catches it, not everyone get very sick, not everyone dies. Hence there is some immunity especially in kids.

[Anonymous]

A US military dependent in Korea has tested positive. She doesn't live on base, but she'd visited the Exchange, so they're putting the base on a high alert level.

The widow of a retired soldier who recently visited stores on a southeastern base tested positive for the new coronavirus in the first confirmed case for the Army in South Korea, officials said Monday as the military went on high alert.

Schools on bases across the country also were closed for the rest of the week, according to the Department of Defense Education Activity.

https://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/usfk-dependent-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-putting-military-on-high-alert-in-south-korea-1.620023

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it is just a mild cold for most people, why are large countries shutting down schools and cancelling events? It feels like we aren't being told something.

Because if we had 80K deaths from the flu last season and no school closings, or other measures then the whole China ..world has less cov cases combined so far, let alone deaths. Maybe we just don't excite that easily?

Because you hope that the flu shot gives you immunity or a more mild case. There's no immunity or vaccine with this virus, so I think people feel helpless.

You also need to look at the age distribution of that 80,000. Sadly, people probably react less if it's mainly hitting people over >80 years of age with other significant health issues. With the new virus though we are hearing about 29 year doctors and whole households dying.

Two doctors in 80000 cases? One household?

[Anonymous]

When it is pretty wide spread and anyone can come in contact maybe testing is overkill, just test symptomatic cases ant treat for symptoms because eve n if someone test negative today it can be positive tomorrow as this thing needs time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A US military dependent in Korea has tested positive. She doesn't live on base, but she'd visited the Exchange, so they're putting the base on a high alert level.

The widow of a retired soldier who recently visited stores on a southeastern base tested positive for the new coronavirus in the first confirmed case for the Army in South Korea, officials said Monday as the military went on high alert.

Schools on bases across the country also were closed for the rest of the week, according to the Department of Defense Education Activity.

https://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/usfk-dependent-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-putting-military-on-high-alert-in-south-korea-1.620023

I'm surprised they haven't already limited base access to active duty & dependents and necessary personnel. Admitting a South Korean citizen who still has US commissary privileges from her late husband doesn't strike me as a necessary risk we should be taking at this point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kuwait now has its first three cases and Bahrain as its first one. All four are people who have traveled from Iran.

This makes 7 cases imported from Iran since Thursday--Canada and Lebanon each have had a case and the UAE has two.

The coronavirus is now present in 35 countries and territories.

Iran now has spread coronavirus to eight countries--Iraq, Oman, and Afghanistan now all have cases imported from Iran in addition to the above. We now have a total of 38 countries.

The newly added countries likely just started checking for Iranian transmission only once the two Iranian deaths were announced Wednesday.

Qom, the epicenter, is a Shi'ite pilgrimage city so it is likely these countries have more cases among travelers to Iran who returned before Wednesday of last week. Given the high number of deaths in Iran, 12--the highest outside China-- relative to cases, officially at 47 though the health minister has said 66, it likely has hundreds of more cases that have not been confirmed and that the infection has been going for several weeks.

All of which means that these other countries with imported Iranian cases likely have quite a few more cases that have not been identified.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it is just a mild cold for most people, why are large countries shutting down schools and cancelling events? It feels like we aren't being told something.

Because if we had 80K deaths from the flu last season and no school closings, or other measures then the whole China ..world has less cov cases combined so far, let alone deaths. Maybe we just don't excite that easily?

Because you hope that the flu shot gives you immunity or a more mild case. There's no immunity or vaccine with this virus, so I think people feel helpless.

You also need to look at the age distribution of that 80,000. Sadly, people probably react less if it's mainly hitting people over >80 years of age with other significant health issues. With the new virus though we are hearing about 29 year doctors and whole households dying.

Two doctors in 80000 cases? One household?

See earlier post--China says at lest 3000 medical workers are among their cases.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A US military dependent in Korea has tested positive. She doesn't live on base, but she'd visited the Exchange, so they're putting the base on a high alert level.

The widow of a retired soldier who recently visited stores on a southeastern base tested positive for the new coronavirus in the first confirmed case for the Army in South Korea, officials said Monday as the military went on high alert.

Schools on bases across the country also were closed for the rest of the week, according to the Department of Defense Education Activity.

https://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/usfk-dependent-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-putting-military-on-high-alert-in-south-korea-1.620023

I'm surprised they haven't already limited base access to active duty & dependents and necessary personnel. Admitting a South Korean citizen who still has US commissary privileges from her late husband doesn't strike me as a necessary risk we should be taking at this point.

Limiting base access the way you suggest would only be effective if they also made everyone who lives/works on base stay on base the entire time.