COVID-19 Pandemic: Transmissions, Deaths, Treatments, Vaccines, Interventions and More...
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Who gives sh&t what it is called or where it came from at this point? That is just trying to politicize it. So tired of people who want to waste time focusing on that right now.
BBC article on South Korea testing and how it's saving lives:
Coronavirus in South Korea: How 'trace, test and treat' may be saving lives
In a car park behind a hospital in Seoul, 45-year-old Rachel Kim rolls down her car window and sticks out her tongue. She travelled to Daegu last week, the area with the highest number of coronavirus cases in South Korea.
Now she's developed a bad cough and a fever. Fearing the worst, she decided to get a Covid-19 test at one of the dozens of drive-through centres. Two people dressed head-to-toe in white protective clothing, clear goggles and surgical face masks are ready for her.
A long swab stick is rummaged around the back of her mouth and throat and then placed carefully into a long test tube.
Then comes the tough bit. The swab goes right up her nose. She screws up her eyes in discomfort, but the whole thing is over in minutes. She rolls up her car window and off she drives. She will get a call if the result is positive, or a text if it's negative.
Negative pressure room
Nearly 20,000 people are being tested every day for coronavirus in South Korea, more people per capita than anywhere else in the world.
Rachel's sample is quickly shipped off to a nearby laboratory where staff are working 24 hours a day to process the results.
In the battle to contain the contagion, these labs have become the front line. South Korea has created a network of 96 public and private laboratories to test for coronavirus.
Health officials believe this approach may be saving lives. The fatality rate for coronavirus in South Korea is 0.7%. Globally the World Health Organization has reported 3.4% - but scientists estimate that the death rate is lower because not all cases are reported.
I turned up at Green Cross laboratories just outside Seoul as a new batch of samples arrived to be tested. Dr Oh Yejin gave us a tour until she stopped at a door and made it clear we were not allowed through.
"The tests are carried out in this negative pressure room," she told me. "It prevents any droplets from the samples escaping."
Inside, two doctors in bright yellow protective clothing are moving around the sealed room. They lift up a number of test tubes and get to work.
Beside us dozens of machines are whirring away and processing results. These are PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests - in very basic terms it is searching for the presence of Covid-19 in the sample.
The whole process from test tube to test result is about five to six hours.
Lessons from Mers
Professor Gye Cheol Kwon, the chairman of the Laboratory Medicine Foundation, calls this the Korean "bali bali" gene. Bali means quick in Korean. He says this because the South Koreans managed to design and create a test, set up a network of labs across the country and get it all to work in 17 days.
But this has come from bitter experience.
"We learned the risk of new infection and its ramifications from the experience of the Middle East Respiratory syndrome (Mers) back in 2015," he told me. Thirty-six people died in South Korea during the Mers outbreak.
It forced the country to reassess its approach to infectious diseases. South Korea's Centres for Disease Control even set up a special department to prepare for the worst. In this case, that preparation appears to have paid off.
"I think that early patient detection with accurate tests followed by isolation can lower the mortality rate and prevent the virus from spreading," said Prof Kwon. "To learn from the past and prepare systems in advance… that might be the true power to overcome this new kind of disaster."
It had been quite quiet for the team at Green Cross until early February when a patient - now known in South Korea as "patient 31" - with no known history of travel and no contact with previous cases tested positive for the virus.
She belonged to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a religious sect with over 200,000 members. It led to a race to find the source of the outbreak and trace everyone affected. South Korea's labs were put to the test. Fatigue among staff has been an issue. Now they work shifts and Dr Oh tells me, delightedly, that she is finally able to get some sleep.
Role model
There is no shortage of testing kits in South Korea. Four companies have been given approval to make them. It means the country has the capacity to test 140,000 samples a week.
Prof Kwon believes the accuracy of South Korea's Covid-19 test is around 98%. The ability to test so many people has made the country a role model as others look to battle their own coronavirus outbreaks.
But there have been missteps too.
At least two patients died waiting for a hospital bed in Daegu, the worst affected city. The initial reaction was to quarantine everyone infected with the virus in a hospital bed, but now the doctors have learned to treat those with mild symptoms in residential centres and leave the clinical beds for those needing critical care.
"We can't quarantine and treat all patients. Those who have mild symptoms should stay home and get treated," Dr Kim Yeon-Jae, an infectious disease specialist from the Korea National Medical Centre told me.
"We should change our end goal strategy to lower death rates. So other countries like Italy, that see huge numbers in patients, should also change their strategies as well."
Wherever the virus hits in large numbers - makeshift test centres follow.
This week in Seoul, there was a mass infection at a call centre. Medics set up outside and quickly took swabs from hundreds of staff in the building.
Vaccine hope
The blood of recovered patients is also being monitored and analysed. Scientists have developed a "unique" protein that can detect antibodies - the hope is that it will help create a vaccine in the future.
One of the former patients undergoing weekly blood tests is Mr Lee. (He did not wish to give his first name). He was working in Wuhan, China in December when the virus struck the city. He was flown home by the South Korean government and tested positive for Covid-19 while in quarantine near Seoul.
His mum was upset.
"People around me were very worried," he said. "I heard my mum cried every night."
But she did not need to worry. The 28-year-old only had a mild case of the virus.
"I felt fine and almost had no symptoms. Just a little cough. Speaking from my own experience, it's really important to still be cautious and safe, but I wish people would have less fear of the virus itself.
"For me at least, the virus felt weaker than a regular cold. I know those who are older need to be careful. But for young people like me who are healthy, they shouldn't be too worried. Of course, it is important to take preventive measures though."
'Better to know'
The preventative measures being taken in South Korea have so far involved no lockdowns, no roadblocks and no restriction on movement.
Trace, test and treat is the mantra. So far this country of over 50 million people have been doing their bit to help. Schools remain closed, offices are encouraging people to work from home, large gatherings have stopped.
However, slowly, day by day, more people are creeping back onto the streets of the capital city, Seoul. Restaurants, buses and subways are beginning to get busy again.
Dealing with the threat of coronavirus is the new normal. Most people wear masks (if they can get hold of one). There are thermal imaging cameras in the entrances to major buildings.
Bottles of hand sanitisers have been placed in lifts. There are even people dressed in costumes at subway entrances reminding you to wash your hands.
This may be the new normal for South Korea and elsewhere. But health officials are still on edge and warning there is no room for complacency. One large outbreak at a church, office, exercise class or apartment block can change everything.
And as for Rachel Kim, she got a text the day after her test. She doesn't have coronavirus. But she's glad she got tested.
"Better to know", she said, "and that way I am not a danger to others."
Coronavirus in South Korea: How 'trace, test and treat' may be saving lives
In a car park behind a hospital in Seoul, 45-year-old Rachel Kim rolls down her car window and sticks out her tongue. She travelled to Daegu last week, the area with the highest number of coronavirus cases in South Korea.
Now she's developed a bad cough and a fever. Fearing the worst, she decided to get a Covid-19 test at one of the dozens of drive-through centres. Two people dressed head-to-toe in white protective clothing, clear goggles and surgical face masks are ready for her.
A long swab stick is rummaged around the back of her mouth and throat and then placed carefully into a long test tube.
Then comes the tough bit. The swab goes right up her nose. She screws up her eyes in discomfort, but the whole thing is over in minutes. She rolls up her car window and off she drives. She will get a call if the result is positive, or a text if it's negative.
Negative pressure room
Nearly 20,000 people are being tested every day for coronavirus in South Korea, more people per capita than anywhere else in the world.
Rachel's sample is quickly shipped off to a nearby laboratory where staff are working 24 hours a day to process the results.
In the battle to contain the contagion, these labs have become the front line. South Korea has created a network of 96 public and private laboratories to test for coronavirus.
Health officials believe this approach may be saving lives. The fatality rate for coronavirus in South Korea is 0.7%. Globally the World Health Organization has reported 3.4% - but scientists estimate that the death rate is lower because not all cases are reported.
I turned up at Green Cross laboratories just outside Seoul as a new batch of samples arrived to be tested. Dr Oh Yejin gave us a tour until she stopped at a door and made it clear we were not allowed through.
"The tests are carried out in this negative pressure room," she told me. "It prevents any droplets from the samples escaping."
Inside, two doctors in bright yellow protective clothing are moving around the sealed room. They lift up a number of test tubes and get to work.
Beside us dozens of machines are whirring away and processing results. These are PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests - in very basic terms it is searching for the presence of Covid-19 in the sample.
The whole process from test tube to test result is about five to six hours.
Lessons from Mers
Professor Gye Cheol Kwon, the chairman of the Laboratory Medicine Foundation, calls this the Korean "bali bali" gene. Bali means quick in Korean. He says this because the South Koreans managed to design and create a test, set up a network of labs across the country and get it all to work in 17 days.
But this has come from bitter experience.
"We learned the risk of new infection and its ramifications from the experience of the Middle East Respiratory syndrome (Mers) back in 2015," he told me. Thirty-six people died in South Korea during the Mers outbreak.
It forced the country to reassess its approach to infectious diseases. South Korea's Centres for Disease Control even set up a special department to prepare for the worst. In this case, that preparation appears to have paid off.
"I think that early patient detection with accurate tests followed by isolation can lower the mortality rate and prevent the virus from spreading," said Prof Kwon. "To learn from the past and prepare systems in advance… that might be the true power to overcome this new kind of disaster."
It had been quite quiet for the team at Green Cross until early February when a patient - now known in South Korea as "patient 31" - with no known history of travel and no contact with previous cases tested positive for the virus.
She belonged to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a religious sect with over 200,000 members. It led to a race to find the source of the outbreak and trace everyone affected. South Korea's labs were put to the test. Fatigue among staff has been an issue. Now they work shifts and Dr Oh tells me, delightedly, that she is finally able to get some sleep.
Role model
There is no shortage of testing kits in South Korea. Four companies have been given approval to make them. It means the country has the capacity to test 140,000 samples a week.
Prof Kwon believes the accuracy of South Korea's Covid-19 test is around 98%. The ability to test so many people has made the country a role model as others look to battle their own coronavirus outbreaks.
But there have been missteps too.
At least two patients died waiting for a hospital bed in Daegu, the worst affected city. The initial reaction was to quarantine everyone infected with the virus in a hospital bed, but now the doctors have learned to treat those with mild symptoms in residential centres and leave the clinical beds for those needing critical care.
"We can't quarantine and treat all patients. Those who have mild symptoms should stay home and get treated," Dr Kim Yeon-Jae, an infectious disease specialist from the Korea National Medical Centre told me.
"We should change our end goal strategy to lower death rates. So other countries like Italy, that see huge numbers in patients, should also change their strategies as well."
Wherever the virus hits in large numbers - makeshift test centres follow.
This week in Seoul, there was a mass infection at a call centre. Medics set up outside and quickly took swabs from hundreds of staff in the building.
Vaccine hope
The blood of recovered patients is also being monitored and analysed. Scientists have developed a "unique" protein that can detect antibodies - the hope is that it will help create a vaccine in the future.
One of the former patients undergoing weekly blood tests is Mr Lee. (He did not wish to give his first name). He was working in Wuhan, China in December when the virus struck the city. He was flown home by the South Korean government and tested positive for Covid-19 while in quarantine near Seoul.
His mum was upset.
"People around me were very worried," he said. "I heard my mum cried every night."
But she did not need to worry. The 28-year-old only had a mild case of the virus.
"I felt fine and almost had no symptoms. Just a little cough. Speaking from my own experience, it's really important to still be cautious and safe, but I wish people would have less fear of the virus itself.
"For me at least, the virus felt weaker than a regular cold. I know those who are older need to be careful. But for young people like me who are healthy, they shouldn't be too worried. Of course, it is important to take preventive measures though."
'Better to know'
The preventative measures being taken in South Korea have so far involved no lockdowns, no roadblocks and no restriction on movement.
Trace, test and treat is the mantra. So far this country of over 50 million people have been doing their bit to help. Schools remain closed, offices are encouraging people to work from home, large gatherings have stopped.
However, slowly, day by day, more people are creeping back onto the streets of the capital city, Seoul. Restaurants, buses and subways are beginning to get busy again.
Dealing with the threat of coronavirus is the new normal. Most people wear masks (if they can get hold of one). There are thermal imaging cameras in the entrances to major buildings.
Bottles of hand sanitisers have been placed in lifts. There are even people dressed in costumes at subway entrances reminding you to wash your hands.
This may be the new normal for South Korea and elsewhere. But health officials are still on edge and warning there is no room for complacency. One large outbreak at a church, office, exercise class or apartment block can change everything.
And as for Rachel Kim, she got a text the day after her test. She doesn't have coronavirus. But she's glad she got tested.
"Better to know", she said, "and that way I am not a danger to others."
I tried to summarize all my thoughts in a post late Tuesday night (link below - it's long, lol), but the bottom line for me is that if we did nothing, which some people are advocating, we'd likely have 5-10X more deaths than from the flu (150-600K instead of the 30-60K we see from the flu, given the 5-10X greater "true" mortality rate) and we'd have most of them (and serious infections requiring hospitalizations) occurring in a very short period, given the much greater transmission rate than flu, overwhelming our systems. That's why governments are working so hard to contain this.
https://rutgers.forums.rivals.com/t...ing-ugly-good-luck.191275/page-7#post-4442323
[/quote]
IMO one of the really awful things about this whole situation is that success looks like an "overreaction" in terms of raw number of cases and deaths.
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04257656?cond=remdesivir&draw=2&rank=1
April 3 - cross fingers
April 3 - cross fingers
This is my favorite thing about this. Our 'overreaction' is going to be the thing that keeps this from killing half a million people but because it doesn't kill a half a million people there's going to be accusations of everyone overreacting for no reason.
IMO one of the really awful things about this whole situation is that success looks like an "overreaction" in terms of raw number of cases and deaths.[/QUOTE]
Have to "flatten the curve" as the saying goes now. Everything gets worse if the hospitals get hammered by a surge (as happened in China, Iran and Lombardy)
How canceled events and self-quarantines save lives, in one chart
https://www.vox.com/2020/3/10/21171481/coronavirus-us-cases-quarantine-cancellation
Chinese deserve their name on the virus because they hid it for weeks - suppressing early reports that did come out.
They also deserve it for any played by their miserable "wet markets." Of course the "wet markets" were probably just an excuse since many experts considered Whuan virus not accidental.
In fact, I'll call it the "Red-Chinese Communist Screw-up Cover-up Wuhan Virus"
China censors report about how authorities hid coronavirus genome sequence test
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2020/03/...navirus-genome-sequence-test-results-14-days/
Was there any interim analysis? As you probably know, if there is some huge surprise (incredible positive response or side effects) they sometimes stop such trials. Hoping there wasn't, since the trial hasn't been stopped. Crossing fingers - seemed to work for that first case in Seattle and have heard others using it off-label, but haven't heard results. You?
I believe they are not able to keep up with demand for clinical samples due to high requests for compassionate use. As you know, without approval, manufacture of clinical supplies is limited until they can get full approval to go large scale manufacturing.
So it's encouraging that demand for compassionate use is high, suggesting clinical efficacy. Of course there are many factors, dose escalation, safety, etc etc. Even if the drug works, the trial could still fail. I really hope not cause we need this to work to stabilize society which is in full panic mode right now. Fingers crossed.
BTW, the study that's the closest to completion is Lopinavir/Ritonavir combo and we won't know results for that until July. We could all be zombies by July. We need Remdesivir to work.
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Truth is stranger than fiction. The "wet market" was the fiction. I know who the regime in China is. They work on bioweapons and so does Iran - and they work together.
Bill Gertz is one of best defense /security journalists there is - especially on China. He was writing about the Wuhan connection before the "wet market" story fell apart
Coronavirus may have originated in lab linked to China's biowarfare program
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/jan/26/coronavirus-link-china-biowarfare-program-possible/
Coronavirus did not originate in Wuhan seafood market, Chinese scientists say
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/sci...id-not-originate-wuhan-seafood-market-chinese
All public schools in Maryland, Kentucky, Ohio closed for two weeks at least.
Ohio governor was on CNN saying they think 100K of their population is infected with it even though only 5 reported cases. If you have community spread they think 1% of the population is likely to have it. Just imagine how many in this densely populated area are carriers.
From the article:
"Whenever you know of 2 people that have it due to community spread, then you can assume that 1% of your population has it," said ODH Press Secretary Melanie Amato, citing a 2017 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the CDC
https://www.news5cleveland.com/news...says-100-000-ohioans-are-carrying-coronavirus
Ohio governor was on CNN saying they think 100K of their population is infected with it even though only 5 reported cases. If you have community spread they think 1% of the population is likely to have it. Just imagine how many in this densely populated area are carriers.
From the article:
"Whenever you know of 2 people that have it due to community spread, then you can assume that 1% of your population has it," said ODH Press Secretary Melanie Amato, citing a 2017 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the CDC
https://www.news5cleveland.com/news...says-100-000-ohioans-are-carrying-coronavirus
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This site, which appears to be updated every hour or so, seems to say current U.S. capacity is more than 22,000 tests per day. That does not mean those figures will show up on the CDC website. If this is true, the testing situation has improved quite a bit in recent days. It has doubled since just March 9.
We'll know when we have no more testing capacity issues - when we stop restricting access to testing - we need to be testing anyone with symptoms and even asymptomatic people in contact with symptomatic people, just like South Korea. We're still greatly restricting testing, so I don't believe those numbers.
If this information is correct (100,000 infected in Ohio) and the death numbers don't spike, that is probably the best possible outcome at this point as it will mean a very low death rate.
"people with Covid-19 are emitting more than 1,000 times more virus than was emitted during peak shedding of SARS infection, a fact that likely explains the rapid spread of the virus. The SARS outbreak was contained after about 8,000 cases; the global count of confirmed Covid-19 cases has already topped 110,000."
LOL..April 3rd trial will CONCLUDE. Results to follow in how many weeks? Mass production to commence when? Doses ready for administration how fast? The government cant even get valid testing kits on the market and you expect production of a vaccine to be in full swing that fast? Oh yeah, even if this vaccine works, it needs to be administered and your body has to develop an immune response to it. Last year, the experts developed a flu vaccine that was effective for only about 20% of the population. By the sound of it, Covid-19 has the ability to spread way too fast and by the time production of the vaccine ramps up, it will be too late. Have fun wiping your tushie with the leaves in the backyard, your hand, or scooting your bottom across the carpet.
60 ish percent of Covid-19 found in anal swabs. Hop in the shower to wash and aerosolize that nasty bug (if you have the virus). Way to spread it to the bathroom surfaces, down the hall, and infect anyone within sniffing distance. Great idea. :chairshot:
just wondering where are they getting this number from....are the hospitals in Ohio being overrrun that they are projecting 100K...not saying they are wrong but I would like to know where and how they came up with the number..thanks
It’s in the quote I posted. If you have two cases of community spread they have the assumption/belief that 1% of the population has been infected and are carriers. It doesn’t mean all of them are severe cases just that they are carriers. 1% of the Ohio population is 100K+ so that’s where they come up with that estimate.
how many cases in China? 80k? So the governor is currently putting out information that there are 100K infected in his state alone yet China has been battling this for over 3 months and only has 80K...something is not right here
The 100k is an estimate based on how the virus behaves, the 80k for China is those testing positive and was enough for them to shut down an area of millions completely.
We're not taking such drastic measures.
Remdesivir is not a vaccine. Oh, and it is already being given for compassionate use. Yeah, I know, you don't know what that means but whatever.
estimate based on what...that seems like a very dangerous number to put out....it makes zero sense at this point
Based on the person making it being a health professional.
As Neil DeGrasse Tyson said, can we please just listen to health professionals.
the numbers dont add up...if they have 100K now then they had to have almost 20K a week ago....yet where are the deaths....that rate certainly isnt adding up is it...and where is the flood of people in the hospitals with symptoms...look at what they are reporting...and yes I am taking into consideration lag time. Shouldnt the deaths be start to trinkle in..what about the just those starting to get sick...they are reporting.
they have 5 confirmed cases, 52 with symptoms or exposure awaiting test results and 333 under supervision referred for monitoring
they have 5 confirmed cases, 52 with symptoms or exposure awaiting test results and 333 under supervision referred for monitoring
An excerpt from a WaPo article...very wide range of outcomes.
Another forecast, developed by former CDC director Tom Frieden at the nonprofit organization Resolve to Save Lives, found that deaths in the United States could range widely, depending on what percentage of the population becomes infected and how lethal the disease proves to be. Frieden, who oversaw the U.S. response to the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, the 2014 Ebola epidemic and the 2016 Zika epidemic, says that in a worst-case scenario, but one that is not implausible, half the U.S. population would become infected and more than 1 million people would die.
His team put together a simple table that looks at various scenarios using case fatality ratios ranging from .1, similar to seasonal flu, to .5, a moderately severe pandemic, and 1.0, a severe one. The infection rate ranged from 0.1 percent of the population to 50 percent. That put the range of deaths at 327 (best case) to 1,635,000 (worst case). The deaths would not necessarily happen over a month or a year, but could occur over two or three years, he said.
Another forecast, developed by former CDC director Tom Frieden at the nonprofit organization Resolve to Save Lives, found that deaths in the United States could range widely, depending on what percentage of the population becomes infected and how lethal the disease proves to be. Frieden, who oversaw the U.S. response to the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, the 2014 Ebola epidemic and the 2016 Zika epidemic, says that in a worst-case scenario, but one that is not implausible, half the U.S. population would become infected and more than 1 million people would die.
His team put together a simple table that looks at various scenarios using case fatality ratios ranging from .1, similar to seasonal flu, to .5, a moderately severe pandemic, and 1.0, a severe one. The infection rate ranged from 0.1 percent of the population to 50 percent. That put the range of deaths at 327 (best case) to 1,635,000 (worst case). The deaths would not necessarily happen over a month or a year, but could occur over two or three years, he said.
Canadian PM's wife has tested positive now.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/13/sop...n-trudeau-tests-positive-for-coronavirus.html
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/13/sop...n-trudeau-tests-positive-for-coronavirus.html
Sobering graphic. As has been discussed a lot, the US is on its way to an Italy-style catastrophe, in the next 10 days or so, especially in densely populated areas, which will have greater transmission rates. Hong Kong and Singapore are doing quite well, particularly with social distancing and tracking cases, and South Korea is still doing pretty well (although they have a new cluster, but one would think their past practices of aggressive testing and social distancing should still be effective).
https://www.ft.com/content/a26fbf7e...917kPywN9MNZFS351wmt9tXhDTajz3OrUGngqiH4IB6CE
And not to beat a dead horse, but it's still unconscionable that we don't have the testing capacity to test any interested patient. How do so many other countries have this and we don't? Our president keeps saying things are fine and won't self-quarantine despite being close to a coronavirus-positive person, but instead makes a rambling unfocused speech talking mostly about keeping people out, which is meaningless when we have nearly 2000 cases confirmed and likely 20,000 actual cases, at least (just not detected).
We're still last in the world in testing. Last in the world! This is a catastrophic failure. Even his technical experts, like Dr. Fauci are saying completely different things, as per below. We simply need new leadership now. Even Republican Senators are finally breaking ranks with Trump on this, but it's probably too late. I'm afraid that the only thing that might prevent absolute catastrophe is getting lucky, i.e., transmission rates going down if this virus turns out to be seasonal, like the flu (some indications it will be, but nobody knows for sure).
America has failed to meet the capacity for coronavirus testing that it needs, a top public health official publicly acknowledged Thursday.
"The system is not really geared to what we need right now," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a House hearing about coronavirus test kits in the United States, which were initially dogged by technical glitches. "That is a failing. Let's admit it."
"The idea of anybody getting it easily the way people in other countries are doing it, we're not set up for that," Fauci told Wasserman Schultz. "Do I think we should be? Yes. But we're not."
The blunt acknowledgment came as the CDC reported it had tested just over 11,000 specimens for the virus so far, far fewer than other nations, especially given that multiple specimens are needed for each patient. Meanwhile, South Korea is testing nearly 20,000 patients per day, according to the BBC.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/heal...it-it-fauci-says-coronavirus-testing-n1157036
https://www.ft.com/content/a26fbf7e...917kPywN9MNZFS351wmt9tXhDTajz3OrUGngqiH4IB6CE
And not to beat a dead horse, but it's still unconscionable that we don't have the testing capacity to test any interested patient. How do so many other countries have this and we don't? Our president keeps saying things are fine and won't self-quarantine despite being close to a coronavirus-positive person, but instead makes a rambling unfocused speech talking mostly about keeping people out, which is meaningless when we have nearly 2000 cases confirmed and likely 20,000 actual cases, at least (just not detected).
We're still last in the world in testing. Last in the world! This is a catastrophic failure. Even his technical experts, like Dr. Fauci are saying completely different things, as per below. We simply need new leadership now. Even Republican Senators are finally breaking ranks with Trump on this, but it's probably too late. I'm afraid that the only thing that might prevent absolute catastrophe is getting lucky, i.e., transmission rates going down if this virus turns out to be seasonal, like the flu (some indications it will be, but nobody knows for sure).
America has failed to meet the capacity for coronavirus testing that it needs, a top public health official publicly acknowledged Thursday.
"The system is not really geared to what we need right now," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a House hearing about coronavirus test kits in the United States, which were initially dogged by technical glitches. "That is a failing. Let's admit it."
"The idea of anybody getting it easily the way people in other countries are doing it, we're not set up for that," Fauci told Wasserman Schultz. "Do I think we should be? Yes. But we're not."
The blunt acknowledgment came as the CDC reported it had tested just over 11,000 specimens for the virus so far, far fewer than other nations, especially given that multiple specimens are needed for each patient. Meanwhile, South Korea is testing nearly 20,000 patients per day, according to the BBC.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/heal...it-it-fauci-says-coronavirus-testing-n1157036
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But we're the USA, not some third world shithole like, uh, Germany? We'll beat this thing through aggressively awesome measures like... not knowing who has it so we can't count them! USA!
Posting this on this thread for a quicker response....Help clear this conflicting info up, I've read USA banned travel from China and this is a major reason why we are in a better position vs. Italy, who did not ban travel. First article is Fortune noting China response to USA ban on travel as "overreaction". The second article from Forbes notes Italy did ban travel from China, actually before the United States did...which is it.
"When the coronavirus first cropped up in earnest in January, countries around the world—from the United States to Australia to Russia—scrambled to close their borders to travelers from China. Beijing criticized such moves at the time. "Some countries, the U.S. in particular, have inappropriately overreacted," a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry said of the travel restrictions in early February. But now the tables have turned. As China sees its coronavirus caseload decline, officials are taking steps to reduce the risk of travelers to China reintroducing the virus."
https://fortune.com/2020/03/04/china-coronavirus-travel-restrictions/
"Italy imposed a ban on flights from China on 31 January, immediately after a Chinese couple in Rome tested positive for the virus. The U.S. began to restrict flights from China four days later. But while Italy enacted a full ban, the U.S. policy was only a restriction, with wide exemptions."
https://www.forbes.com/sites/daveke...ina-before-americait-didnt-work/#646a921c481b
"When the coronavirus first cropped up in earnest in January, countries around the world—from the United States to Australia to Russia—scrambled to close their borders to travelers from China. Beijing criticized such moves at the time. "Some countries, the U.S. in particular, have inappropriately overreacted," a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry said of the travel restrictions in early February. But now the tables have turned. As China sees its coronavirus caseload decline, officials are taking steps to reduce the risk of travelers to China reintroducing the virus."
https://fortune.com/2020/03/04/china-coronavirus-travel-restrictions/
"Italy imposed a ban on flights from China on 31 January, immediately after a Chinese couple in Rome tested positive for the virus. The U.S. began to restrict flights from China four days later. But while Italy enacted a full ban, the U.S. policy was only a restriction, with wide exemptions."
https://www.forbes.com/sites/daveke...ina-before-americait-didnt-work/#646a921c481b
Sobering graphic. As has been discussed a lot, the US is on its way to an Italy-style catastrophe, in the next 10 days or so, especially in densely populated areas, which will have greater transmission rates. Hong Kong and Singapore are doing quite well, particularly with social distancing and tracking cases, and South Korea is still doing pretty well (although they have a new cluster, but one would think their past practices of aggressive testing and social distancing should still be effective).
https://www.ft.com/content/a26fbf7e-48f8-11ea-aeb3-955839e06441
And not to beat a dead horse, but it's still unconscionable that we don't have the testing capacity to test any interested patient. How do so many other countries have this and we don't? Our president keeps saying things are fine and won't self-quarantine despite being close to a coronavirus-positive person, but instead makes a rambling unfocused speech talking mostly about keeping people out, which is meaningless when we have nearly 2000 cases confirmed and likely 20,000 actual cases, at least (just not detected).
We're still last in the world in testing. Last in the world! This is a catastrophic failure. Even his technical experts, like Dr. Fauci are saying completely different things, as per below. We simply need new leadership now. Even Republican Senators are finally breaking ranks with Trump on this, but it's probably too late. I'm afraid that the only thing that might prevent absolute catastrophe is getting lucky, i.e., transmission rates going down if this virus turns out to be seasonal, like the flu (some indications it will be, but nobody knows for sure).
America has failed to meet the capacity for coronavirus testing that it needs, a top public health official publicly acknowledged Thursday.
"The system is not really geared to what we need right now," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a House hearing about coronavirus test kits in the United States, which were initially dogged by technical glitches. "That is a failing. Let's admit it."
"The idea of anybody getting it easily the way people in other countries are doing it, we're not set up for that," Fauci told Wasserman Schultz. "Do I think we should be? Yes. But we're not."
The blunt acknowledgment came as the CDC reported it had tested just over 11,000 specimens for the virus so far, far fewer than other nations, especially given that multiple specimens are needed for each patient. Meanwhile, South Korea is testing nearly 20,000 patients per day, according to the BBC.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/heal...it-it-fauci-says-coronavirus-testing-n1157036
This.
And now our competent Leader is blaming Obama for this situation. LMAO
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