COVID-19 Links, facts and discussion. Politics and hyperbole welcome.

[Nameless Range]

For those of us with family in the medical field (our oldest daughter is an ICU RN) this is a disconcerting read:

Two US doctors in critical condition with COVID-19, dozens more infected

“This virus is dangerous, and its impact is still unfolding.”…

arstechnica.com

In a survey earlier this month of more than 6,500 nurses in 48 states, only 63 percent said they had access to N95 respirators. Moreover, only 29 percent said their hospitals had plans in place to isolate possible COVID-19 cases, and only 44 percent said their employer had provided them with guidance on how to respond to potential COVID-19 cases. The survey was conducted by National Nurses United, a nationwide union of nurses.

Of the two doctors in critical condition, one is a man in his 40s in Washington state who was working at EvergreenHealth Medical Center in Kirkland. The area is at the center of one of the country’s largest COVID-19 outbreaks. The man, who is reportedly in critical but stable condition, had access to and complied with appropriate PPE procedures, the ACEP sai


Distressing

 

[406dn]

This is the part that is confusing me, and forgive my ignorance here. A huge increase in people infected happened at the same time that Italy had a huge jump in testing of people. My simple mind is telling me the only reason the number go way up is because of increased testing.

Again please forgive my ignorance but by this weekend we will see a huge increase in numbers that really only reflect that we are testing a whole lot more people.

Presently in the USA, we are testing only people who present with the covid-19 symptoms. If we were doing increased random testing, your thoughts would be correct. But since we are still only testing people who appear to have the disease,, I think the rise in numbers reflect what is occurring. It seems to me that the actual number is higher than the number identified by testing.

 

[Tradewind]

This is the part that is confusing me, and forgive my ignorance here. A huge increase in people infected happened at the same time that Italy had a huge jump in testing of people. My simple mind is telling me the only reason the number go way up is because of increased testing.

Again please forgive my ignorance but by this weekend we will see a huge increase in numbers that really only reflect that we are testing a whole lot more people.

I'm getting away from commenting on this stuff as the discourse gets worse. But I'll offer this up:
The situation in Italy is a lot different then anywhere else. They have sold a lot of their textile and leather business to the Chinese (belt and road). Most of these are located in the northern part of Italy where the virus has hit hard.
The article I read said they imported alot of Chinese workers and even had direct flights to the wuohan area/province. the article stated something in the range of 100,000 Chinese workers migrating to the
area. they showed back up for work when their new year got cancelled and brot the virus with them
toss in a very old population that typically lives with the extended family and socialized health care system and you have the result that we see

 

[NoWiser]

For those of us with family in the medical field (our oldest daughter is an ICU RN) this is a disconcerting read:

Two US doctors in critical condition with COVID-19, dozens more infected

“This virus is dangerous, and its impact is still unfolding.”…

arstechnica.com

With a wife who will be on the front lines when this hits hard here soon, and a 3 year old and 9 month old at home, some of these recent articles certainly are concerning.

 

[Trial153]

Why 'Exponential Growth' Is So Scary For The COVID-19 Coronavirus

And why social distancing, isolation, and sheltering-in-place are so effective, but only if we do them early enough.

www.forbes.com

 

[VikingsGuy]

Why 'Exponential Growth' Is So Scary For The COVID-19 Coronavirus

And why social distancing, isolation, and sheltering-in-place are so effective, but only if we do them early enough.

www.forbes.com

Lots of good stuff in this thread, but this is a top one in my opinion.

 

[JLS]

Redirect Notice

 

[VikingsGuy]

An article with a uniquely Hunttalk spin on the issue:

The Outdoorsman’s Guide to Social Distancing

Americans are being told to practice social distancing to help curb the spread of coronavirus, or Covid-19. Here are some ways you can practice social distancing while enjoying time in the outdoors.

www.fieldandstream.com

 

[Trial153]

Lots of good stuff in this thread, but this is a top one in my opinion.

Agree. This article is written very plainly and concisely that even should resonate with even the most dense among us. The author is very well published and credentialed as well

 

[schmalts]

For those of us with family in the medical field (our oldest daughter is an ICU RN) this is a disconcerting read:

Two US doctors in critical condition with COVID-19, dozens more infected

“This virus is dangerous, and its impact is still unfolding.”…

arstechnica.com

My wife is an RN at Wisconsins largest facility. I already told us here about the unpreparedness of the health care system. It's real, it's the reason Trump just enacted the Defense production act. He can force businesses to manufacture needed equipment and supplies.

 

[JLS]

Agree. This article is written very plainly and concisely that even should resonate with even the most dense among us. The author is very well published and credentialed as well

Even I understood it.

 

[Northwoods Labs]

Whew! Test came back negative!

Good news. If you are talking about La Crosse Wisconsin, they did have a person test positive just today..........

 

[Irrelevant]

In a survey earlier this month of more than 6,500 nurses in 48 states, only 63 percent said they had access to N95 respirators. Moreover, only 29 percent said their hospitals had plans in place to isolate possible COVID-19 cases, and only 44 percent said their employer had provided them with guidance on how to respond to potential COVID-19 cases. The survey was conducted by National Nurses United, a nationwide union of nurses.

Of the two doctors in critical condition, one is a man in his 40s in Washington state who was working at EvergreenHealth Medical Center in Kirkland. The area is at the center of one of the country’s largest COVID-19 outbreaks. The man, who is reportedly in critical but stable condition, had access to and complied with appropriate PPE procedures, the ACEP sai


Distressing

The WA doc tested negative despite being symptom positive. It wasn't until he pushed for a second test that it came back positive.

 

[Schism]

For those of us with family in the medical field (our oldest daughter is an ICU RN) this is a disconcerting read:

Two US doctors in critical condition with COVID-19, dozens more infected

“This virus is dangerous, and its impact is still unfolding.”…

arstechnica.com

This hits very close to home as my wife is putting our 1 and 3 year old children down for their afternoon naps before she goes in to work her shift in the ER. She did tell me that if she is exposed to COVID-19 she will be eligible to partake in an experimental test through Mayo Clinic that is testing prophylactic efficacy for COVID-19 from another, already used medication for another virus. As a society we are gaining lots of information very rapidly and experimental procedures are underway, even if they aren't being reported.

 

[npaden]

I agree that the data on this so far is far from perfect and we can't rely on it too much, but I was very happy to see that deaths in Italy dropped for a 2nd day in a row. In some of the previous days that there was a drop there was a larger than normal increase the following day which leads one to think of reporting issues. 2 days isn't a trend, but it is very promising. New cases did go up today compared to yesterday but still lower than the highest new cases which was 2 days ago.

Italy COVID - Coronavirus Statistics - Worldometer

Italy Coronavirus update with statistics and graphs: total and new cases, deaths per day, mortality and recovery rates, current active cases, recoveries, trends and timeline.

www.worldometers.info

I'm looking to Italy as more of a worst case scenario and hoping that we are going to hopefully do a little better with a younger population and better healthcare facilities.

Praying and hoping that Italy's numbers continue to go down because that is the most positive thing I see.

China's numbers are almost unbelievably good. But we aren't a communist country and our people aren't always great at following recommended guidelines.

 

[Irrelevant]

I agree that the data on this so far is far from perfect and we can't rely on it too much, but I was very happy to see that deaths in Italy dropped for a 2nd day in a row.

"Italy on Wednesday reported 475 new deaths, the largest one-day toll recorded yet in any nation. "

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/03/18/coronavirus-latest-news/#link-RBHQZPWHWZBPDEXYCHXKJUXLSY

 

[VikingsGuy]

A twist I wasn't expecting:

Gov. Tim Walz: Minnesota should see COVID-19 as winter, not a blizzard

The 77 total cases so far show the growing scope of COVID-19 in the state.

www.startribune.com

"Daily testing and confirmed case counts could start to decline in Minnesota [as] the state on Tuesday announced that its public health lab would begin to conserve testing for hospitalized patients, health care workers, and residents and workers in long-term care facilities."

 

[Bigjay73]

Crazy to imagine that all of this, at some point, started with one human being. Some male or female walking down the street coughing, or touched a surface with the virus on their skin, in an office or store, or at home. One human being, oblivious and innocent as to what was to about to come.

 

[VikingsGuy]

Another article on testing shortfal:

America Needed Coronavirus Tests. The Government Failed.

Decisions that limited testing for the pathogen blinded the U.S. to the outbreak’s scale, impeding the nation’s ability to fight it through isolating the sick and their contacts. Here’s how it happened.

www.wsj.com

 

[npaden]

"Italy on Wednesday reported 475 new deaths, the largest one-day toll recorded yet in any nation. "

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/03/18/coronavirus-latest-news/#link-RBHQZPWHWZBPDEXYCHXKJUXLSY

Well I guess that was a pretty short trend.