# Coronavirus COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) Thread - 2020 Breaking News **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [February 11, 2020, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758 "2020-02-11T01:16:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 132
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2627 "2020-04-22T13:18:15Z")
[Autopsies find first U.S. coronavirus death occurred in early February, weeks earlier than previously thought](https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/04/22/death-coronavirus-first-california/?utm_source=reddit.com) ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2628 "2020-04-22T13:59:37Z")
[The AP has the same story](https://apnews.com/c508cfec44ba9b4b8b23e83a443aa0d7) > [@](#): > > Santa Clara County officials said Tuesday the people died at home Feb. 6 and Feb. 17. Before this, the first U.S. death from the virus had been reported on Feb. 29 in Kirkland, Washington. The Medical Examiner-Coroner received confirmation Tuesday that tissue samples sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tested positive for the virus, officials said. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2629 "2020-04-22T14:24:15Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Robert Redfield is an asshole and a fucking idiot. > > … > > From the link (bolding mine):It’s not over, fuckface. It’s NOT OVER. **Moderator Note** This language is more appropriate to the Pit. Let’s dial back the invective in this forum. If you want to curse someone out, then do it in the Pit. Colibri Quarantine Zone Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2630 "2020-04-22T14:26:32Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Why the bad language? Do you think it makes your message stronger or more clear? Do you think people read the word “fuckface” and automatically assume your a genius? **Moderator Note** Let’s not junior mod. If you see an objectionable post, please report it rather than addressing it yourself. Colibri Quarantine Zone Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2631 "2020-04-22T14:27:47Z")
News is emerging that some of the disinformation (such as the rumor that Trump was going to do a nationwide lockdown) [originated from Chinese agents.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/chinese-agents-spread-messages-sowed-122243818.html) ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2633 "2020-04-22T15:54:55Z")
Taiwan came back down to one single new case, also someone from the navy ship. The admiral of the three ship group and his boss were both fired. The sailors where allowed complete freedom of travel after returning. They used cell records to fine everyone who was in the same proximity for 15 minutes or longer to the 700 crew and others who had been on the ships. The found about 200,000 people who were warned to monitor their health. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2634 "2020-04-22T16:41:00Z")
Panama’s Ministry of Health has announced that the Rt for the country as a whole has been reduced to below 1 (the number needed for it to stop propagating), and the number of days for a doubling of cases has increased to 16. However, the number for some provinces is still above 1. The government has also made it mandatory to wear a mask any time you leave the house. I do hope they at least ease up on the “dry law” (prohibition of alcohol sales) soon. Despite rationing my supply, I’m down to my last two beers. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2635 "2020-04-22T17:47:23Z")
[This is disturbing](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/22/french-study-suggests-smokers-at-lower-risk-of-getting-coronavirus). Researchers in France have observed that the infection rate among smokers seems to be much lower than for non-smokers, in a country that has a comparatively high rate of smoking. This has prompted experimentation with nicotine patches. Obviously this is a minute dataset that is probably not really indicative of anything other than the fact that tobacco tends to facilitate social distancing. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2636 "2020-04-22T18:19:52Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > [This is disturbing](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/22/french-study-suggests-smokers-at-lower-risk-of-getting-coronavirus). Disturbing, why? The better we understand this virus, the better it can be addressed. Information is always good to have. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2637 "2020-04-22T18:24:38Z")
[AP-NORC poll: Few Americans support easing virus protections](https://apnews.com/9ed271ca13012d3b77a2b631c1979ce1) > [@](#): > > Only 12% of Americans say the measures where they live go too far. About twice as many people, 26%, believe the limits don’t go far enough. The majority of Americans — 61% — feel the steps taken by government officials to prevent infections of COVID-19 in their area are about right. > > About 8 in 10 Americans say they support measures that include requiring Americans to stay in their homes and limiting gatherings to 10 people or fewer — numbers that have largely held steady over the past few weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2638 "2020-04-22T18:26:10Z")
[2 cats in NY state test positive for virus](https://apnews.com/37328ab8db093b8346e26e1840b48af8) > [@](#): > > Two pet cats in New York state have tested positive for the coronavirus, marking the first confirmed cases in companion animals in the United States, federal officials said Wednesday. > > The cats, which had mild respiratory illnesses and are expected to recover, are thought to have contracted the virus from people in their households or neighborhoods, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. > > The finding, which comes after positive tests in seven tigers and lions at the Bronx Zoo, adds to a small number of confirmed cases of the virus in animals worldwide. U.S. authorities say that while it appears some animals can get the virus from people, there’s no indication the animals are transmitting it to human beings. > [@](#): > > Still, the CDC is recommending that people prevent their pets from interacting with people or animals outside their homes – by keeping cats indoors and dogs out of dog parks, for instance. > > Coronavirus testing for pets isn’t recommended unless an animal has been exposed to a person with COVID-19 and the animal has symptoms of the disease — and tests have ruled out more common possible causes, said Dr. Jane Rooney of the USDA. Veterinarians who think testing is warranted are supposed to contact state officials to decide. > > Barton Behravesh said the animal tests are done at veterinary labs and use different chemicals than human tests, which have been in short supply during the crisis. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2639 "2020-04-22T18:36:27Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Obviously this is a minute dataset that is probably not really indicative of anything other than the fact that tobacco tends to facilitate social distancing. Smoking - at least in the US - seems largely to be a side effect of the desire to hang out and chat with others. If you watch the smokers at a company or (as I recall) at a school, they all go off and get in a circle to smoke and chat. One way that I have suggested that groups try to tackle smoking is to set up carrot trays in socializing areas, so that people can stand in a circle and have something to do while listening to others talk. Give them what they are looking for through a healthier alternative. Nicotine be as it may, I suspect that we’re dealing with something like the airplane hole fallacy. Basically, if you look at airplanes coming back from war, the bullet and shrapnel holes don’t tell you where the planes are getting hit the most. If you see a lot of holes in the wings, it doesn’t mean that you want to armor the wings. If you see almost no holes in the cockpit, ever, then you _do_ want to armor the cockpit. The planes that were shot in the cockpit didn’t come back from the war. It’s where you don’t see holes that you need to armor. Likewise, with smokers, by the time you’re over 65 either the odds are pretty decent that you will have been killed by the cigarettes. If they haven’t, then you’re probably one of those genetic freaks who will live to 100 despite smoking 2 packs a day because you’ve just got supergenes. And, just like you’re extra immune to cigarettes, you’re also extra immune to covid-19. If the one can’t get your lungs to stop, the other ain’t gonna either. Or, at least, that would be my running hypothesis, minus better evidence to the contrary. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2640 "2020-04-22T18:46:01Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > [2 cats in NY state test positive for virus](https://apnews.com/37328ab8db093b8346e26e1840b48af8) > [@](#): > > Two pet cats in New York state have tested positive for the coronavirus, marking the first confirmed cases in companion animals in the United States, federal officials said Wednesd Ferrets have been experimentally infected with COVID19, and they’ve shown ferret to ferret transmission to occur in ferrets. Ferrets get human influenza very easily and are used in influenza research. Look for the cost of pet ferrets to climb, as more are purchased for research. Cite: [PDF of a Journal pre-proof: Infection and Rapid Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Ferrets](https://www.cell.com/pb-assets/journals/research/cell-host-microbe/PDFs/chom_2285_preproof.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2641 "2020-04-22T18:55:23Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Look for the cost of pet ferrets to climb, as more are purchased for research. That seems like a relatively boring thing to look for. I am much more looking forward to seeing the panic shopper with 100 ferrets in their cart. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2642 "2020-04-22T19:00:59Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Smoking - at least in the US - seems largely to be a side effect of the desire to hang out and chat with others. If you watch the smokers at a company or (as I recall) at a school, they all go off and get in a circle to smoke and chat. That may be a bit of chicken-and-egg reasoning. Smoking used to be legal in most U.S. offices and other workplaces; it was only in the 1990s, when states started banning smoking indoors, that smokers started having to leave their offices / workspaces, and go off to a designated smoking area, in order to smoke. They wind up hanging out and chatting with other people who also have to go to that “exile space” in order to smoke. I’m old enough to remember my boss at my college work-study job sitting in his office, chain-smoking while he worked. At my first post-college job, in '89, a number of people in my office smoked at their desks (though the company required them to use smokeless ashtrays). ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2643 "2020-04-22T19:03:59Z")
Apologies if you can’t read this but: [ > [@Financial Times](#): > > The coronavirus pandemic has already caused as many as 41,000 deaths in the UK, according to a Financial Times analysis of the latest data from the Office for National Statistics. > > The estimate is more than double the official figure of 17,337 released by ministers on Tuesday, which is updated daily and only counts those who have died in hospitals after testing positive for the virus. > > […] > > The ONS data showed that deaths registered in the week ending April 10 were 75 per cent above normal in England and Wales, the highest level for more than 20 years. > > There were 18,516 deaths registered during that period compared with the most recent five-year average of 10,520 for the same week of the year. There were similar patterns in Scotland and Northern Ireland > > […] > > The ONS data also showed that deaths at home and in care homes had also jumped sharply during the pandemic. In the week ending April 10, deaths in care homes reached 4,927, almost double the figure of2,471 a month earlier. ]([UK coronavirus deaths more than double official figure, according to FT study | Free to read](https://www.ft.com/content/67e6a4ee-3d05-43bc-ba03-e239799fa6ab)) I would probably expect a similar outcome in the US, if the UK is seeing this, so it’s likely that we’re only seeing about 50% of fatalities in our current reporting. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2644 "2020-04-22T19:26:06Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > Taiwan came back down to one single new case, also someone from the navy ship. The admiral of the three ship group and his boss were both fired. > > The sailors where allowed complete freedom of travel after returning. They used cell records to find everyone who was in the same proximity for 15 minutes or longer to the 700 crew and others who had been on the ships. The found about 200,000 people who were warned to monitor their health. This one really bugged me. It was/is completely unnecessary of the navy to be visiting allies like Palau at a time like this. There ought to be no port visits for a year or two. Now these 22 cases risk blowing what was a tightly-run only-400-infected national ship wide open with a bigger infection wave. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2645 "2020-04-22T20:03:03Z")
Today in Austria: [ul] [li] Austria’s judicial system is facing a **backlog of 30,000 court cases**. The ministry of justice is now equipping the courts with more videoconferencing technology to allow trials to be conducted remotely.[/li] [li] The amount of **coronavirus testing** in Austria is currently bit more than 20 tests per 1000 inhabitants. This is about the same as Germany, and significantly better than the USA (12 tests per 1000 inhabitants), France (7) and the UK (6). However, it lags behind Italy (23), Switzerland (26), Estonia (31), Luxembourg (56), and Iceland (126).[/li] [li] For the first time in a very long time, **today’s sitting of the Austrian parliament** passed no coronavirus-related legislation, though some of what was on the agenda is related to the pandemic.[/li] [li] The government has announced operating rules for **barbers and hairdressers** , which are due to reopen on 2 May. Customers must wash or disinfect their hands upon arrival, must wear mouth and nose coverings, and must maintain distance from other customers. When grooming eyebrows, eyelashes, moustaches, and beards, staff must wear plexiglass face shields.[/li] [li] Current statistics: 14,889 confirmed infections, 510 deaths, 11,328 recovered.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2646 "2020-04-22T20:57:46Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Ferrets have been experimentally infected with COVID19, and they’ve shown ferret to ferret transmission to occur in ferrets. That is less surprising than finding ferret to ferret transmission to happen in–say–bandicoots. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/2647 "2020-04-22T21:05:51Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > That is less surprising than finding ferret to ferret transmission to happen in–say–bandicoots. I hurt myself laughing. :D:D:D:D:D:D [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758.md?page=131) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758.md?page=133)