# 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:** 25
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/482 "2020-03-10T09:14:09Z")
Post #480 reported for spam. Not to mention, it’s might tacky. And why would someone need a rental car while they’re in quarantine? It’s not like they’ll drive from the kitchen to the living room. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/483 "2020-03-10T10:19:41Z")
Just back from holidaying in Vietnam (back to Aus now) for two weeks. No airport health checks either end, but EVERYONE in Saigon was wearing a mask. If western countries are serious about getting this virus under control, they need to up their game about a million notches. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/484 "2020-03-10T12:21:59Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > I wonder how many resident deaths have been attributed to pneumonia when the ultimate cause was COVID-19. Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the ultimate cause of death from coronavirus actually pneumonia? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/485 "2020-03-10T12:52:52Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > Just back from holidaying in Vietnam (back to Aus now) for two weeks. No airport health checks either end, but EVERYONE in Saigon was wearing a mask. > > If western countries are serious about getting this virus under control, they need to up their game about a million notches. Well, first we need to manufacture enough masks for everyone to wear one when they go out. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/486 "2020-03-10T13:18:38Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Well, first we need to manufacture enough masks for everyone to wear one when they go out. Then we need to manufacture masks that will actually help the problem. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/487 "2020-03-10T13:31:35Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 114,430 confirmed infections > 4,027 dead > 64,093 recovered > > In the US: > > 708 confirmed infections > 27 dead > 15 recovered > > HOWEVER… the Johns Hopkins site differs slightly, showing 754 confirmed infections in the US. I note that the Johns Hopkins site has also had to stop putting dots on cities and instead is just listing state totals. Here is a site that links to the various update pages: [http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/maps-visuals](http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/maps-visuals) ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/488 "2020-03-10T13:32:08Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the ultimate cause of death from coronavirus actually pneumonia? I don’t know if I am just confused by your point, but my point is that if people have died without getting tested, then they will not be recorded as COVID-19 casualties. Even when that is what they are. Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/489 "2020-03-10T14:26:28Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > I don’t know if I am just confused by your point, but my point is that if people have died without getting tested, then they will not be recorded as COVID-19 casualties. Even when that is what they are. > > Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk Okay. That is clearer. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/490 "2020-03-10T15:54:41Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > Here is a site that links to the various update pages: > > [COVID-19: Data Visualizations | CIDRAP](http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/maps-visuals) Admittedly, this is a blog. But she does a great job of collating the daily information and changes. Each statement or paragraph contains a cite or link to the source. I like the summation of each day’s changes. > **[faithwashtub](https://faithwashtub.livejournal.com/)** > > faithwashtub - the new blog in LiveJournal. There should be new interesting records soon. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/491 "2020-03-10T16:02:22Z")
They are doing post mortem tests of the the Life Care Center residents who have recently died. > [@](#): > > Killian went on to say that since February 19, Life Care Center reported 26 deaths. Fifteen of those residents died in hospitals and 13 of them tested positive for the virus. Since that date, 11 additional patients died at the facility. They generally have three to seven deaths a month, Killian said. Life Care Center is still waiting back for reports on post-mortem testing and whether 11 of those patients tested positive for coronavirus. . [https://komonews.com/news/coronavirus/washington-reports-16-deaths-from-covid-19-as-officials-scramble-to-contain](https://komonews.com/news/coronavirus/washington-reports-16-deaths-from-covid-19-as-officials-scramble-to-contain) I know that a week ago, 2 deaths were posthumously diagnosed and were added to the US total, so I presume these additional ones will be as well if it is suspected that covid-19 caused the death. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/492 "2020-03-10T16:17:59Z")
Also, a study now shows that Covid-19 patients shed the virus by breathing. No coughing or sneezing necessary. This has thrown some doubt on the idea that contaminated surfaces are a big way it was being transmitted, and made it more likely that it has been transmitted by air. As the end of the article says, you should keep washing your hands, but … The main way to minimize risk in light of this is minimizing exposure to large numbers of people. Social distancing/cancelling large gatherings, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/493 "2020-03-10T17:12:54Z")
> [@eschrodinger](#): > > Also, a study now shows that Covid-19 patients shed the virus by breathing. Where is this study? ---
**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:** [March 10, 2020, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/494 "2020-03-10T17:27:51Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > Where is this study? [The findings confirm that COVID-19 is spread simply through breathing, even without coughing, he said. They also challenge the idea that contact with contaminated surfaces is a primary means of spread, Osterholm said.](http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/03/study-highlights-ease-spread-covid-19-viruses) ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/495 "2020-03-10T17:55:28Z")
Update on treatments and vaccines. [Hopes rise over experimental drug’s effectiveness against coronavirus](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/10/hopes-rise-over-experimental-drugs-effectiveness-against-coronavirus) > [@](#): > > A US biotech firm has ramped up production of an experimental drug that has become a focal point for hopes of an effective treatment for coronavirus. > > The first clinical trial of the antiviral medicine remdesivir in Covid-19 patients is due to report its findings next month according to Gilead Sciences, which said it had accelerated manufacturing of the drug to increase its supplies “as rapidly as possible”. > > As the coronavirus outbreak has unfolded, about 300 separate trials into different drugs and experimental therapies have been launched in the absence of any established treatments. Many see remdesivir, originally developed to treat Ebola, as a frontrunner and one of the very few drugs that has a reasonable prospect of helping patients in the near-term. I would think it extremely unlikely that the ramping up of production is based on an awareness of what results will show. My guess would be that they are just hoping for a positive outcome and preparing for same. [Coronavirus Drug and Vaccine Studies Are Recruiting Their First Volunteers](https://time.com/5799718/coronavirus-vaccine-antiviral-studies/) > [@](#): > > Meanwhile, other labs are working on developing vaccines that would provide some protection against the virus in the first place. The vaccine study that is furthest along (and which is also overseen by NIAID) is currently recruiting its first participants at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute. Unlike the remdesivir trial, this study will enroll healthy volunteers. Dr. Lisa Jackson, lead investigator on the study, says 45 healthy people will be recruited to test three different doses of the vaccine. This is a dose finding study, with final results requiring an assessment (of immune response) after a second dose 12 months after the first; so we’re a ways away from the results. (I do wonder if Stage I safety studies and dose ranging have been combined in this case.) Large scale studies to confirm efficacy and safety normally follow dose ranging. At what point in the development process might a decision be taken to provisionally licence a vaccine in an emergency? Interesting question. j ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/496 "2020-03-10T18:10:54Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > It is seriously terrifying. > > My father is 86, and lives in a facility for people with dementia or Alzheimer’s. If the bug gets loose in there, the results will not be good, to say the least. > > I’m 60. Don’t know if that puts me in a high-risk group. I live in New York City. I ride the subways every day. My very large law firm (multinational) has suspended all travel, although no offices have been closed as of yet. We’re being issue laptops loaded will all the necessary software and we’ve been told that we may get a call any time saying that everyone should work from home. > > I have, despite my age, three very young children (six, three and four months). I’m concerned, of course, about them, althought I know that at least the older two aren’t in the highest risk groups. > > On a practical level, if New York City closes its schools, well, my oldest daughter is in first grade. If day care places are closed, then my younger daughter is home, too. And if our part-time nanny gets sick, or is otherwise unable to come every day, we have a child care problem with the infant, too. Better stuck at home, if necessary, than catching the bug at school/day care, but the practical difficulties are huge. > > And if either my wife or I gets it? Then what? Move out for the duration, so as to reduce the risk of exposing the children and/or the other parent? To where? A hotel, I guess, if a hotel is possible. > > I really am worried. Similar to my situation. I’m actually not worried too much about my own chances, I’m very healthy and generally recover quickly from flu and other viruses. But I visit the nursing home where my mom lives 4 times a week. She is in a unit for people that need lots of assistance and I’m in contact with residents other than her. Last night I sat with her and several other old sick people in the dining hall for about an hour. I wouldn’t go if I was sick (obviously) but I’m worried about passing it on before I show symptoms. I have enough friends and family that self-quarantine is not an issue. When my niece got chicken pox over Christmas, we moved her into her Moms apartment and her Mom stayed with her boyfriend. We could always shuffle ourselves around enough to give a sick person their own place for a a 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:** [March 10, 2020, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/497 "2020-03-10T18:20:39Z")
Huge headline on the AP just now: [Schools to shut for 2 weeks in NY suburb ‘containment area’](https://apnews.com/6dd8de3920c38f1dda1bcf6ccfe69404) > [@](#): > > Schools, houses of worship and large gathering places will be shuttered for two weeks in a “containment area” centered in suburban New Rochelle, the heart of what appears to be the nation’s biggest cluster of cases of the coronavirus, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday. > > The state will send National Guard troops to help clean surfaces and deliver food in the area, a 1-mile-radius (1.6 km) around a point near a synagogue connected to some existing cases, Cuomo said. > > The state and a private health system are setting up a testing facility in the area, schools within it will close for two weeks starting Friday and state and local officials are working to determine “large congregate facilities or gathering places” that also will shut down. Clicking the headline/story, however, leads to [an updated and slightly different text that clarifies (and/or downplays; YMMV) things a bit](https://apnews.com/6dd8de3920c38f1dda1bcf6ccfe69404): > [@](#): > > A new “containment area” covering part of New Rochelle, north of New York City, isn’t a lockdown. People who aren’t personally on quarantine will be able to leave their homes and enter and leave the area. > > Still, “it is a dramatic action,” the Democratic governor said at a news conference. “It is the largest cluster of cases in the country.” > > “The numbers are going up unabated, and we do need a special public health strategy for New Rochelle,” Cuomo said. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/498 "2020-03-10T18:21:00Z")
Harvard University is moving all classes online and [kicking all the students out of the dorms by Sunday](https://www.nbcboston.com/news/coronavirus/citing-coronavirus-concerns-harvard-asks-students-not-return-spring-break/2088418/). Which I’m sure is going to cause no problems at all considering how geographically diverse the student body is. Seriously, some kid from Colorado is going to have to figure out how to get all his stuff back home within the next 5 days? And no word on whether they’re going to refund room & board costs. ---
**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:** [March 10, 2020, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/499 "2020-03-10T18:26:27Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > [The findings confirm that COVID-19 is spread simply through breathing, even without coughing, he said. They also challenge the idea that contact with contaminated surfaces is a primary means of spread, Osterholm said.](http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/03/study-highlights-ease-spread-covid-19-viruses) Thank you for that link, **kayaker** ; that is valuable information. > [@](#): > > COVID-19 can be spread before it causes symptoms, when it produces symptoms like those of the common cold, and as many as 12 days after recovery, according to a virologic analysis of nine infected patients published today on the preprint server medRxiv. > > Also, in a study published in today’s Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers at Johns Hopkins found a median incubation period for COVID-19 of 5.1 days—similar to that of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). > > \*\*Virus concentrates quickly, sheds efficiently > \*\* > Led by researchers in Germany, the virologic study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, found that the novel coronavirus quickly begins producing high viral loads, sheds efficiently, and grows well in the upper respiratory tract (nose, mouth, nasal cavity, and throat). > > “Shedding of viral RNA from sputum outlasted the end of symptoms,” the authors wrote. “These findings suggest adjustments of current case definitions and re-evaluation of the prospects of outbreak containment.” No peer review yet but I’d wager that will happen quickly. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/500 "2020-03-10T18:28:39Z")
One good thing has come of all this: my company has canceled its OBNOXIOUS “firm retreat”, an event hated by all. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/501 "2020-03-10T18:37:42Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > [Santa Clara County has banned large gatherings](https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/coronavirus/santa-clara-county-bans-mass-gatherings-after-coronavirus-death/2251123/) where large means \> 1000. This does not include malls and schools, but does include concerts and sporting events. The San Jose Sharks can play, just not to a full house. > > If we were in football season this would extend to 49ers games also. San Jose Earthquakes, too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758.md?page=24) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758.md?page=26)