Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #35

[Ursamajr]

LEANA WEN, MD

.@realdonaldtrump just said: "if it were up to the doctors, they'd shut down the entire world." Actually, if it were up to us, we'd save as many people as possible. We would follow the science & evidence. We would never put politics ahead of the public's health #covid19

Leana Wen, M.D. on Twitter

Thank you for posting all that you do @Henry2326

 

[Hatfield]

RESPONSE FROM FRANCOIS BALLOUX, computational biologist

What do you make of the claim that the virus has likely been in circulation months longer than is commonly assumed?
John Overstreet on Twitter

Not much ... The estimate of the age of the ancestor based on the ~900 #SARSCoV2 genomes available to date - which is by far the reliable approach - points to a 'host jump' into humans of #COVID19 around mid-December.
Francois Balloux on Twitter

I have no idea how they can make that kind of determination. I suppose I need to read more about this to see how its even possible to estimate when a virus started its spreading.

The only thing I am aware of for testing the age of something is Carbon 14 dating and Im pretty sure that is not how they are doing it.

This is interesting as I was wondering if it had been around a lot longer than Dec 2019.

 

[katydid23]

Which 330 million do you want to send? Who has the virus, who doesnt....
That's why testing is imperative....without it, we will spread it continously.....

20 days from now, hopefully, we will have done a lot more testing.

Hopefully after 20 more days of testing and treatment and quarantine, there will be people that are disease free, that can go back to work and school.

Maybe not by 2o days, but maybe 30 or 45 days?

 

[Henry2326]

I have no idea how they can make that kind of determination. I suppose I need to read more about this to see how its even possible to estimate when a virus started its spreading.

The only thing I am aware of for testing the age of something is Carbon 14 dating and Im pretty sure that is not how they are doing it.

This is interesting as I was wondering if it had been around a lot longer than Dec 2019.

Look up NEXTSTRAIN....I've posted alot of their tweets....
Francois is a rock star....

 

[Henry2326]

20 days from now, hopefully, we will have done a lot more testing.

Hopefully after 20 more days of testing and treatment and quarantine, there will be people that are disease free, that can go back to work and school.

Maybe not by 2o days, but maybe 30 or 45 days?

Watch what they do, not what they say.

 

[Hatfield]

Omg! Don't get me started on Social media. I didn't know I had so many reckless friends and family.

My brother emailed me asking when he can go back to his normal dirty stinkin self.

 

[Luckyzmom]

Michigan testing medical workers and first responders ... everyone sick self isolate...

 

[MimosaMornings]

Perspective | Smartphone data reveal which Americans are social distancing (and not) — The Washington Post

 

[10ofRods]

I don’t believe for one moment he wrote this himself. In the words of the immortal Bugs Bunny, ‘what a marroon’


Two of our supermarket chains here in the UK are doing this. Such a good idea. I have nothing but respect for retail staff, particularly at times like this.

What a great idea. Wouldn't hurt just to keep that in place. We'd all be healthier.

I have no idea how they can make that kind of determination. I suppose I need to read more about this to see how its even possible to estimate when a virus started its spreading.

The only thing I am aware of for testing the age of something is Carbon 14 dating and Im pretty sure that is not how they are doing it.

This is interesting as I was wondering if it had been around a lot longer than Dec 2019.

Viruses mutate at a predictable rate and with enough variants under study, they can pinpoint the "ancestor." It's not completely accurate. But since all living things have to have parents, it's impossible for a virus to not have ancestors. If there are X number of point mutations in a strain of a current virus, and X-n in another, they can pretty quickly figure out the original strain and that points to when it "jumped." This virus went from "doesn't infect humans; is a wild animal virus" to "deadly to humans" overnight (literally) and they can figure out the marker by looking at the virus in its still natural state (I would hate to be working in a lab that does that, I'm too distractible and clumsy).

Carbon 14 dating is not as accurate as genomic dating. There are youtubes on genomic dating if interested.

 

[MajorHoople]

Do you remember getting the smallpox shot in your upper arm that looked like little polka dots? I can still see mine.

I can still see mine too.

 

[10ofRods]

20 days from now, hopefully, we will have done a lot more testing.

Hopefully after 20 more days of testing and treatment and quarantine, there will be people that are disease free, that can go back to work and school.

Maybe not by 2o days, but maybe 30 or 45 days?

That's going to require the still-nonexistent antibody testing kits. Testing for the live virus will remain expensive and limited, no way we'll scale up for that in 20 days. Of course, the first wave of antibody testing will also be expensive and lab time is very limited, so we have to wait until the curve is flattened.

People who were sick and were tested because they had symptoms may be able to go back to work, but that needs study too. There will be a reinfection rate (hopefully very very low).

But right now there are no tests for the antibodies in the US and no plans for implementing that. China has the ability, so we need to figure it out and get that underway as well. My understanding is that antibody tests must be serological (so a blood draw is required - you can see the issues there). No info on whether China has a simply prick test (but it would still need to go through serological testing at a designated lab).

 

[Reasonable & Just]

Watch what they do, not what they say.

Coronavirus: Trump to use Defense Production Act for test kit shortage

Yeah. Sorry for spreading a half-truth earlier. They are only set to use a very narrow function of the DPA. As they are fond of saying, we'll see....

 

[Henry2326]

It’s come to this.
“President Trump asked if South Korea can provide the U.S. with medical equipment to respond to COVID-19 and President Moon replied saying, ‘I will offer as much when there are surplus to share.’”

Ken Dilanian on Twitter

 

[MyBelle]

Dr. Fauci is NOT at the town hall meeting. Per President, "he's in a meeting". Hum..... It's like the pressers. They all in the Rose garden, sitting on tall chairs.

Has Dr. Fauci spoken to the media in the last few days? I keep thinking about the doctors in China who were silenced.

Moo....

Dr. Fauci was interviewed yesterday afternoon. Nobody has "silenced" him.

Dr. Fauci gives behind-the-scenes look at coronavirus press briefings

 

[Reasonable & Just]

I can still see mine too.

I've got mine, but it looks different from my dad, who got his in another country. It is amazing to me that somehow we managed to pull off that massive initiative, not just in the US, but globally. What changed about us? When did our horizons get so small and our planning so short-term?

 

[Hatfield]

Look up NEXTSTRAIN....I've posted alot of their tweets....
Francois is a rock star....

Thanks Henry. I will do that. Thanks for all the news updates that you and others have continually provided for us here since Day 1.

Ive had to take a lot of breaks from here but every time I come back to check the updates, you and others are reliably here to give us the latest. Thank you so much.

 

[Henry2326]

I see someone who has been working really hard, under very difficult circumstances, to try and steer this ship during a severe global crisis. That ia what I see him doing.

Hmmmmm....I cant talk about this because I might get kicked off for days. Knowledge is power for us individually to take care of our families. I'm trying to help in my small way to save a life.
Look back at what people have said. If they do not follow through with actions, find someone to watch who does.

 

[squareandrabbet]

I watched Dr. Fauci on Sunday night at 8 p.m., he was on for half an hour or so, alone, taking questions on Life, Liberty and Levin. He said positive the administration's actions to date have been impressive and that the President has always listened to the science behind the task force's recommendations.

Dr. Fauci calls coordinated response to COVID-19 'impressive'

Dr. Fauci reacts to claims Trump is not following the science on COVID-19

Also, at the risk of entering the realm political, it's pretty interesting that the same drugs the President was decried as an idiot for speaking of; are among the drugs the WHO is currently trialing as the cure for COVID-19.

I don't condone people going out and putting their hands on homegrown versions, as that's just stupid; but the drugs themselves aren't stupid, and are currently deemed fit for testing purposes by several medical authorities.

 

[Henry2326]

"~1% of Italians infected; but in all likelihood, a far lower proportion of the world's population has ben infected to date by #COVID19 . The outbreak in Italy started fairly soon after the initial outbreak in Wuhan."

Francois Balloux on Twitter

My interpretation....this is far from over....

 

[jjenny]

Also, at the risk of entering the realm political, it's pretty interesting that the same drugs the President was decried as an idiot for speaking of; are among the drugs the WHO is currently trialing as the cure for COVID-19.

I don't condone people going out and putting their hands on homegrown versions, as that's just stupid; but the drugs themselves aren't stupid, and are currently deemed fit for testing purposes by several medical authorities.

Trump claimed they were approved by FDA to treat covid. They weren't. He made the sound like a real cure while the evidence is still not clear on that at all.