Suspected Coronavirus Case in New York Is Ruled Out
“A woman hospitalized in the city tested negative for the illness, officials said. Results are pending on tests for two other patients.”
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https://nypost.com/2020/02/04/results-negative-for-first-nyc-patient-tested-for-coronavirus/
February 4, 2020
““We’re relieved to hear that the person in question does not have the novel coronavirus,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement.”
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U.S. Readies for Coronavirus Pandemic Some Experts Now See as Likely
“This is about mitigation at this point.”
““It is not a matter of if—it is a matter of when,” said Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security and a spokesman for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. “There is not a doubt this is going to end up in most countries eventually.””
[...]
“Total containment isn’t in the cards, said Nancy Messonnier, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. “Given the nature of this virus and how it’s spreading, that would be impossible. Our goal is to slow this thing down.””
[...]
“This is an unprecedented situation and we are taking aggressive measures,” she said. “We are preparing as if this were the next pandemic.””
[...]
“In China, cases are exploding. As of Wednesday morning China time,
more than 24,000 people in the countrywere infected and at least 490 had died. Many Western researchers think the actual number of cases is many times higher. Overworked doctors at the epicenter face a shortage of testing kits and overcrowded hospitals, and can’t keep up with the number of cases.”
[...]
“Northwell Health, a 23-hospital system in New York with 800 outpatient facilities, began screening all patients for travel history to affected areas about two weeks ago, said Mark Jarrett, chief quality officer and deputy chief medical officer.
Patients who have recently been to China are given masks, brought to airborne isolation rooms and evaluated by staff wearing protective gear. And Northwell staff who encounter a suspected case of coronavirus have a central phone line to connect with senior clinicians who can help evaluate and make sure samples are sent to the CDC for testing.
In the event of widespread circulation, Northwell is planning “surge units” that will steer suspected cases to particular hospital wards, separated from others who might be vulnerable. It also has mobile tents that can be set up as field hospitals.
“If there’s a sudden surge of patients because of the fact that it’s that widespread, you clearly will never have enough airborne isolation rooms,” Jarrett said. “There just aren’t. No hospital has enough.””
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Spreading Along With the Coronavirus: Confusion
Feb. 4, 2020
“People with travel plans to China and other Asian countries, are looking for answers about flight cancellations, refunds and, chiefly, safety.
As the coronavirus spreads across the world and airlines cancel flights to and from China, many travelers have been stuck in limbo. Some are trying to get refunds, while others are unsure of whether to rebook their trips for later dates or cancel them altogether.”
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As deaths approach 500, no sign of a slowdown.
“The death toll from the monthlong coronavirus outbreak has continued to climb, rising to 490. New cases have surged by double-digit percentages in the past 11 days, with no sign of a slowdown.”
[...]
“Experts warn they still lack full data to say definitively how lethal the new coronavirus is. Many residents in Wuhan believe the death toll is much higher than the official tally because people with flulike symptoms are being turned away by overstretched hospitals. The health care system there is so overwhelmed that many cases are not diagnosed because of a shortage of testing kits.
The number of people recovering from the virus is also rising, suggesting that the treatment plan is working. On Tuesday, 262 people left the hospitals. The number of suspected cases has dropped for two days in a row. Officials said they were tracking 3,971 suspected cases, compared with 5,173 cases the day before.”
[...]
BBM:
“The government said it has put 252,154 people under surveillance.”
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Even Without Symptoms, Wuhan Coronavirus May Spread, Experts Fear
A report purporting to describe asymptomatic transmission in Germany has come under fire. But many experts still believe it’s happening.
Feb. 4, 2020
“Can individuals infected with the Wuhan coronavirus spread it to others even if they aren’t showing symptoms?
It’s one of the most important questions confronting scientists. If even asymptomatic people can spread the virus, then it will be much, much harder to slow its spread.
Doctors in China claimed asymptomatic transmission was possible, and
a letter published Jan. 30 in the New England Journal of Medicine appeared to back them up.”
[...]
“But now health officials in Germany have raised doubts about the accuracy of that report. The visitor to Germany had “mild unspecific symptoms” while she was still in Germany, said Marieke Degen, a spokeswoman with the Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s public health institute, headquartered in Berlin.”
[...]
“Health officials reported their findings last week to the Early Warning and Response System of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Ms. Degen said; their criticism was first reported by Science magazine.”
[...]
BBM:
““This paper may or may not be flawed —
it needs further investigation,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “But I don’t think it negates the concept.”
“We had been getting reports from highly reliable people in China — scientists, investigators and public health people who we’ve known over the years — and they’ve been telling us, ‘There’s asymptomatic disease, for sure, and we are seeing asymptomatic transmission,’” Dr. Fauci said.
Asymptomatic transmission is unlikely to be driving the epidemic within China, he added, but “it complicates our job.””
* I am so glad to see Dr. Fauci comment on the report from Science Magazine. I wasn’t expecting him to respond directly to the contrary report when we were discussing this last night.
I guess more time is needed.
