[Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

[Blackhawk]

When I took Warren in last week the vet was still not letting owners inside. They come to the car, wearing full PPE, and get your pet. Consult and payment is over the phone.

This was my experience just three days ago in Indy. The only had us come inside for two or three minutes after the appointment because they needed to teach us how to administer the medicine, and you can't really do that in the parking lot when the pet in question has wings.

[Jeff V]

The atmosphere seems to be a slow acceptance/push that it just has to end.

Reports I saw this morning suggested Illinois will peak "mid June", fwiw.

That was reported on the news this morning along with a new round of lawsuits from yahoos who consider that unacceptable.

[Smoove_B]

Good news then - I'm pretty sure the virus responds to lawsuits so y'all should be good to go.

[Jeff V]

Good news then - I'm pretty sure the virus responds to lawsuits so y'all should be good to go.

I have my fingers crossed that the plaintiffs will suddenly vanish from complications of covid.

[LawBeefaroni]

The atmosphere seems to be a slow acceptance/push that it just has to end.

Reports I saw this morning suggested Illinois will peak "mid June", fwiw.

My observations at work are in line with this. Well, maybe early June but close enough.

My observations of what everyone wants and will put up with is late May. A person is smart and weak. People is strong and stupid. The strong and stupid masses will probably prevail.

[dbt1949]

The charts show us (Arkansas) in a downward trend but I don't know when it's going to be "safe".

[YellowKing]

My wife got the news today that she'll be returning to work full time on Monday. It's not that big a deal from a safety perspective, as she only has 3 or 4 co-workers and they all have their own offices. The hardest part is going to be not having her assistance with the kids during the day.

My job has enforced work from home until May 22nd, and they're going to revisit at that date. We don't yet know if it will be return to work as normal albeit with mask enforcement, some partial return with work from home being a greater percentage of the week, or if we'll just stay work from home for the foreseeable future. My office is quite a bit different situation with some 300 or so people sharing a building and many workers side by side in cubicles. So I'm hoping they don't rush to get us all back in.

[hitbyambulance]

Doc is of the opinion that it is time to start reopening. Aside from the economics, people are deferring care that shouldn't be deferred, and suicides and domestic abuse are up. Purely from a public health standpoint, he believes that the shelter-in-place is doing more harm than good now. I don't agree, but I don't have the expertise to disagree, either.

clearly domestic abuse rates are up, but i was wondering about suicide myself.

...no, not that way...

[LawBeefaroni]

Doc is of the opinion that it is time to start reopening. Aside from the economics, people are deferring care that shouldn't be deferred, and suicides and domestic abuse are up. Purely from a public health standpoint, he believes that the shelter-in-place is doing more harm than good now. I don't agree, but I don't have the expertise to disagree, either.

clearly domestic abuse rates are up, but i was wondering about suicide myself.

...no, not that way...

Absolutely up. Social isolation, physical isolation, increased substance abuse, job loss, personal finance issues...these are all classic contributors and all are on the rise with COVID.

Unemployment numbers alone are reason for worry.

[Alefroth]

The charts show us (Arkansas) in a downward trend but I don't know when it's going to be "safe".

Looks like you're going back up again over the last two days.

[Alefroth]

We're lucky we'll never have to go through a World War again.

This is probably the closest we will get to an alien invasion, and it sure hasn't had the uniting effect we'd hope for.

[dbt1949]

The charts show us (Arkansas) in a downward trend but I don't know when it's going to be "safe".

Looks like you're going back up again over the last two days.

We had one day of like 130+ cases from a prison facility but civilians case were down.

[em2nought]

On the more good news front:

Rats are infecting humans with new strain of hepatitis - and scientists are 'baffled'

A total of 11 people in Hong Kong have been infected with a strain of hepatitis E which was thought to only affect rats - leaving scientists stumped as to how the illness is jumping to humans

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-new ... n-21999306

[ImLawBoy]

On the more good news front:

Rats are infecting humans with new strain of hepatitis - and scientists are 'baffled'

A total of 11 people in Hong Kong have been infected with a strain of hepatitis E which was thought to only affect rats - leaving scientists stumped as to how the illness is jumping to humans

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-new ... n-21999306

This is fun to hear about on the day I had to dispose of a rat carcass that one of the alley cats decided to gift us.

[hitbyambulance]

https://nitter.net/trvrb/status/1260281079732166656

kiiinda interesting

[em2nought]

This is fun to hear about on the day I had to dispose of a rat carcass that one of the alley cats decided to gift us.

On that same page is some good news regarding llamas to offset the bad news about rats.

Llama blood 'could hold the key to treating Covid-19' in major breakthrough

Llamas and other members of camel family are distinct in creating standard antibodies and smaller antibodies, with which scientists can more easily work.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-new ... y-21993776

https://nitter.net/trvrb/status/1260281079732166656

kiiinda interesting

I wonder if Florida just didn't provide any data from the looks of it?

[Daehawk]

My rat runs around on my shoulders.

[em2nought]

My rat runs around on my shoulders.

Uh oh, I forgot all about your rat. You haven't mentioned him in awhile.

[Daehawk]

He ran around the house all day Sunday. I didn't see him for hours. I went to bed. Around daylight I was laying in bed trying to wake up good and he hopped in and snogged me. I sat him in his house and gave him some fresh cut celery that he loves.

[gameoverman]

My rat runs around on my shoulders.

If at some point he stops and whispers in your ear "Soon" please let us know. Forewarned is forearmed.

[Daehawk]

I was hoping to buy a chefs hat with my stimulus and see what he can cook while controlling me.

[Skinypupy]

We had a “drive-by” memorial for my uncle this afternoon. Very small graveside service for 20 immediate family, then hundreds of people lined the street to wave to them as they left the cemetery.

While it was very sweet to see so many turn out to say goodbye, it was incredibly sad and difficult that it had to be done that way.

[hitbyambulance]

apply to be a volunteer or paid contact tracer:

https://www.contrace.org/individuals-application

[Isgrimnur]

CDC

Following a 2.5-hour choir practice attended by 61 persons, including a symptomatic index patient, 32 confirmed and 20 probable secondary COVID-19 cases occurred (attack rate = 53.3% to 86.7%); three patients were hospitalized, and two died. Transmission was likely facilitated by close proximity (within 6 feet) during practice and augmented by the act of singing.

[Kraken]

Note to self: Stop singing in the grocery store, no matter how much the Muzak rocks.

[Sudy]

Following a 2.5-hour choir practice attended by 61 persons, including a symptomatic index patient, 32 confirmed and 20 probable secondary COVID-19 cases occurred (attack rate = 53.3% to 86.7%); three patients were hospitalized, and two died. Transmission was likely facilitated by close proximity (within 6 feet) during practice and augmented by the act of singing.

I've been saying it ever since third grade when my mother confused me into signing up: choir is bullshit.

I was the only boy. (I was too young for that to be fun.) Even the choir instructor looked at me like, "Is that a boy? Why the fuck is this boy here. Did he get lost? Should I call someone."

[Zarathud]

I was the only boy. (I was too young for that to be fun.)

This.

[Sudy]

I don't remember coming down with any life-threatening diseases, but I did have to dress up like a ladybug.

Edit: That made more sense before you edited your post.

[em2nought]

That person must really belt it out.

[Sudy]

Think of how much worse it could have been if they weren't sitting back in the upper-left corner.

[stessier]

CDC

Following a 2.5-hour choir practice attended by 61 persons, including a symptomatic index patient, 32 confirmed and 20 probable secondary COVID-19 cases occurred (attack rate = 53.3% to 86.7%); three patients were hospitalized, and two died. Transmission was likely facilitated by close proximity (within 6 feet) during practice and augmented by the act of singing.

I've seen South Carolina has the lowest percent of our population tested and on Monday, we're re-opening gyms. It's a good thing no one breathes hard while at a gym.

[LordMortis]

I've seen South Carolina has the lowest percent of our population tested and on Monday, we're re-opening gyms. It's a good thing no one breathes hard while at a gym.

Saw some HS friends at a marina in SC with dozens of people around three picnic tables celebrating a birthday. No masks or distancing. Life as normal. I know the she half of the friends is immunocompormised. I didn't even know how to respond. It's not my place to shit on their party when they aren't making a political statement. I just felt sad.

[Max Peck]

This is the first prominent case of a company fully embracing working from home following the COVID-19 experience that I've seen, but I doubt it will be the last.

Twitter allows staff to work from home 'forever'

Twitter has told staff that they can work from home "forever" if they wish as the company looks towards the future after the coronavirus pandemic.

The decision came as the social media giant said its work-from-home measures during the lockdown had been a success.

But it also said it would allow workers to return to the office if they choose when it reopens.

Earlier this month Google and Facebook said their staff can work from home until the end of the year.

Twitter said: "The past few months have proven we can make that work. So if our employees are in a role and situation that enables them to work from home and they want to continue to do so forever, we will make that happen."

[Max Peck]

Fivethirtyeight looks at herd immunity, by the numbers.

Without A Vaccine, Herd Immunity Won’t Save Us

Most people understand immunity to mean that once a person has been exposed to a disease, they can’t get it again. It’s an easy concept to grasp, and some people have hoped that widespread immunity could be the way out of this pandemic: If enough of the population becomes immune to the disease, the spread would be stopped, since the virus would run out of new, susceptible targets. The “herd” of immune people would protect everyone.

But getting to herd immunity without a vaccine isn’t as simple as the idea itself. A number of variables can affect when herd immunity is reached — and what it costs to get there — and they vary depending on the disease. How infectious is the disease? How deadly is it? And how long do people stay immune once they’ve gotten it? Adjusting any of these variables can drastically change the outcome of this equation. You can probably sense where this is heading …

So let’s go back to that 70 percent herd immunity threshold. If the fatality rate is around 0.5 and 70 percent of Americans have to get sick before their immunity starts protecting others, that means more than 1.1 million people would die. In New York, even having 21 percent of the population exposed, if that serological survey is accurate, has overrun hospitals and led to the death of one in every 400 New Yorkers, while the vast majority of the population remains susceptible.

“That’s the cost of getting to 20 percent,” said Emma Hodcroft, a postdoctoral epidemiology researcher at the University of Basel in Switzerland. “It really illustrates the price you’re going to pay if you want to get up to the 60 percent or 70 percent that you’ll need for herd immunity, and I hope it really illustrates why that just isn’t a feasible plan.”

[Sudy]

I understand people are stupid. But I didn't realize they were stupid enough to die needlessly, or not care who they help accomplish it. I only get it in the broad sense... in the way that I'm too lazy to reduce my consumption of plastics, water, etc. But there's a difference... we're not just talking about destroying the planet for future generations. Someone could die IMMINENTLY.

I remember a young co-worker who had just begun college while I was working retail in my early 20s. He had adopted a dog, the first major pet he'd ever had. The dog ran out into traffic on a busy city road. He ran out after it. (They were fine.) I of course didn't want the dog to be hurt, but I scolded him for acting so rashly. In talking about the incident, he admitted (completely honestly) that he'd do anything for his dog, but he couldn't give a toss about a human who wasn't family in the same situation. I was incredulous. I was raised to believe (responsibly) risking your life for a stranger in need is the ultimate good. Whether I'd actually do it or freeze in such a situation is another question. But this is what we should aspire to.

This reminds me of that. The unsettling reality that the vast majority of people operate on a "fuck you, I got mine" basis, and a nearsighted one at that.

[Unagi]

Think of how much worse it could have been if they weren't sitting back in the upper-left corner.

[Daehawk]

Since no coronavirus has a vaccine I wouldn't put all my eggs in that basket.

[Doomboy]

This reminds me of that. The unsettling reality that the vast majority of people operate on a "fuck you, I got mine" basis, and a nearsighted one at that.

That is most of human history in a nutshell. Put us in the middle of a worldwide pandemic? That is probably closer to the golden rule during these times.

[Sudy]

I get that the 1918 flu holds valuable lessons for us and should continue to be plumbed by the experts. But I'm really getting annoyed by these viral images and memes alleging that we're certainly heading straight for the exact same pattern of a horrendous second wave. Is that possible? Yes. Especially with the incredibly stupid way some people and governments are asking. But these were different diseases in different periods. And those acting foolishly aren't going to be swayed by a history lesson. I was especially bristled by the post that ended with, "History really DOES repeat itself!". What an idiotic, presumptive statement to present without qualification. Where were you in 2009?

[Max Peck]

Fun fact: The 2009 H1N1 pandemic did have a second wave in the fall.

Comparison of Patients Hospitalized With Pandemic 2009 Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Infection During the First Two Pandemic Waves in Wisconsin

Background.
Wisconsin was severely affected by pandemic waves of 2009 influenza A H1N1 infection during the period 15 April through 30 August 2009 (wave 1) and 31 August 2009 through 2 January 2010 (wave 2).

Methods.
To evaluate differences in epidemiologic features and outcomes during these pandemic waves, we examined prospective surveillance data on Wisconsin residents who were hospitalized ≥24 h with or died of pandemic H1N1 infection.

Results.
Rates of hospitalizations and deaths from pandemic H1N1 infection in Wisconsin increased 4- and 5-fold, respectively, from wave 1 to wave 2; outside Milwaukee, hospitalization and death rates increased 10- and 8-fold, respectively. Hospitalization rates were highest among racial and ethnic minorities and children during wave 1 and increased most during wave 2 among non-Hispanic whites and adults. Times to hospital admission and antiviral treatment improved between waves, but the overall hospital course remained similar, with no change in hospitalization duration, intensive care unit admission, requirement for mechanical ventilation, or mortality.

Conclusions.
We report broader geographic spread and marked demographic differences during pandemic wave 2, compared with wave 1, although clinical outcomes were similar. Our findings emphasize the importance of using comprehensive surveillance data to detect changing characteristics and impacts during an influenza pandemic and of vigorously promoting influenza vaccination and other prevention efforts.