Official Thread: Coronavirus "COVID-19"

[Android1]

Medicare is now covering coronavirus tests. This is great news, since the disease strikes the elderly the hardest.

You may be hearing about the coronavirus (officially called 2019-novel coronavirus or COVID-19) in the news. While there isn’t a vaccine yet, Medicare is still here to help. Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) covers a test to see if you have coronavirus. This test is covered when your doctor or other health care provider orders it, if you got the test on or after February 4, 2020.

You usually pay nothing for Medicare-covered clinical diagnostic laboratory tests. Note: Your provider will need to wait until after April 1, 2020 to be able to submit a claim to Medicare for this test.

To prevent the spread of this illness or other illnesses including the flu, here are some tips to follow:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water
• Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze
• Stay home when you’re sick
• See your doctor if you think you’re ill

For more information on the coronavirus, please visit the Centers for Disease Control website.

Source: Medicare.gov Blog

[Crawdaddy79]

Medicare is now covering coronavirus tests. This is great news, since the disease strikes the elderly the hardest.

Source: Medicare.gov Blog

In a few weeks, we are going to find out that some company made 5000% profit on those kits.

I hope they at least work.

[bill dennison]

the orange blossoms are coming out now here and has me sneezing a lot
my back yard is full of them

three sneezes in the grocery store yesterday and you would think I was Godzilla coming down the aisle

[Athena]

the orange blossoms are coming out now here and has me sneezing a lot
my back yard is full of them

three sneezes in the grocery store yesterday and you would think I was Godzilla coming down the aisle

Just had an awesome idea on how to watch movies and not have to worry about morons that talk to much during the movie. While standing in line to get a ticket talk loudly about which movie I plan to see and snort chilly powder. All the coughing and sneezing will clear the place out!!

[nutcrackr]

Europe doesn't look good. Lots of countries with high numbers.


USA has lots of cases across the country but not many total infected. When they start doing testing in the next week I suspect the cases will rise by thousands pretty quickly.

[Vanz_007]

Barely a peep out of our management, which is surprising. My crew is 100% customer facing. A "quiet" day for me entails at least 3 corporate office building visits, usually working with anywhere from 3-8 people a day, many of whom travel extensively.

Our single memo has amounted to something like "we're on it!"

What's that even mean?

delay tactic, wait as long as they can and sound like they care...

[SubCog]

I'm hearing some disconcerting rumblings from epidemiologists that the mortality rate is much higher than what is being currently reported... possibly 30%, and that states & media are keeping it quiet to avoid panic. Sounds like it's expected to get worse before the summer and then get better for a bit, then have it's peak as we go into next flu season... also sounds like vaccines are still a year away. Hopefully that's not true, but I have it from some pretty credible sources.

Seriously, 30% mortality gets us into the territory of "look to your left, look to your right"... super scary stuff.

[kytprice]

First case recorded in Lexington KY today. More expected due to the patients high exposure. Lexington is a hour drive from my house so been knowing y'all. Maybe I'll send some surprise packages to everyone who's screwed me over if I get infected.

[shrike126]

I'm hearing some disconcerting rumblings from epidemiologists that the mortality rate is much higher than what is being currently reported... possibly 30%, and that states & media are keeping it quiet to avoid panic. Sounds like it's expected to get worse before the summer and then get better for a bit, then have it's peak as we go into next flu season... also sounds like vaccines are still a year away. Hopefully that's not true, but I have it from some pretty credible sources.

Seriously, 30% mortality gets us into the territory of "look to your left, look to your right"... super scary stuff.

This sounds like scaremongering. No one could keep something like that a secret given that the whole world is experiencing the same thing.

[bill dennison]

First case recorded in Lexington KY today. More expected due to the patients high exposure. Lexington is a hour drive from my house so been knowing y'all. Maybe I'll send some surprise packages to everyone who's screwed me over if I get infected.

alcohol kills it

so Kentucky should be more than safe

[Notbilly]

But I don't see how you could successfully hide 30% mortality in this day and age (even in China)

[shrike126]

alcohol kills it



so Kentucky should be more than safe

Yeah but so what if you survive? You're still in Kentucky...

[bill dennison]

This sounds like scaremongering. No one could keep something like that a secret given that the whole world is experiencing the same thing.

Study of 72,000 COVID-19 patients finds 2.3% death rate

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-persp...-23-death-rate

we have had 1 or 2 deaths other than from the ones from the washington nursing home

it might be that high (30%)in any nursing home for already very ill people

[kytprice]

Yeah but so what if you survive? You're still in Kentucky...

LOL and New Jersey is something to brag about? Have you seen Camden?

[pax]

No way you could hide 30%. And even then its a percentage of those who get sick not the exposure rate.

Lots of bogus info floating out there and even Facebook has said it is busy cleaning up its service to stop the fearmongering.

[shrike126]

LOL and New Jersey is something to brag about? Have you seen Camden?

I earned that.

[Vanz_007]

all the costcos here(Seattle east side) are out of toilet paper, people coughing and wheezing in 2 hour line ups to buy carts full of toilet paper... wtf people, why does everyone need so much toilet paper for this?

[OverclockN']

I'm in IA, 3 hrs from a case reported in Chicago and 3hrs the other direction from the case in Omaha. Square in the middle between the two. Surely it's here by now, or has been for quite some time.

[Shapeshifter]

https://www.businessinsider.com/pres...utbreak-2020-3

A leaked presentation reveals the document US hospitals are using to prepare for a major coronavirus outbreak. It estimates 96 million US coronavirus cases and 480,000 deaths.

[bill dennison]

only scaremongering and panic would get it that high


spring starts in less than two weeks and it will be warming up most everywhere in the us

health news from businessinsider

i'm sure someone has gamed a way to make millions from a panic


but i am sure hospitals and government are planing for a worst case and should be
but that does not mean it will happen

[Shapeshifter]

only scaremongering and panic would get it that high


spring starts in less than two weeks and it will be warming up most everywhere in the us

health news from businessinsider

i'm sure someone has gamed a way to make millions from a panic


but i am sure hospitals and government are planing for a worst case and should be
but that does not mean it will happen

The estimates appear to be a bit conservative.

For example

death rate 0.5%, early estimates were 1-2% in china, the WHO upped that to 3.4% march 3rd. They won't get a true number until it's all well and over worldwide however, so expect it to fluctuate up or down.

They say 1-2% of cases will need ICU beds. Italy yesterday said 10% of their cases need ICU.

[kytprice]

I earned that.

All in good fun I assure you. I of all people understand the pitfalls of living in Kentucky. Fortunately I don't live in one of the parts where the family tree has no branches. But believe me I could show you real live deliverance. But I'm not getting out of the car. I will be armed. And I don't squeal like a pig.



Enough of that now back to the end of the world. Carry on.

[Shapeshifter]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51787238

Northern Italy to 'quarantine 16 million people'

Italy is set to lock down at least 16 million people in the region of Lombardy and in 11 other provinces in the north and east of the country.

The mandatory quarantine will last until early April.

The dramatic escalation in the country's efforts to contain the new deadly coronavirus will close gyms, pools, museums and ski resorts.

Italy is Europe's worst-hit country and reported a steep rise in virus infections on Saturday.

The new measures, which also apply to financial centre Milan and tourist hotspot Venice, could take effect as early as Sunday and will last until 3 April.

[nutcrackr]

Locking things down is the way to go. China did it and their cases have drastically reduced. Yes it's not good to lock things down for ~1-2 months, but it beats the alternative.

[Crawdaddy79]

Locking things down is the way to go. China did it and their cases have drastically reduced. Yes it's not good to lock things down for ~1-2 months, but it beats the alternative.

I have a hard time trusting China's numbers. Call me crazy.

[0091/2]

I have a hard time trusting China's numbers. Call me crazy.

You're not the only one.

[bob saget]

just popped up in my area, at a retirement home like 10km from my house.

[SubCog]

I have a hard time trusting China's numbers. Call me crazy.

Believe the Chinese government, or exiled Chinese billionaire?
[yt]nnGMI2etU1g[/yt]

[pax]

Yeah no. They are probably burning every body of any one who had a cold or flu or chronic allergy of which there are countless pathogens that lead to infection.

[bill dennison]

Yeah no. They are probably burning every body of any one who had a cold or flu or chronic allergy of which there are countless pathogens that lead to infection.

plus protesters, political dissidents and anyone on their sh*t list
or just extra people

China's spring cleansing........ everyone into the fire


........

sorry not even china could keep 50k+ dead secret

hell i can see the lawn mower sitting in my backyard on google maps and they don't show the best pictures they can do

and uncle sam and every big government in the world can see china 50x better than google maps shows online

must be every government in the world lying and every government employee that could leak it

politicians everywhere can't do anything without someone leaking it

but they can keep this secret

.......

more like a billionaire that has invested in n95 masks and like sh*t

[dodger]

https://arstechnica.com/science/2020...e-coronavirus/

Well Ars has a pretty in depth article out on this but relies very heavily on data from China so there's that caveat. Still it confirms that the panic buying of water doesn't make sense as it is unlikely this thing will damage water infrastructure like a hurricane might. All the other stuff you buy because if you do get it you'll be stuck at home for 2 weeks and can't get out and that's if you get sick and can get tested (which according to the article is getting easier now that the test kits got fixed; which also means expect the number of infected to skyrocket as more people get tested).

[Nascar24]

I better get to the store soon as the cupboards are bare!

[bill dennison]

i have to set up my yearly check up soon

i think i will call the VA and ask them to renew my meds for 3 to 6 months

it is not the time to go into the VA clinic if you are not sick

[bill dennison]

I better get to the store soon as the cupboards are bare!

https://www.amazon.com/fmc/learn-mor...l_5el6b2u9rw_p

[bob saget]

if anyone follows tennis, the large tennis tournament happening at Indian Wells in California has just been cancelled

[kytprice]

Three new cases in Kentucky that brings the total known cases to four. One odd tidbit is one case in Harrison County. Patient had no known travel in fact never been on plane, train or ship. Hadn't even been out of the county in at least a month. Strange

[pax]

He bought some **** on amazon shipped directly from China. This thing is in the wild we can only hope most wont get sick.

[kytprice]

He bought some **** on amazon shipped directly from China. This thing is in the wild we can only hope most wont get sick.

No doubt it was something like that. Or maybe it's possible for a person to be a carrier and never show symptoms. Could've had contact in a store or elsewhere and never know where it came from.

[pax]

No doubt it was something like that. Or maybe it's possible for a person to be a carrier and never show symptoms. Could've had contact in a store or elsewhere and never know where it came from.

If its like that nursing home in Washington State then its ~60% of those who get exposed and may carry the virus but dont get sick yet possibly be contagious and 40% who get sick with 2-15% who die depending on age and underlying conditions. They reported deaths in some cases under an hour of showing symptoms which means a gross immune response and inflammation that probably drowned them in their own fluids and/or strangled their airways. Killed by their own immune system. Think Im gonna see about some stronger anti histamines and start taking them regularly along with the Zinc and Vit D that I take seasonally. Maybe some adrenaline shots as well.

Lets just hope this new SARS virus isnt that contagious...

[Pr3tty F1y]

This thing is in the wild we can only hope most wont get sick.

I think what we should be hoping for is that once you clear COVID-19, that there is some lasting immunity to the virus (well, before it inevitably mutates... hopefully to a less virulent strain).

What we are seeing here is how the common cold gets passed around the globe. It's just that no one focuses on the common cold as everyone inevitably gets it and death is not a likely outcome.

Most people are going to get COVID-19. May won't even realize as they'll clear it like the common cold. We are beyond the point of containing it.