Professional Soldiers ® - Wuhan Coronavirus

Professional Soldiers ® (http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/forums/index.php)

- General Discussions (http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=46)

- - Wuhan Coronavirus (http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54631)

Wuhan Coronavirus

This disease is being discussed on the Pandemic Flu thread. Since the coronavirus is not influenza, I thought it deserves it's own thread. I am not in the medical field, but I am in the affected region. I'll kick this off with my now removed post from the flu thread:

Under 3,000 total Wuhan Coronavirus cases globally (vast majority in China) and 80 deaths (all in China). Surgical masks are now almost impossible to find in China and Hong Kong. By contrast, here's a fun infographic on what the flu has done in the United States alone just since 01 OCT. Everyone take a step back and breathe...through your mask if you have one.

Staggering numbers but we have gotten use to the flu whereas this new bug is well it's new and folks tend to be perhaps more afraid of the unknown. Gonna have to give this sometime and see what takes place. I live in the middle of the largest community of Amish West of the Mississippi, they do not visit China and neither do I.:munchin

Every time I hear about this I think the last hangover I had down in Mexico. :D:p

Quote:

Originally Posted by Divemaster (Post 655014)

My Team Sgt. told me "Statistics are just numbers, unless you're one of them...

This event aught to give us a perspective on the global supply chain and get folks thinking about the problems with our sourcing much of our manufacturing to China and other countries. The masks being just one example.

I remember learning back in the nineties the government was still offering subsidies regarding mohair, and insulation we needed in WWII and Korea. At the time I had no problem with that because it supported domestic ranching... except the part that many had bought the subsidies for investment and didn’t seem to be in a position to produce if needed. Today I think its safe to say we’ve moved in from mohair insulation and we actually produce some excellent synthetic insulation domestically for Berry Amendment Compliant products however I’ll bet your civilian garments are using imported types...food for thought.

Edit: Regarding the situation as it stands now, I thought this was informative and offered some practical advice from an MD.
advice. https://m.*******.com/watch?v=QA5AbqlCHuc

It's worse than what the Chinese government is reporting but not worth worrying about, for now at least. China was more concerned protecting their markets and trade, under reporting the initial outbreak. Now they've built a new hospital within a week and quarantined millions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tom kelly (Post 655022)

My Team Sgt. told me "Statistics are just numbers, unless you're one of them...

LOL, good stuff. That was exactly the answer I gave to a previous Commie governor when we were pushing for a carry bill, right after he'd made a big statement in the paper, to wit: "Statistically, our state is among the safest in the nation."

I wonder if it's because of their fucked up food handling/ consumption practices.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Divemaster (Post 655014)

Fools think alike!! :D I had the same idea about the flu. I used this site https://nyshc.health.ny.gov/web/nyap...te-flu-tracker
elsewhere to compare China's problem to US flu. But my conclusion is that the Chinese are lying about the numbers. They are shutting down provinces and cities over a mere 3000+- sick and 80 +- dead?? Rushing to build hospitals??

Color me cynical. I'm inclined to believe that a lot of other governments are not poo pooing the numbers so as not to cause panic in their own countries.

^^ my WAG is this is much worse than the Chinese are allowing to leak out. No one rapidly builds quarantine centers (aka hospitals) because less than one-millionths of the local population gets a cold.

Not holding my breath on this, let’s see what it takes to treat this and what the mortality rate ends up being.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Dog New Trick (Post 655028)

In the nature of such governments. Anyone remember a little burg called Chernobyl?

I will also, as you say, take a wait & see attitude however. The building of quarantine centers would not be irrational in many places. How many actual physical facilities, or even numbers of beds - existing right now - are in the US to handle more than a few affected with any number of such illnesses? I mean no shit, real certified, quarantine facilities.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Divemaster (Post 655014)

Under 3,000 total Wuhan Coronavirus cases globally (vast majority in China) and 80 deaths (all in China). Surgical masks are now almost impossible to find in China and Hong Kong. By contrast, here's a fun infographic on what the flu has done in the United States alone just since 01 OCT. Everyone take a step back and breathe...through your mask if you have one.

Practically, surgical masks have a modest ability to prevent an infected person from spreading respiratory infections but really do not actually prevent an uninfected person. The take home message here is you want to get masks on sick people, especially if they are coughing and sneezing to minimize risks to others. Putting a surgical mask on healthy people really does not change their risk.

CDC has better resources than sensationalist websites.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019...out/index.html

Also a no-nonsense tips from BTDT
https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/01/25...-safety-china/

I for one am monitoring the stock market....and getting ready to buy the dip on airline stocks :o

Here’s a useful map that is in near real-time using WHO/CDC+ datasets:

https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/a...23467b48e9ecf6

How often does the CDC say "This is a serious public health threat." ???
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/summary.html

I'd like to know what I should obtain for my disaster medical kit, now, before it becomes unobtanium.

How does one dose & administer ACE2 inhibitors - wait until a cytokine storm is in progress? Administer when bedridden but prior? Better case is hospital bed / MD available and I can hand the MD my personal stash of a drug.

Need to find an MD willing to prescribe it for such a purpose.

Out from DOT NHTSA

Quote:

Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Update

Chinese health officials have identified a new (novel) coronavirus (2019-nCoV) as the cause of an outbreak of pneumonia in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, which has led to a number of confirmed and suspected cases and several deaths in China. There have been cases identified in several Asian countries and two confirmed cases with other potential cases under investigation in the United States. A multi-agency Federal response is ongoing at this time to monitor the outbreak and implement preparedness and response activities. Among those agencies, the CDC is following and addressing the clinical aspects of this issue. The most up-to-date information can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/.

At this time, the potential risk of infection of the US population, including health care practitioners such as EMS clinicians is low. The CDC is conducting health screenings at a number of airports around the U.S. (JFK, SFO, LAX, ORD, ATL) by actively assessing passengers at those ports of entry determined to be at possible risk. EMS agencies that service those airports have already been contacted by the CDC Quarantine Stations at those airports. A number of EMS agencies around the country have initiated protocols and policies to address concerns regarding appropriate procedures for EMS clinicians to follow. The Office of EMS is working closely with Federal agencies for awareness of needs of the EMS and 911 community.

Coronaviruses are common throughout the world and typically cause mild to moderate illness. The 2019 novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is a member of this family, which includes SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV which can lead to severe illness. Limited human-to-human transmission has been observed with an incubation period of about 6 to 14 days. Known and suspected systems include fever, difficulty breathing, cough and potentially other mild to severe respiratory symptoms including severe pneumonia. Available treatment is currently limited to supportive care.

While the risk to the U.S. population is low, this is a serious and evolving situation. At this time, specific screening protocols for 911 or emergency medical dispatch are not required. If a caller volunteers information about travel to China within the past 2 weeks or close contact* potential exposure to a patient / person under investigation (PUI), that information should be relayed to responding field crews.
Routine exposure control precautions will offer protection to first responders. EMS clinicians are advised to maintain a high index of suspicion in patients who present with fever and respiratory symptoms with a travel history to Wuhan, China.

SPECIFIC EMS MANAGEMENT AND TRANSPORT CONSIDERATIONS:
1. If the patient exhibits symptoms of an acute febrile** lower respiratory infection (fever, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, cough):
a. Place a surgical mask on the patient AND
b. Obtain a detailed travel history to affected countries within the past 14 days*** or close contact with someone under investigation for 2019-nCoV
2. If there is a history consistent with concern for potential 2019-coronavirus (2019-nCoV), initiate standard contact and airborne precautions (gloves, gown, N95 respirator) and eye protection (goggles) for EMS clinicians.
3. Notify the receiving hospital (according to local protocols) of potential infection as soon as possible to allow for emergency department preparation.
4. Use caution with aerosol generating procedures.
5. Properly doff and dispose of PPE according to protocol.
6. Cleaning and disinfection using EPA registered disinfectants with known effectiveness against human coronaviruses.
7. Waste management per policy for medical waste (red bag).

*Close contact is defined as being within about 6 feet, or within the same room or care area, of a patient with confirmed 2019-nCoV without wearing PPE for a prolonged period of time OR having direct contact with 2019-nCoV patient secretions.

**Fever may not be present in all patients; those who are immunocompromised, very young, elderly or taking fever-lowering medications.

***The list of affected countries may change over time and can be confirmed at the CDC site: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/.

Continue to work with your agency infection control staff and local hospitals, emergency department and public health agencies to coordinate all response activities and notifications.

We will continue to follow this event and work with our Federal partners to provide updated information to the EMS and 911 communities.
For more information, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/.