HC this report is for you: What to Know About Coronavirus in California

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What to Know About Coronavirus in California
By: Jill Cowan - The New York Times - 02-28-20
Re: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/28/u...alifornia.html

Friday: Officials are urging caution but not panic. Also: A Super Tuesday update.

Photo link: https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020...y=90&auto=webp
“We are not overreacting, but nor are we underreacting to the understandable anxiety that many people have,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said about the coronavirus.Credit...Max Whittaker for The New York Times

Good morning.

(Here’s the sign-up, if you don’t already get California Today by email.)

The worries about the spread of the coronavirus reached new heights in California yesterday, essentially drowning out all of the state’s other anxieties. (It still hasn’t rained in the Bay Area, for instance.)

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that there had been 33 cases in California and as many as 8,400 people were being monitored for the virus, but that the state had only about 200 testing kits, which he described as “inadequate.” The C.D.C., he said, had promised to provide more.

[Read the full story about the latest developments on the coronavirus in California.]

My colleagues reported that one of those 33, a Solano County woman, had to wait days to be tested. That woman may also be the first patient in the United States to be infected through community spread — a case in which the source of infection is unknown.

Later on Thursday, The Sacramento Bee reported that a student at the University of California, Davis, was showing “mild symptoms,” and that the student's three roommates were in isolation.

But although the authorities have emphasized that emergency declarations and other measures are still mostly precautionary, The Los Angeles Times reported that businesses were pulling events out of California and that this weekend’s Korea Times Music Festival at the Hollywood Bowl has been postponed.

Businesses in Chinese enclaves are struggling, too: The Guardian described San Francisco’s Chinatown — normally bustling with tourists — as almost eerily deserted.

Of course, this is all just going on in California. The outbreak has been a global phenomenon, sending financial markets plummeting and becoming a political cudgel.

The Coronavirus Outbreak:

Some answers to your most common questions:
Updated Feb. 26, 2020

* What is a coronavirus?

It is a novel virus named for the crownlike spikes that protrude from its surface. The coronavirus can infect both animals and people and can cause a range of respiratory illnesses from the common cold to more dangerous conditions like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS.

* How worried should I be?

New outbreaks in Asia, Europe and the Middle East are renewing fears of a global pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned this week that Americans should brace for the likelihood that the virus will spread to the United States.

* How do I keep myself and others safe?

Washing your hands frequently is the most important thing you can do, along with staying at home when you’re sick.

* What if I’m traveling?

The C.D.C. has warned older and at-risk travelers to avoid Japan, Italy and Iran. The agency also has advised against all nonessential travel to South Korea and China.

* How can I prepare for a possible outbreak?

Keep a 30-day supply of essential medicines. Get a flu shot. Have essential household items on hand. Have a support system in place for elderly family members.

* Where has the virus spread?

The virus, which originated in Wuhan, China, has sickened more than 80,000 people in at least 33 countries, including Italy, Iran and South Korea.

* How contagious is the virus?

According to preliminary research, it seems moderately infectious, similar to SARS, and is probably transmitted through sneezes, coughs and contaminated surfaces. Scientists have estimated that each infected person could spread it to somewhere between 1.5 and 3.5 people without effective containment measures.

* Who is working to contain the virus?

World Health Organization officials have been working with officials in China, where growth has slowed. But this week, as confirmed cases spiked on two continents, experts warned that the world was not ready for a major outbreak.

Here’s more of The Times’s coverage: (the links on on site only)

a. The latest on the virus around the globe.

b. The virus can be deadly, but the vast majority of those who have been infected suffer only mild symptoms and make full recoveries — here's why that’s kind of a double-edged sword.

c. Kara Swisher on how the spread of a novel illness is a test for the tech industry. (It’s been a boon for Zoom Video Communications, the teleconferencing company.)

d. What a coronavirus outbreak means for schools around the U.S.

e. And how to prepare. (Wash your hands, get a flu shot, stay home if you don’t feel well and don’t panic.)

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Personal note: HC - I'm sure Californian's already know most of this but for others in different states the same precautions should also apply.

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