Thread by @BryanAlexander

Latest on #coronavirus , a short thread:

"'It’s not so much of a question of if this will happen in this country any more but a question of when this will happen,' said Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases..."

"She said that public health officials have no idea whether the spread of [COVID-19] to the United States would be mild or severe, but that Americans should be ready for a significant disruption to their daily lives..."

"'We are asking the American public to prepare for the expectation that this might be bad,' Dr. Messonnier said..."

nytimes.com/2020/02/25/wor…

#CoronavirusOutbreak
#Coronavirus

But wait! There's more!

"Schools should consider dividing students into smaller groups or close and use 'internet-based teleschooling,' Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters on a conference call."

"'For adults, businesses can replace in-person meetings with video or telephone conferences and increase teleworking options,' Messonnier said."

"She said local communities and cities may need to 'modify, postpone or cancel mass gatherings.' Hospitals may need to triage patients differently, add more telehealth services and delay elective surgery, she said."

"'Now is the time for businesses, hospitals, communities, schools and everyday people to begin preparing,' [Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases] said."

“'I understand this whole situation may seem overwhelming and that disruption to everyday life may be severe. But these are things that people need to start thinking about now,' Messionnier said Tuesday. "

“'You should think about what you would do for child care if schools or day cares closed.'"

cnbc.com/2020/02/25/cdc…

“'We will maintain, for as long as practical, a dual approach [in which] we continue measures to contain this disease but also employ strategies to minimise the impact on our communities...'"

scmp.com/news/china/soc…

Let me see what the hard-charging @DrEricDing has found today:

@DrEricDing "Iran’s deputy health minister said he has contracted the coronavirus and placed himself in isolation, a day after appearing feverish at a press conference in which he downplayed its spread in the shrine city of Qom and said mass quarantines were unnecessary."

@DrEricDing "Images of one of the country’s most senior public health officials appearing sweaty and pale and acknowledging he had contracted the disease left many Iranians deeply troubled and are likely to further paralyse a county reeling from its rapid onset."

theguardian.com/world/2020/feb…

@DrEricDing New research on #CoronavirusOutbreak from JAMA:
jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/…

NOTE: that's in the open, sans paywall.

@DrEricDing Back in the US:
"U.S. state and local public health laboratories are seeking permission from the Food and Drug Administration to create their own tests for the new coronavirus as manufacturing and regulatory issues continue to delay access to testing capabilities."

@DrEricDing "As of Monday, only five U.S. states - California, Illinois, Nebraska, Nevada and Tennessee - have the capability to test for the virus, according to the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL)."

Seriously?

@DrEricDing "The CDC said in a news briefing last week that the agency is still handling the bulk of testing for the coronavirus as it works out issues with test kits sent to states."

@DrEricDing "After receiving the tests, some labs discovered they produced inconclusive results, and they have been waiting for replacement tests as the CDC has been trying to work out those issues, said Scott Becker, APHL chief executive officer."

reuters.com/article/us-chi…

@DrEricDing (Useful graphic from that JAMA article:)

@DrEricDing If #coronavirus reaches community transmission in the US and people start dying, is this Trump's Katrina moment?

@DrEricDing If #coronavirus primarily kills seniors, will this become a generational issue?

i.e., will @AARP lobby for increased health resources aimed at the over-65 population?

@DrEricDing @AARP On the other hand, will we think of #coronavirus as Boomer Flu?

@DrEricDing @AARP Interesting to see the role of religion in the #CoronavirusOutbreak , between
South Korea's Shincheonji Church of Jesus and Iran's theocracy.

Paging @zenpundit + @hipbonegamer

@DrEricDing @AARP @zenpundit @hipbonegamer After this CDC alert, Dow Jones fell 800 points .

washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pac…

@DrEricDing @AARP @zenpundit @hipbonegamer And this story show how trying to get #coronavirus testing and treatment in the US can cost thousands, thanks to our insurance system:
miamiherald.com/news/health-ca…

@DrEricDing @AARP @zenpundit @hipbonegamer Last point, on #highereducation : #coronavirus is driving more classes online.
insidehighered.com/news/2020/02/2…

@insidehighered

@DrEricDing @AARP @zenpundit @hipbonegamer @insidehighered All right, one more point on #Coronavirus :

"Four new Member States (Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iraq, and Oman) reported cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours."

That's from @CDCgov
who.int/docs/default-s…