Community Chat

[Anonymous032819]

With a population of over 40 million people, we have only about 400 deaths, thanks to early orders to shelter in place, ordering of masks for medical professionals, and because we may have been exposed to the virus sooner than originally thought.

Researchers at Stanford Medicine are working to find out what proportion of California has had Covid

The team tested 3,200 people at three Bay Area locations using an antibody test and expect to release the results in the coming  weeks. The data could help prove that Covid  came in to California undetected much earlier than previously thought.

The hypothesis is that Covid first started spreading in California in the fall, is one explanation for the state's lower than expected case numbers.

As of Tuesday, the state had 374 deaths in a state of 40 million people, compared to New York, which has seen 14 times as many fatalities and has a population half that of California. Social distancing could be playing a part, but New York implemented stay-at-home three days after California did.

Victor Davis Hanson, a researcher at Stanford's Hoover Institute thinks that Covid has been spreading among Californians since the fall when doctors reported an early flu season in the state. During that same time, California was welcoming as many as 8,000 Chinese nationals daily in to our airports. Some of these visitors arriving directly from Wuhan. 

If Californians were exposed earlier than the rest of the country to Covid we may have had a chance to build up some herd immunity to the disease. We won't know if that is the case until results from the Standard Medicine study come back.

On Friday and Saturday, the study's co-lead Eran Bendavid coordinated testing at sites in San Jose, Los Gatos, and Mountain View. The team used an antibody test from the company Premier Biotech. Technicians used a finger nick to draw blood for the test, and it can tell within minutes of a person has developed antibodies to Covid.

For more on this article, you can go to KCRA website and look for the article titled "New Study Investigates California's Possible Herd Immunity to Covid-19".

[millieshops]

@Anonymous032819Saw an interview with your governor 2 days ago -  very impressed.   Seeing your curve added to my determination to stay put just as I've been doing.  It certainly seems to work when the bulk of the population obeys.

[sunshine45]

via KCRA ...... the most recent statistics that i have read say that california has had 503 deaths and 19063 confirmed positive cases. "experts say that the true numbers are not known for the number infected and likely much higher than the official numbers," according to the los angeles times.

[kjae]

@Anonymous032819   Thank you for that report.  I'm down here in Glendale, northern suburb of L.A..

[millieshops]

@sunshine45My take on the numbers is that many of the death counts are much closer to accurate than the numbers for those with the virus although I do remember a report that said the death numbers reflect at least a 24 hour delay and some deaths attributed to Covid could be for a different cause or deaths attributed to something else could have been because of it.  

In my area of southern Florida where we have more deaths reported than in many states, we have tested only a few thousand people.  How could we ever know who is carrying CV or who might already have recovered without needing hospitalization?   That's the experience that makes me distrust the numbers.

[hopi]

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@millieshops wrote:

@sunshine45My take on the numbers is that many of the death counts are much closer to accurate than the numbers for those with the virus although I do remember a report that said the death numbers reflect at least a 24 hour delay and some deaths attributed toCovidd could be for a different cause or deaths attributed to something else could have been because of it.  

In my area of southern Florida where we have more deaths reported than in many states, we have tested only a few thousand people.  How could we ever know who is carrying CV or who might already have recovered without needing hospitalization?   That's the experience that makes me distrust the numbers.

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When taking a statics class you realize you can make the numbers say what ever you would like.  California is a large state spread apart with so much fresh food, outdoor markets and the like.  Many brilliant, wealthy people gravitate to the area because of it's beauty and special attributes. These people help reflect in their state's attitude on science.

Hopefully California hopefully is winning this battle.

Florida on the other hand has scoffed at the virus... it's biggest problem could have been the influx of cruise ships and not closing beaches to spring break vacationers.

[suzyQ3]

Yes, we are making some progress. And fortunate for us, we have a governor who has really stepped up -- honest and informative, with excellent daily briefings.

He would be the first to say that in no way should ease up. The flattening of the curve simply means more time for hospitals to get prepared.

[AuntG]

The Gov in CA is doing a good job. I thought the NY Gov did a good job in making tough decisions but sometimes I think he likes to hear himself talk.

[suzyQ3]

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@AuntG wrote:

The Gov in CA is doing a good job. I thought the NY Gov did a good job in making tough decisions but sometimes I think he likes to hear himself talk.

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@AuntG, Newsom is pretty talkative, too. I get a kick out of how wonky he can get with his details. Also, he has an excellent vocabulary, almost to a fault given that he is communicating to a vast, diverse audience.

[CelticCrafter]

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@sunshine45 wrote:

via KCRA ...... the most recent statistics that i have read say that california has had 503 deaths and 19063 confirmed positive cases. "experts say that the true numbers are not known for the number infected and likely much higher than the official numbers," according to the los angeles times.

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Which I'm sure is true for any state.