Edhat Staff
Ventura County Public Health Officer Robert Levin, Dr. Robert McDonald of CDC, and Jeanne Eckes of HHS (Credit: KEYT Livestream)
By edhat staff
Officials confirmed one person is being quarantined at Ventura County’s Naval Base at Point Mugu due to concerns of the novel-coronavirus (COVID-19).
Ventura County Public Health Officer Robert Levin was joined by officials from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to discuss the current status on Wednesday afternoon.
Dr. Robert McDonald, CDC Medical Officer assigned to Point Mugu, stated on Sunday, February 23, a traveler from Los Angeles Airport (LAX) was placed under federal quarantine and transferred to Point Mugu. He stressed the traveler has not been diagnosed with COVID-19, is asymptomatic, and does not pose a threat to the community.
The male traveler had recently visited the Hubei Province in China and traveled by train to Beijing before boarding a commercial flight to LAX. The traveler was intercepted due to Homeland Security tracking any passengers arriving in the United States who visited areas with high rates of infection. Passengers go through several screenings before being quarantined for public safety.
The traveler is currently housed in a building on the Point Mugu Naval Base and is expected to complete a full 14 days before being released if no signs or symptoms of illness develop. His condition is being monitored daily with temperature taken twice a day. Dr. McDonald confirmed if symptoms arise, the individual would be immediately transported to a local hospital, possibly St. John’s in Oxnard, as part of their pre-planned methods.
Jeanne Eckes, HHS Incident Manager, confirmed the traveler is not in solitary confinement and is staying in a hotel-like building that’s fenced off from the rest of the Naval Base. He is able to roam freely in the building and the courtyard while having constant access to medical attention, food, and human services. All HHS and CDC staff who interact with the traveler are wearing protective gear.
When asked by reporters, Eckes confirmed the traveler is a United States Citizen but does not live in California. He was intercepted at LAX before being able to return home.
Point Mugu was chosen as a quarantine location due to its proximity to LAX. Eckes confirmed a number of other military bases did not have available space but Ventura had a lodging area capable of accepting up to 20 people. Point Mugu will continue to be on standby to receive more patients as the situation is re-evaluated.
Ventura County Public Health Officer Robert Levin did his best to ease concerns by stating the fatality rate for COVID-19 is 1.6% outside of China and 3.4% in China comparing this to SARS which had 11% and MERS-COV at 34%.
“While not to be taken lightly, this infectious disease is not EBOLA, SARS, or MERS-COV,” said Levin. He went on to state this may be a test of our humanity asking what if it was you or one of your loved ones who needed quarantine.
McDonald did not answer any questions regarding the global or national state of COVID-19, specifically questions to this being a potential pandemic that has dominated headlines in the past day. He continued to advise people to wash their hands and take all other flu prevention precautions while checking CDC.gov for more information.
“You should not be on high alert, we don’t have any cases identified as having this disease right now,” said Levin.
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February 24, 2020: Ventura Naval Base a Potential CoronaVirus Quarantine Site
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February 3, 2020:
Get ready folks. The first case of Coronavirus of unknown origin has just been reported in Northern California. They are not disclosing the city, and it runs the risk of local spread. *** https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/france-confirms-2nd-death-outbreak-spreads-across-europe-virus-arrives-south-america ***
So much for all the lies Trump is telling.
I just hope we can keep the goals of public health in mind. Yes, be careful, be educated, be active. Please don’t be crazy, don’t pass bad info and rumors. I hope reasonable people can still support reasonable organizations and methods in this crazed day and age. No, I do not think any government or government agency is out to get me, and yes, I do trust public health agencies. (I’ve worked with them, that helps.) Yes, I’m concerned about the current administration’s funding of public health agencies and hiring for empty positions. Trying to be health-minded here, and not sow further hysteria.)
Please review hand washing techniques, just as your hygienist always goes over brushing and flossing with you. WHO technique takes maybe 15 seconds more than CDC technique. I keep my nails extremely short, simply out of preference. I clean them with my other hand’s nails, daily, under running water. Yes, I’ve worked in hospitals, including in infection control, and vet and shelter facilities, and cared for both parents until the end, so yeah, I am an expert. 🙂
https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html
WHO (Counseling to leave water on is terrible, especially as those who wash hands tend to have elbows, and WHO of all orgs should be concerned about water usage):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PmVJQUCm4E
67 reported corona virus cases in US, no deaths and a 350 million US population. Ride out this flu season in good stead. Wash your hands and don’t ever stick your fingers (clean or not) into your eyes, mouth or nose. But naturally, blame Trump if you catch it. Daddy Figures and Big Government are supposed to protect you from everything. Everything.
Not the time to be political, unless you’re going to be specific. 😉 He said more in India, direct quotes are not quickly coming to my mouse pointer.
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Like trump saying on Fox News on Feb. 2 “Well, we’ve pretty much shut it down, coming in from China. We have a tremendous relationship with China. … We’re offering ’em tremendous help,” Trump said. “But we can’t have thousands of people coming in who may have this problem, the coronavirus. So, we’re gonna see what happens.” ========================================================================
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
“The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA. We are in contact with everyone and all relevant countries. CDC & World Health have been working hard and very smart. Stock Market starting to look very good to me!”
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Kudlow spoke WAY out of his league and specialty. Just another mockery of specialists and knowledge.
Kudlow said in that clip that the U.S. has “contained” the coronavirus. “I won’t say [it’s] airtight, but it’s pretty close to airtight,” he said. His comments quickly garnered criticism and failed to reverse hemorrhaging markets.
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Oh, Trump is about to speak, off to watch. Oh, maybe not for 45 minutes. We can always read about it.
Try going 15 or 60 minutes without EVER touching your face, don’t touch your eyes or lips. Don’t even brush your hair away from your face, no scratching an itch at the tip of your nose, no touching or rubbing your wet or dry lips. For some of you this might be laughably easy. For others? Enlightening! I can barely do it when I’m being hyper-vigilant. This experiment, thought or actual, is a darn good reason to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds almost every hour. I use 30% petrolatum lotion on my hands, applied when I’m reading in bed before falling asleep. I don’t use hand lotion during an active day, I detest the oiliness, but have been hugely won over. This intense stuff with petrolatum is just happily sucked up by my skin.
If you’re going to say that, back it up. I obviously agree. My post QUOTING prez and admin people is being downvoted. So his supporters don’t agree with what the administration says? I don’t get it.
It’s almost here! Well, next door actually. Trump’s promises that Pasty Pence is on it & between him & the warm weather springtime, this nasty Covid-19 will be history. The stock market will go back up, even though the Democrats are to blame according to The Don’s proclamation at this afternoon’s, LATE AS ALWAYS, press conference. Sure, Don, you’re the expert in everything.
Per the San Francisco Chronicle, the location of the first case of unknown origin in Northern California is Solano County, just north of the Bay Area. That’s where Vacaville, Fairfield, Travis AFB is. I know it well because that’s where I was born. From there it’s easy access to I-80 which takes you to Sacramento and San Francisco, and I-5 which goes to all points in north and south. We’ll just see how this plays out, but it looks like the cat is out of the bag.
They are ignorant, dim, irrational, and intellectually dishonest. Given that, there’s not much to get.
“Daddy Figures and Big Government are supposed to protect you from everything.” — Of course this is dishonest, because that’s what right wingers fundamentally are. What I said is that Trump is telling lies, like that there will be a vaccine soon, that everyone who needs to be tested has been tested, that it’s contained so there’s nothing to worry about, like that it’s the Dem’s fault that the stock market has dropped … Trump lies constantly. Right wingers lie constantly. It’s their nature. This is not the flu; this is a different virus that is 20-30 times more deadly, and it won’t end when the season changes. There will be far more than 67 cases. There will be deaths. And Trump cut the CDC budget and fired the people responsible for managing pandemics. Don’t blame me when you or people you care about don’t manage to “ride out” this deadly virus “in good stead”.
Lol what a joke of a press conference. Half of it was blaming the Dems for the stock market drop, although tech, travel, and other virus-affected sectors led the decline. He’s pawning it off on Pence because he has no idea what he’s doing. Then he has the nerve to say Pence’s state has a great model for public health, even though it is ranked 40th for healthcare quality in the US. Total clown puppet.
If my tone and/or screen name offended you, I apologize. Please review any infection control techniques and use them. You and yours, and your entire community, appreciate it. Thank you.
The patient has been transferred to UC Davis Med school. Here’s a twitter feed *** https://twitter.com/glibnorf/status/1232904865111666691 *** It sounds like the CDC has a “Don’t test, don’t tell” policy which resulted in this infected individual circulating in the community until they got really sick. That’s when they were tested and found to be positive for Covid-19. This will be a developing story, and it won’t be surprising if we see cases cluster in Solano and Yolo counties.
Pence is a non-science creationist who believes in and talks about the end times and the rapture. Seems legit. No problem here. Move along.
Don’t forget his non-reaction to the HIV cluster in Indiana when he was governor. https://www.newsweek.com/mike-pences-pray-it-plan-combat-indiana-hiv-outbreak-resurfaces-after-trump-taps-vp-lead-1489344
Covid 19 test kits news: http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/02/glitch-delays-covid-19-tests-states-first-evacuees-cleared
I misspoke, it IS on the CDC (and unnamed manufacturers, I assume, or does the gov’t manufacture medical tests?) “… the CDC developed and deployed the diagnostic test kits to states, and as part of the normal process, state labs verify that they perform the same as they do in CDC labs before states use them to diagnose patients.
But she said the CDC received word that the tests weren’t performing as expected and that the state labs were getting inconclusive results. Apparently, one of the reagents used in the tests wasn’t performing consistently. “Things may not always go as smoothly as we’d like,” she said, adding that the reagent will be remanufactured. For now, states will continue to send all of their COVID-19 clinical specimens to the CDC for testing.”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/whistleblower-says-federal-employees-flown-from-coronavirus-sites-didnt-follow-safety-protocols-11582840144 “Whistleblower Says Federal Employees Flown From Coronavirus Sites Didn’t Follow Safety Protocols. Employees weren’t tested for virus before leaving California quarantine sites on commercial flights, complaint says.” The whistleblower has been reassigned to a new job and threatened with termination if she doesn’t make the transfer, because in the Trump administration loyalty matters, but things like truth, or the health and safety of the American people, do not. (And if someone tells you that this is about Dems or “libs” trying to take down Trump, think about how appallingly stupid, dishonest, and DANGEROUS that attitude is.)
I’ll trade you one pay-wall blocked article for another. 😉 ——————————–
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/27/business/stock-market-coronavirus.html
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The Guardian runs daily news updates. I realize they’re too liberal for some, but it IS free. And valid. I thought some papers had raised their paywall for Covid-19 news? Let us know, all you news readers out there. —————————————————————-
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/feb/27/coronavirus-live-updates-china-wuhan-hubei-south-korea-japan-trumpcases-infections-death-toll-outbreak-italy-latest-news
During wildfire evacuations, will Red Cross accept people with fevers? Maybe have everyone stay in their vehicle and shelter in parking lot, volunteers in protective gear could deliver food/drink to cars. Preparations. People w/o cars, crammed together in evacuation shelter?
Full protective gear needed for Sheriff’s deputies. Firefighters, protection against coronavirus, required of them 24/7, until further notice, would be helpful. If fire and police become ill with coronavirus, who will fight wildfires, and handle evacuations. Who will keep order? We need these people, and so do their families.
You can order online from Target and 1 hour later go to Target and your order will be brought to your car: https://www.target.com/c/drive-up/-/N-9d42z . Gelson’s delivers. Von’s:
Order fresh groceries online. Shop at Vons from any device.
Schedule the delivery. Get your groceries in as little as an hour, or when you want them.
Get it delivered to your doorstep. Fresh handpicked groceries from Vons to your front door.
Also, food delivery from all your favorite Santa Barbara or Goleta restaurants, Grubhub, and many more.
….but what about the BAN on Oil Drilling in Santa Barbara County…? Do they bring your food on bicycles? Solar powered flying saucers…?
Dr. John Campbell is producing daily videos that are excellent and praised by the W.H.O. Director. This is an important 13 minute video for self-care at home as well as techniques to avoid getting the coronavirus. Brilliant, easy to understand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpXoY_1EG8Y
If we believe anything told to us by the vile and evil Chinese Communist government then we deserve exactly what we get.
(PPE) Personal Protective Equipment should be used now for ambulance people/paramedics, sheriff’s deputies, police, fire fighters. Don’t forget about front office people in clinics and doctor’s/dentist’s offices. Protection before Infection.