I'm assuming this is another patient who was in the Kirkland long-term care unit?

is how the hell this disease migrated from China to a place where people don't get out much.

Seattle is a large metropolitan area with a lot of Asian population. Pretty simple actually.

of the long-term care facility that is not directly in Seattle, but in a suburb.

Was it someone travelling from Asia that came to see a family member in the facility? Is anyone bothering to figure that out?

can carry a virus in with them. Deliverymen, nursing staff, grandkids, pharmacists, etc. All they have to do is leave the virus on a keyboard or doorknob or faucet handle.

to try to trace that person, and figure out who else they might have carried the virus to? I simply don't see any stories on such efforts, if they exist. In the case of the man in NY, they've quarantined everybody from his job to his synagogue.

Washington state for weeks before the first cases started appearing. Not everyone who has the virus has noticeable symptoms, either. So it may be impossible to find that person.

Last edited Wed Mar 4, 2020, 06:01 PM - Edit history (1)

... of the Seattle area cluster.

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2001191

That article shows his time in the community before seeking care at an urgent care clinic, that referred him to a hospital, and how long he had comparatively mild symptoms until he developed viral pneumonia.

As no positives directly associated from him had been logged (aka no one got sick enough to want to go into isolation with a colleague, or connected their runny nose to treating him, etc), they thought they'd stopped the transmission line with him.

Unfortunately, genetic sequencing has shown they didn't.

https://www.geekwire.com/2020/genetic-analysis-suggests-coronavirus-infections-double-every-six-days-spreading-hundreds/

Seems like the corona virus strikes the elderly very harshly.

The threat of the virus alone must be horrible for the people inside the facility. Add to that the stress of it all on already frail people (heart conditions, COPD, etc.) and it’s a recipe for disaster. I hope they are receiving the best possible care and prevention measures. I fear they are being written off as merely elderly people who don’t matter.

I bet the Elders get better care than usual because of all the eyes on them. I hope so

I’ve heard the use of “underlying condition” too much as a part of this coronavirus situation as if anyone with compromised health is expendable. We are all compromised in some way (age, disease, stress).

I sincerely hope your point about the extra attention generated serves to benefit these residents. I want them well cared for.

I'd wager there are a thousand people in the Puget Sound metro area that are infected. Just haven't been tested or are asymptomatic.

We stocked up on rice, lentils and garbanzos a few weeks back, seeing this coming. Fortunately I make great humus. Lentils done with indian spices are delicious. Frozen pomodoro from last summer, frozen veggies. We can make it for a few weeks without going out if we have to. I'll still do my morning walks in the neighborhood tho'.

Stay safe everyone.

But I had to get groceries today.

Saw a few people wearing masks. All of them were young.

Fortunately we're retired, and don't have pressure to work, so staying relatively isolated is no big deal.