He can they test and detect the Novel Coronavirus so quickly?

Hi

I’m just wondering how the Chinese and other countries are able to detect via a test whether or not you have been infected with a specific Novel Coronavirus. Does anyone know how the testing happens especially in the case of a new.... Novel disease that’s yet to outbreak?

Thanks

a reply to: DaRAGE

I'm no expert but as far as I know initially its about identifying the DNA of the virus. Once you have that you need to figure out how to extract it from a sample. All of this takes time. Automating the sample processing increases how many samples you can run/speed up results.

a reply to: DaRAGE

I am not 100% sure, but I think they do ELISA and antibody testing.

That begs the question of getting tested in the first place. Why is everyone so worried about getting tested? If you don't have any symptoms, what is testing going to get you? Peace of mind that you don't have the virus TODAY, but you could get it tomorrow? If you have the symptoms: Dry cough, headache, low-energy, sure. Makes sense. But we don't instantly need hundreds of millions of test kits. It's like the run on toilet paper. The symptoms do not include needing a lot of extra TP. Yet here we are in panic mode over paper products. It's nuts.

a reply to: DaRAGE

They just swab your nose then send it off to the lab to see if your cells are infected. Like a regular flu test.

Here in Arkansas, I've heard they can only test up to 20 people per day. Kinda makes you wonder why even bother.

The ability to identify DNA has led to some pretty fast ways of identifying things like this. This would have been a lot worse if we did not have all the DNA knowledge. China has some very good scientists just like many countries have.

I am impressed at how our country has been handling the response to this pandemic. I know how slow government usually works from living this long, I have not seen as much as some people but enough to know that this is going way faster than it used to go. I feel more secure that we were warned and I know that lots of people have seen what I have and do not trust government because of past experiences, but this is impressing me.

I was just arguing with my daughter about how long this took, she is used to HBO on demand and everything needs to be right now. What kind of society have we created. The response to this virus world wide has been pretty good, but the initial way they were testing people coming back from overseas was flawed. The fever starts way after it is contageous, but they did not know that at the time. I knew a little about the Corona viruses and some have that potential but not all, so I was skeptical, but I also did not know much either so just addressed my concerns here on the site and to others I know right. But I also could have been wrong so did not push it, just mentioned it may be the case.

People in this country have gotten messed up, they want things immediately, they do not want to be inconvenienced, they pick apart things and focus on one little thing. They only want to reinforce their beliefs when researching things. Reality bites people in the A$$ a lot, even those high up on the totum pole. I have seen professionals so set in their beliefs that they are chasing a demon that is not really a demon.

Lets get together and try to slow the progression of this disease, I feel that the majority of people cannot even get this disease unless their immune system is compromised, so there is no way that people should go out and buy more toilet paper than they or their family will need, hopefully, the sheetpaper people will still keep supplying us with this convenient item.

a reply to: schuyler

Testing has more to do with determining the scope of infection than treatment of individuals. How many are infected in this area? What are the demographics of this area? Based on this, what can be expected over the next weeks?

I want to know why people are buying up bottled water though. What next, electric generators?

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: schuyler

Testing has more to do with determining the scope of infection than treatment of individuals. How many are infected in this area? What are the demographics of this area? Based on this, what can be expected over the next weeks?

I want to know why people are buying up bottled water though. What next, electric generators?

I was wondering the same thing..

Wuhan was the most extreme quarantine (that we know of) so far. It looks like they still had common services such as power and water..

I

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: schuyler

Testing has more to do with determining the scope of infection than treatment of individuals. How many are infected in this area? What are the demographics of this area? Based on this, what can be expected over the next weeks?

I want to know why people are buying up bottled water though. What next, electric generators?

The CDC is recommending people have a 2week supply. I don't know why.

a reply to: Scrable

A two week supply of bottled water? Can you post a link to that recommendation. Please?

a reply to: schuyler

That begs the question of getting tested in the first place. Why is everyone so worried about getting tested? If you don't have any symptoms, what is testing going to get you?

Infected people without symptoms might be driving the spread of coronavirus more than we realized

it appears that a Massachusetts coronavirus cluster with at least 82 cases was started by people who were not yet showing symptoms, and more than half a dozen studies have shown that people without symptoms are causing substantial amounts of infection.

"We now know that asymptomatic transmission likely [plays] an important role in spreading this virus," said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

Osterholm added that it's "absolutely clear" that asymptomatic infection "surely can fuel a pandemic like this in a way that's going to make it very difficult to control."

In an article two weeks ago in the New England Journal of Medicine, Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, expressed concern about the spread of the disease by people who haven't yet developed symptoms, or who are only a bit sick.

"There is also strong evidence that it can be transmitted by people who are just mildly ill or even presymptomatic.

originally posted by: Scrable
I

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: schuyler

Testing has more to do with determining the scope of infection than treatment of individuals. How many are infected in this area? What are the demographics of this area? Based on this, what can be expected over the next weeks?

I want to know why people are buying up bottled water though. What next, electric generators?

The CDC is recommending people have a 2week supply. I don't know why.

Because it helps promote the fear and panic that they’re pushing on us.

a reply to: clay2 baraka

I guess it depends on how things are run. I work for a utility company and there are a few critical teams that need protecting as if the virus takes a few of them out it isn't easy/quick to replace the skills/knowledge. There will be contingency plans but there could be interruptions.

a reply to: Phage
Well I feel stupid. This article says the CDC recommends a 2 week supply of food and water.
www.aces.edu...
When I follow the link to the CDC, it says 2 weeks of food.
www.cdc.gov...

I've been suckered into spreading bad info, and sowing panic. Your welcome.

originally posted by: RexKramerPRT
a reply to: clay2 baraka

I guess it depends on how things are run. I work for a utility company and there are a few critical teams that need protecting as if the virus takes a few of them out it isn't easy/quick to replace the skills/knowledge. There will be contingency plans but there could be interruptions.

I also work for a utility.

I was having a conversation with co-workers last week. "what happens when we all start getting sick?"

My guess is that they would ship people in from out of state or sub-contract. But that won't fly during a quarantine situation..

originally posted by: Scrable
a reply to: Phage
Well I feel stupid. This article says the CDC recommends a 2 week supply of food and water.
www.aces.edu...
When I follow the link to the CDC, it says 2 weeks of food.
www.cdc.gov...

I've been suckered into spreading bad info, and sowing panic. Your welcome.

CDC has been changing and updating pages constantly. It probably did say that at one point, and the school never updated their article...

a reply to: YouAreLiedTo

CDC has been changing and updating pages constantly.

Feel free to use this handy dandy.
www.wayback.com...

a reply to: schuyler

testing has a key role to contain the virus because asymptomatic patients can transmit it. Look at what south korea has done and at their new cases right now.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: YouAreLiedTo

CDC has been changing and updating pages constantly.

Feel free to use this handy dandy.
www.wayback.com...

It's saying that page was just created today?