Coronavirus: First US person to person case of coronavirus reported in Chicago. (Hoffman Estates: estimated, suburbs)

[WestSideMillennial]

Thoughts about this?

[japster28]

I am taking regular precautions. Basic hygiene, cover your mouth, etc. The patients are quaratined so there's no need to be alarmed right now. I have no plans to go to China anytime soon. I will be flying into Paris in a month, if the situation is the same, or worse, I will be wearing a facemask, basic precaution, something I did when I was in Hong Kong during the SARS outbreak.

Some people are certainly frightened with the WHO declaration of emergency. It's so they can allocate more resources into ground zero. That way we can hope for a faster resolution to the epidemic.

[Master Jay]

Good morning, all. Today I heard someone indicate a bit of concern for attending the Chinese New Year parade this Sunday in Chinatown (given the large crowd/ close-standing crowd). I wanted to check in with you all, in order to get your take on this. I am uncomfortable with this notion, because it is based on the virus being rooted in China, and that this Sunday's events is in Chinatown... I have had my calendar set for attending the parade with my children. But I would like to hear anyone's comments, whomever is willing to share. Thank you.

[japster28]

Originally Posted by Master Jay

Good morning, all. Today I heard someone indicate a bit of concern for attending the Chinese New Year parade this Sunday in Chinatown (given the large crowd/ close-standing crowd). I wanted to check in with you all, in order to get your take on this. I am uncomfortable with this notion, because it is based on the virus being rooted in China, and that this Sunday's events is in Chinatown... I have had my calendar set for attending the parade with my children. But I would like to hear anyone's comments, whomever is willing to share. Thank you.

As of now, the person who came from China carrying the virus is in a hospital in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, along with the other person she gave the virus to. It is to my knowledge that she is a DuPage County resident, which means they most likely spent time in the suburbs and the airport. Not the city. This article below has statements from officials that say they have the patients in good care, and any people they may have come into contact with have not displayed signs of getting sick and are being closely monitored.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/1/...ient-confirmed

It's important to note that while most residents of Chinatown are of Chinese descent, most are immigrants and have been residents of Chicago. There's a very small percentage that would have been in China, let alone the Hubei province at the time when the first cases were reported. You may see some people in facemasks, but not much more than you would have seen before the news popped up(Chinese people are notorious for always wearing facemasks).

Let's try and go further into this ad hoc risk analysis I'm attempting to do. The Coronavirus(2019-nCoV) has been contracted by an estimated 2,000 people in China mostly concentrated around China's Hubei Province. Even if we were to consider this an undercount by a count of 10x, anyone who may have been in China still had a less than .02% chance of coming into contact with someone who had the virus. Even if any Chinatown residents had been in the country during the Lunar New Year, a large percentage of Chicago Chinese immigrants originate from Guangdong, or Hong Kong area and most likely didn't come into contact with anybody.

Hubei is in Central China and one of 23 provinces that exist in the country. It is as large in area as the United States. It is unlikely anybody in Chinatown has the virus, let alone the chance of you running into anybody who is sick.

The virus has a basic reproduction number(or R Nought) of around 3-5. This number denotes the infectious capability of a disease. This number is on par with the 2003 SARS outbreak and less infectious than Pertussis(Whooping Cough), Mumps, and Rubella, although slightly higher than Influenza.

Despite this, Influenza is still a large public health problem in the United States.

"CDC estimates that influenza has resulted in between 9 million – 45 million illnesses, between 140,000 – 810,000 hospitalizations and between 12,000 – 61,000 deaths annually since 2010."

Knowing these things, I would say participate in basic hygiene practices. Wash your hands, Don't let your kids touch their face and mouth all the time(This will probably help them avoid acne when they're teens too lol) and you should be fine. Yes, the government should take this very seriously so it does't become a problem, but like any outbreak, H1N1, MERS, SARS, Bird Flu, there will be some sensationalizing. It may seem alarming due to the globalization of our world, but these things happen quite often and they burn out quickly. This is because our knowledge of health and technology has increased since the days of the Spanish Flu of 1918 and our ability to take precautionary action has also increased.

Oh, and also, get the Flu Vaccine every winter! Thousands get the Flu every year in our country.

[Master Jay]

japster28, wow. Very in depth. And Thank You!

[Teacher Terry]

Jay, if you are in a high risk group than it may be wise to avoid all crowds. If not probably not a concern.

[Master Jay]

Teacher Terry, would you consider the event, with people of a high risk group? Would YOU go? Now I've had a coworker and a family member say THEY would NOT go this year. What do you think? Is this based on any real concerns?... thank you much.

[BOBNCHI]

I'm currently in Singapore, which has a large Chinese population, as I type this and will be attending a large CNY event tonight. Normal precautions are being taken and we have no qualms about attending.

Questioning going to a Chicago event seems a bit odd based on the two cases, or whatever the current number is, reported in the area.

[japster28]

Originally Posted by Master Jay

Teacher Terry, would you consider the event, with people of a high risk group? Would YOU go? Now I've had a coworker and a family member say THEY would NOT go this year. What do you think? Is this based on any real concerns?... thank you much.

I will be there this Sunday. A high risk group is an infant or elderly person. Majority of cases are older people, usually with underlying health problems. For example, our Illinois case was a 60 year old female. She gave the virus to her husband who was also in their 60s, and has preexisting health problems. Basically anyone with a compromised immune system.

Anyways, I will be attending Chinatown celebrations with my mother and father. Both are in their 60s and very healthy.

[Master Jay]

japster28, thank you again for sharing your thoughts. I appreciate it. I'm sure others do, as well.