From my Pulitzer Prize winning friend: Chinese Coronavirus checks will miss 60% of infected...

[brooklynite]

Link to tweet

[hlthe2b]

1. Which is why Public Health authorities will establish surveillance based on exposure and quarantines

(voluntary initially) as necessary for those exposed. There are many infectious diseases for which the individual is potentially infectious before both symptoms develop and sufficient antibody response has developed to detect in screening lab tests. CDC Infectious disease epidemiologists know what to do.

What really needs to happen is expressed public outrage to Congress at Trump admin cuts to CDC (and by extension as a result of diminished CDC-pass through funding grants) to state and local public health authorities. This may well take an immense national and international response. Trump et al have drastically cut the very programs at CDC that responds to international emerging diseases and outbreaks.

Laurie Garrett is an excellent journalist, but somehow has forgotten the long legacy of infectious disease containment based on exposure identification, tracking of contacts, quarantine as necessary dating back many many decades. I believe she wrote on CDC's success with WHO in smallpox eradication (among other issues). She should know from that history alone how it works.

If you know Garrett well, as you say, you'd be doing all of us a big favor to get her to blow the whistle on the resultant resource issue from the admin's reckless acts. CDC and local public health can not effectively respond without resources any more than wildfires can be put out with mere volunteers wielding brooms.

[getagrip_already]

2. it also means that the virus likely is transfered before symptoms appear.....

Meaning it could spread very quickly. Once a hot spot appears, it will be too late to contain it.