COVID-19/Coronavirus Information and Support Thread (see OP for useful links)

  • Thread starter baldgye
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It's very warm in Singapore. And it seems a very tightly run city-state with excellent health facilities. Yet it has 70+ infections with about 10% serious.
Reportedly there are 3 strains of the virus, and perhaps one has mutated to prefer warmer weather.

Indonesia has zero confirmed cases. There are ~78 Indonesians on the Diamond Princess, and so far none test positive.

To my understanding, no non ethnic East Asian has died from the virus anywhere in the world.

Soon the US will begin large scale testing for the virus in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City. They want to discover small breakouts before they become big.
 
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I think you are being incredibly generous to the Epidemiologist-in-Chief @PeterJB

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A point of correction: the official name of the virus is SARS-CoV-2, and not COVID-19 as I posted somewhere earlier. COVID-19 is actually the name of the illness that the SARS-CoV-2 virus causes.

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I have a horrible feeling that the Chinese government, now knowing the true extent of the danger, are basically now acting to protect the rest of the country and are going to leave the people of Wuhan to their fate. There are multiple reasons to believe that the Chinese authorities would prefer to trap people in their own homes rather than risk further spreading of the virus. Tragically, it could well transpire that this strategy virtually guarantees more hardship (and likely more deaths) in Wuhan, for the benefit of the rest of the country.
 
Touring Mars
I have a horrible feeling that the Chinese government, now knowing the true extent of the danger, are basically now acting to protect the rest of the country and are going to leave the people of Wuhan to their fate. There are multiple reasons to believe that the Chinese authorities would prefer to trap people in their own homes rather than risk further spreading of the virus. Tragically, it could well transpire that this strategy virtually guarantees more hardship (and likely more deaths) in Wuhan, for the benefit of the rest of the country.
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It sounds extreme to leave a city of 11 million entirely to their fate, especially with the virus having already established at least two new epicenters of sustained breakout. But with hospitals overwhelmed, many will have to shelter in place. They mustn't be allowed to starve.
 
Touring Mars
I think you are being incredibly generous to the Epidemiologist-in-Chief @PeterJB

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A point of correction: the official name of the virus is SARS-CoV-2, and not COVID-19 as I posted somewhere earlier. COVID-19 is actually the name of the illness that the SARS-CoV-2 virus causes.

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I have a horrible feeling that the Chinese government, now knowing the true extent of the danger, are basically now acting to protect the rest of the country and are going to leave the people of Wuhan to their fate. There are multiple reasons to believe that the Chinese authorities would prefer to trap people in their own homes rather than risk further spreading of the virus. Tragically, it could well transpire that this strategy virtually guarantees more hardship (and likely more deaths) in Wuhan, for the benefit of the rest of the country.
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It is an a big problem, but I am not convinced by the many conspiracy theories out there. The kill rate is still at 2-3% and I have yet to see what the effects of the virus are to a normal healthy human being. That data is still out there.
 
Touring Mars
A point of correction: the official name of the virus is SARS-CoV-2, and not COVID-19 as I posted somewhere earlier. COVID-19 is actually the name of the illness that the SARS-CoV-2 virus causes.
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Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to find any other site reporting on F1 postponing the Chinese Grand Prix that actually covered that.

I say any other, because:
It’s a situation caused by a new strain of virus in the coronavirus family. Coronaviruses have previously been responsible for SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) epidemics in 2002 and 2012 respectively. The new strain, called novel coronavirus (nCoV), has caused at least 45,000 cases of a respiratory disorder called COVID-19 since first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.
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We be nerds.
 
Some years ago my petite but voluptuous Jewish girlfriend and I were taking a 2 week tour by sports car of the desert Southwest. :)
The object was to visit as many archeological sites, petroglyphs, native American tribal and interpretive centers and museums a possible.
Along the way we picked up souvenirs and such, including the Tee-shirt seen below - albeit in green. It's made my day many times since then.
il_794xN.2135683104_j2mo.jpg


Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for tightened control over online discussion and increased policing to ensure "positive energy" and social stability, state media said Saturday, as the country struggles to contain the deadly new coronavirus.

Xi's remarks were made public as the authorities have faced rare bouts of public anger over the handling of an epidemic that has killed more than 1,500 people and infected some 66,000 across the country.

Censors had allowed some online criticism of local officials in central Hubei -- the epicentre and origin of the crisis -- but calls for freedom of speech and political reform were scrubbed after the death of a whistleblowing doctor from the virus.

The government must "strengthen the management and control of online media," and "crack down on those who seize the opportunity to create rumours" on the internet, Xi said in the February 3 speech published by state media.

Simultaneously, "it is necessary to increase use of police force and strengthen the visible use of police," Xi said, calling for a crackdown on behaviour that "disrupts social order" including hoarding medical supplies.

Xi urged party members to "dare to criticise" those who had failed to carry out the Communist Party central committee's instructions, and warned "those who fail to perform their duties shall be punished according to discipline and law."

Local officials in Hubei have already begun to feel the force of Xi's orders.

On Thursday, the political chiefs of Hubei and its capital, Wuhan, were sacked and replaced by Xi loyalists with security backgrounds.

The province's top two health officials have also been fired.

Xi also called for the government to emphasize effective actions it has taken and "vividly describe touching deeds" from the frontlines of the fight against the virus.

"Let positive energy fill the cyberspace from start to end," Xi said in the speech, given earlier this month at a meeting of the Politburo Standing Committee, China's ruling council.

Xi initially kept a low profile in the early weeks of the crisis but has stepped up his public rhetoric in recent days on what he has called a "people's war" against the virus.
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https://news.yahoo.com/chinas-xi-urges-more-policing-virus-toll-rises-115750208.html
 
People other than ethnic Chinese are being infected here in Singapore. It's not a ethnic-Chinese only virus. It does have the second highest population density in the world with large numbers of mainland Chinese visiting for tourism purposes though.
 
Dotini
Some years ago my petite but voluptuous Jewish girlfriend and I were taking a 2 week tour by sports car of the desert Southwest. :)
The object was to visit as many archeological sites, petroglyphs, native American tribal and interpretive centers and museums a possible.
Along the way we picked up souvenirs and such, including the Tee-shirt seen below - albeit in green. It's made my day many times since then.
il_794xN.2135683104_j2mo.jpg




https://news.yahoo.com/chinas-xi-urges-more-policing-virus-toll-rises-115750208.html
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Has any other post in GTP's history smelt so strongly of weed, beer and the inside of a Baja Bus?
 
An elderly British couple onboard the Diamond Princess in Yokohama have (allegedly) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2...

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...-coronavirus-hit-cruise-ship-diamond-princess

The whole Diamond Princess situation is becoming something of a farce - 15% of its original complement of 3,700 have now tested positive (542 people), which means that this is the single biggest cluster of cases (and by far the highest concentration of (known) cases) of the virus in the world... and yet, the UK still have no plans to evacuate its citizens from the ship.

If this elderly couple (or other UK citizens still trapped onboard) end up dying , the 🤬 is going to hit the fan. They have repeatedly asked for help and have asked the UK government what it is doing - only yesterday did the first indications come from the government that they are doing something... and yet, several other countries (e.g. the US) have successfully evacuated their citizens (including those testing positive) from the ship.

The danger now is that a) it might already be too late for some people or b) they now face an uncertain future, under the control of Japanese authorities. While I would much rather be trapped in Japan than China, it is still a far cry from being treated at home.

The extent of the outbreak on this ship has proven at least one thing - cruise ships are not hospitals and the quarantine measures onboard are clearly not sufficient to halt the spread of the virus - so why, as the number of infections continues to rise, is there not more urgency to get these people off and/or on an emergency flight home?
 
Touring Mars
An elderly British couple onboard the Diamond Princess in Yokohama have (allegedly) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2...

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...-coronavirus-hit-cruise-ship-diamond-princess

The whole Diamond Princess situation is becoming something of a farce - 15% of its original complement of 3,700 have now tested positive (542 people), which means that this is the single biggest cluster of cases (and by far the highest concentration of (known) cases) of the virus in the world... and yet, the UK still have no plans to evacuate its citizens from the ship.

If this elderly couple (or other UK citizens still trapped onboard) end up dying , the 🤬 is going to hit the fan. They have repeatedly asked for help and have asked the UK government what it is doing - only yesterday did the first indications come from the government that they are doing something... and yet, several other countries (e.g. the US) have successfully evacuated their citizens (including those testing positive) from the ship.

The danger now is that a) it might already be too late for some people or b) they now face an uncertain future, under the control of Japanese authorities. While I would much rather be trapped in Japan than China, it is still a far cry from being treated at home.

The extent of the outbreak on this ship has proven at least one thing - cruise ships are not hospitals and the quarantine measures onboard are clearly not sufficient to halt the spread of the virus - so why, as the number of infections continues to rise, is there not more urgency to get these people off and/or on an emergency flight home?
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Because our government isn't interested and/or doesn't care?

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/coronavirus-health-secretarys-statement-to-parliament

I have laid an instrument before the House to confirm the power we have taken to isolate those at risk of spreading the virus, and if necessary to keep them isolated, as part of our belt and braces approach to protecting the public.
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Seems they think it's better to let them be locked up far away then to bring them back and risk infecting more people/put more strain on the NHS thats falling apart?
Then they can claim that they're looking after the interests of the British Public and the NHS while also being able to blame foreign nations and foreign doctors for not acting properly to save lives. Double win... unless, of course, you are trapped on a cruse ship with a potentially deadly virus...
 
A coworker of mine from Tamaulipas said Mexico is likely doing the same with a “double win”.

He told me the Mexican govt. was not sending any troops to bring home Mexican citizens stuck in China like others. And that this has really upset many locals bc they recently went and picked up a South American leader who was facing a coup and gave him asylum in Mexico. He told me they feel that’s a betrayal to help him and not their own.

This was around a month back, so maybe it’s changed down there.
 
Between pirates, capsizing, breakdowns, horrible scheduling, and virus outbreaks I don't think I ever need to step foot on a cruise ship.

And it does seem weird that more isn't being done for the people stuck on these cruise ships. I know a couple from Utah is currently aboard one of the ships in quarantine and it sounds awful. Seems like they could sail the ship out to sea a bit and then evac people via helicopter to a hospital equipped to treat the illness.
 
Joey D
Between pirates, capsizing, breakdowns, horrible scheduling, and virus outbreaks I don't think I ever need to step foot on a cruise ship.

And it does seem weird that more isn't being done for the people stuck on these cruise ships. I know a couple from Utah is currently aboard one of the ships in quarantine and it sounds awful. Seems like they could sail the ship out to sea a bit and then evac people via helicopter to a hospital equipped to treat the illness.
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Quarantining the ship in port was the easiest option. With hindsight, it was not a very good one.
 
Dotini
There was no professional infection control specialist aboard the ship. 542 passengers confirmed positive for the coronavirus.

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I'm almost speechless watching this video.

And quite angry. What chance to people have when there is no proper infection control system in place?

This is really shocking but it explains why the number of infections keeps rising - a chain is only as strong as the weakest link...
 
Touring Mars
I'm almost speechless watching this video.

And quite angry. What chance to people have when there is no proper infection control system in place?

This is really shocking but it explains why the number of infections keeps rising - a chain is only as strong as the weakest link...
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Yes, and I can only think that somewhere a backroom boffin is excitedly going over the statistics generated in this sadistic Petri dish experiment.
 
I wouldn't go as far as say it was an 'experiment', but I'm pretty sure the people on board (and various foreign governments) were probably under the assumption that the ship was a safe place to be quarantined - with proper infection control protocols put in place, and training given to staff and anyone dealing with passengers. It clearly isn't safe.

Dealing with 3700 people in quarantine conditions is no easy job, but esp. in an environment that wasn't designed for such a task - and esp. without adequate protocols in place or training on use of PPE etc. - that, frankly, is a disaster waiting to happen.

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Meanwhile, I Googled 'Diamond Princess infections' earlier and now I'm getting targeted ads for cruises :ouch:

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Oh... and the girl with flu-like symptoms that came back from the far East last week was back in the office today, coughing, sneezing and leaving snot rags on her desk. I went home to work. I am on the verge of reporting her - we have had emails asking people who have recently visited the far East to report any symptoms and to not come into work... and yet I am reluctant to report her behaviour lest I stand accused of racism and/or paranoia.

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A man I co-authored a paper with many years ago is currently live on BBC News talking about the Diamond Princess... he mentions the fact that cruise ships air circulation systems that are not great for airborne virus control.
 
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Perhaps we can begin to see an overall shape of the epidemic taking place. Not as yet peer reviewed science may be no better than speculation, but if anyone on Earth except ethnic East Asians has died from this virus, I am unaware of it and would like to know.

risk.jpeg



East Asians, Japanese, and Han Chinese are the most likely people to become severely sick by the coronavirus with a chance of more than 90% when exposed. Europeans only rank in the 50%, Africans in the 60% range, and considered low to medium. It also makes a difference if one is a smoker or non-smoker.

https://www.eturbonews.com/542533/coronavirus-risk-for-asians-africans-caucasians-revealed/
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.01.26.919985v1.full
 
Touring Mars
Oh... and the girl with flu-like symptoms that came back from the far East last week was back in the office today, coughing, sneezing and leaving snot rags on her desk. I went home to work. I am on the verge of reporting her - we have had emails asking people who have recently visited the far East to report any symptoms and to not come into work... and yet I am reluctant to report her behaviour lest I stand accused of racism and/or paranoia.
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I wish my firm had similar guidance... I could do with a couple of weeks off. No symptoms so far but I return to the UK a week Sunday and am due to start work the following day with no option of home working. Perhaps a quick phone call/email to the boss is in order on Monday morning before I infect the whole building as there doesn't seem to be any compulsory testing or quarantining of returnees as far as I can tell and it's left to us to self diagnose.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-information-for-the-public

As far as the conspiracy theory that the virus attacks Asians the hardest and that other races are safe, I'm sure those poor people on the cruise ship will be heartened to hear this. :rolleyes:
 
For a moment assume it's true. Then what?

- Perhaps we can take it the epidemic will never assume serious proportions beyond East Asia. The Japanese have got a lot to worry about and need to look to their knitting.

- The global economic aspects will be considerable, but will be led by supply disruptions from China and possibly Japan.

- At the end of the day, China will be lowered with respect to the rest of the world. Xi and his regime may survive, but it will take good luck.

- The origins of this strain has not been identified. I suspect it is basically a lab accident. But whatever, China has been raped by either Heaven or man.
 
Danoff
After browsing the pre-review article though, it's some pretty impressive speculation that looks like it might pass peer review. Wouldn't be the first time illness attacks different physiology differently.
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Yes, though the fact that the paper may well end up in a peer-reviewed journal doesn't mean that the claims made in the article that cites the paper as evidence are true.

Skimming the paper, it acknowledges a ridiculously low sample number... indeed, they only look at 8 individuals, 2 males and 6 females, of which one male is Asian and the other African American. The Asian guy was a smoker - the other guy was a non-smoker. The other six include 4 African American women and 2 White women. Not exactly compelling evidence that male Asians are uniquely susceptible to SARS-CoV-2.

Dotini
For a moment assume it's true.
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Why? You would be as well to pull a statement out of thin air and assume that is true... it's not the basis for a worthwhile discussion in this thread at this time.
 

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