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

[baldgye]

The global economy is heading for its worst year since the financial crisis, Bank of America says
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/27/wor...ce-financial-crisis-bank-of-america-says.html

 

[MaxAttack]

So, if this thread is to be believed, I can expect all the shops to be panic-emptied in the next week, and to die painfully within the month?

Are we reaaaaaaalllyy at this level of bad already? As a (relatively) healthy young man, should I already be knotting bits of leather and car trim together into a crude set of armour, making my raiding axe and acclimatising myself to cannibalism in preparation for my new post-apocalyptic raiding career?

Or, you know, am I gonna be completely fine like all the other times?

 

[baldgye]

So, if this thread is to be believed

As a (relatively) healthy young man, should I already be knotting bits of leather and car trim together into a crude set of armour, making my raiding axe and acclimatising myself to cannibalism in preparation for my new post-apocalyptic raiding career?

I would say, there is a very high chance of you being absolutely fine physically and a moderate chance of you being inconvenienced.

Depending on where you live and work, it could impact your ability to work and travel quite a bit if the virus properly infects the UK. I think the concern within Europe is that, because we have fairly good and well used public transportation links (say compared to developing nations), the virus could spread very rapidly and over a large distance. If this happens with a 2% mortality rate it wont start killing millions, but it'll probably inconvenience a lot of people. And if the markets continue to take hits, it'll trickle down and impact you in ways similar to that of other financial crisis.

Or, you know, am I gonna be completely fine like all the other times?

This has never happened in the modern world, at this scale.

 

[MaxAttack]

I would say, there is a very high chance of you being absolutely fine physically and a moderate chance of you being inconvenienced.

But depending on where you live and work, it could impact your ability to work and travel quite a bit if the virus properly infects the UK. I think the concern within Europe is that, because we have fairly good and well used public transportation links (say compared to developing nations), the virus could spread very rapidly and over a large distance. If this happens with a 2% mortality rate it wont start killing millions, but it'll probably inconvenience a lot of people. And if the markets continue to take hits, it'll trickle down and impact you in ways similar to that of other financial crisis.



This has never happened in the modern world, at this scale.

Thanks for that, hope it doesn't interfere with my travel plans at the end of March, though I don't see that travel between the UK and NL should be in too much trouble... Right?

Not scared of catching it at all. At my age and with my seasoned veteran of an immune system, even a violent influenza has no real chance of killing me, I know that much. Grateful for being a countryside kid who played in mud and got sick. And if I do catch it, I'm smart enough not to visit any bingo halls whilst under the weather.

 

[Touring Mars]

@MaxAttack As a healthy young man, you are very unlikely to die from COVID-19. The current statistics point to around 0.4% of people in your age group dying from a SARS-CoV-2 infection - and that is only among those who are infected. The chances of an outbreak in the UK at some point in time are pretty high - I would certainly not assume that infection is unlikely, but I also wouldn't be unduly worried about the implications of an infection right now.

As for other impacts, however, be prepared for some disruption - possibly major. There is already some signs of people stocking up, and the moment the WHO declare a pandemic, I expect the situation could change rapidly after that. Don't be surprised if travel plans are severely disrupted in the not-too-distant future.

 

[MaxAttack]

@MaxAttack As a healthy young man, you are very unlikely to die from COVID-19. The current statistics point to around 0.4% of people in your age group dying from a SARS-CoV-2 infection - and that is only among those who are infected. The chances of an outbreak in the UK at some point in time are pretty high - I would certainly not assume that infection is unlikely, but I also wouldn't be unduly worried about the implications of an infection right now.

As for other impacts, however, be prepared for some disruption - possibly major. There is already some signs of people stocking up, and the moment the WHO declare a pandemic, I expect the situation could change rapidly after that. Don't be surprised if travel plans are severely disrupted in the not-too-distant future.

If my birthday holiday and return home is ruined by people panic-stocking bottled water, I won't be very happy.

Guess I'll have to keep an eye on things. I hate panics like these, I get this one seems a little more justified than previous ones, but if I have to spend a single day away from proper British cheddar cheese than I have to, someone's gonna have to pay for it.

Thanks for the info guys.

 

[BrainsBush]

An employer sent his employee home because employee rode with his bike through the streets of the Dutch 'patient zero village' of Loon of Zand last weekend....Did employee show any flu, fever, caughing? Nope just to be sure.

Sorry to say but that's what I call panic mode. Ok pre caution and avoid running the risk to spread...Or is it my naivity?

Thanks for that, hope it doesn't interfere with my travel plans at the end of March, though I don't see that travel between the UK and NL should be in too much trouble... Right?

Not scared of catching it at all. At my age and with my seasoned veteran of an immune system, even a violent influenza has no real chance of killing me, I know that much. Grateful for being a countryside kid who played in mud and got sick. And if I do catch it, I'm smart enough not to visit any bingo halls whilst under the weather.

Hopefully no impact indeed. End of March we go for 10 days to Lake District.

It's not the virus itself but I think the actions to be taken by the (local) authorities and companies. They have to make decisions and be as clear as possible.

 

[baldgye]

I think if the outbreak in Europe continues to worsen and there is a serious outbreak in the UK, travel restrictions between nations are probably very likely to happen.

 

[BrainsBush]

2nd one. This time in Amsterdam. #unstoppable. Deal with it also in Europe. Good luck for the people with lower resistance.

 

[Famine]

Rumblings are that next week's Geneva International Motor Show is about to be axed, due to COVID-19. Word is that there are plenty of manufacturers waiting for someone else to blink first and cancel, but the Swiss government (or the venue itself) may pre-empt it all.

The Swiss government bans gatherings of over 1,000 people, and GIMS is off.

 

[Touring Mars]

The Swiss government bans gatherings of over 1,000 people, and GIMS is off.

I'm waiting on the Scottish government following suit.

No Scottish League One and Two matches are thought to be at risk.

 

[Dennisch]

Aah yes, the media is doing their part innkeeping the people calm.

"We are hearing stories about stores running out of disinfectants, but we don't have a credible source. People are frantically calling and visiting their GP's but we can't confirm."

****ers.

Edit.

And then they follow it with financial news, and stating that the number of people recovering is now greater than the number of people getting infected.

 

[Dotini]

Do you have any sources on this? Because as @DDastardly00 pointed out, the company Co-Diagnostics has a test and it's in production.

Also, having listened to the rollout plan at our health system today, I can't see them wanting to limit testing at all. If anything, they want to make it as common as testing for Influenza A and B.

Well, this about the reliability of test kits and paltry numbers of tests given is old news, and is widely known. I had no idea about the new test you refer to, so my bad on that. However, it is needed and welcome if it works. My side remark about the lack of testing was meant as derogatory and implied cynicism of government(s). Of course there should be many more diagnostic tests in use immediately, and it is a sad thing they haven't been done. But, I do suspect China and also other countries want to maintain social stability, economic activity, control of public alarm and suppression of unwarranted solo or vigilante actions. So, IMHO the control of data and information in a wartime or emergency situation where literally everything is on the line is a strategic and tactical consideration, or blunt tool, in the hands of government.

On Feb 1, I noted the unreliability of test kits, per Dr Fauci himself.

QUOTE="Dotini, post: 13002573, member: 100877"]Complementary to the Who declaration, the United States has declared a national public health emergency.

Starting tomorrow:
Foreign nationals are temporarily suspended from entry into the US (for any deemed to pose a risk of transmitting 2019-nCoV).
Foreign nationals who have travelled to China in the past 14 days will be denied entry. (except for family of US citizens)
US returning travelers from China subject to 14 day quarantine. (self-administered if from province other than Hubei)
All planes from China routed to 1 of 7 airports.
New uniformed enforcement officers will be the first thing seen upon deplaning

More new regulations will come. Bottom line, potentially everybody coming to the US is subject to the possibility of quarantine in isolation.

Most unfortunately, it turns out the CDC test for the virus is not very reliable. For instance, 3 consecutive tests of a patient over 3 days may end in a detected/not detected/detected result. In other words, they are not sure that previously cleared travelers are really free of the virus.

On the paltry numbers of tests
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...k-severe-disruption-america-cdc-united-states

The extent of the spread of the virus in the US is uncertain, as the CDC stopped the distribution of coronavirus testing kits after they were found to be flawed. Working testing kits are now available in only a handful of states, and it is not clear when new kits will be ready.

After receiving a classified Senate briefing on the coronavirus, Democrat Richard Blumenthal tweeted that it should have been made public.

“They would be as appalled and astonished as I am by the inadequacy of preparedness and prevention,” Blumenthal said.

 

[Milouse]

The Game Developer Conference (March 16-20) took a serious hit these last days: Sony, Microsoft, Unity, Facebook, Epic Games have cancelled their presence. I hope that won't kill the event permanently.

European stock markets are plummeting again today.

Each Friday my wife goes for the weekly shopping so I expect her to be out for at least a couple of hours. Good moment to start binchwatching Drive to Survive II

She caught me watching the first season during episode 4 and she asked to watch it from beginning of the season. She doesn't follow F1 at all.

if I have to spend a single day away from proper British cheddar cheese than I have to, someone's gonna have to pay for it.

Is that legal to eat this every day?
By the way, that's what's (always) in my fridge. Does it look like what you call "proper" cheddar? (made in Scotland)

This melted in a Croque-Monsieur is insanely good.

 

[Dotini]

This has never happened in the modern world, at this scale.

I do not know if 1918 is to be considered as part of the modern world. They had railroads, oil, skyscrapers, banks, electricity, airplanes and Grand Prix cars with DOHC engines. And they had the Spanish Flu.

Do you think it would be justified to start a separate thread on the 1918 Spanish Flu? There's quite a lot of material available, but also some unknowns.

 

[TenEightyOne]

I do not know if 1918 is to be considered as part of the modern world. They had railroads, oil, skyscrapers, banks, electricity, airplanes and Grand Prix cars with DOHC engines. And they had the Spanish Flu.

It was twenty years before the first 'flu vaccines so, in medical terms, I'd hesitate to consider it "modern".

If this elderly couple (or other UK citizens still trapped onboard) end up dying , the 🤬 is going to hit the fan.

Sadly this has now happened.

 

[Dotini]

Just reported on CNBC,
- further restrictions and cutbacks on air travel to Asia/Pacific
- air travel to Europe could receive such restrictions and cutbacks next week

- stock market opens with Dow down 650

 

[Rallywagon]

Ouch...
https://www.techtimes.com/articles/...ad-after-being-suspected-with-coronavirus.htm
Hopefully this is the only case they have to deal with. I cant imagine this playing out well if they virus gets out of control there, and how many people are going to hid symptoms now that they see how their gov is going to react to it.

 

[Mr P]

and how many people are going to hid symptoms now that they see how their gov is going to react to it.

Bloody hell people will be scared to clear their throat if they get a tickle... Good ole Kim 👎

 

[Touring Mars]

The chances of that story being even remotely verifiable are practically zero.

 

[TexRex]

Just curious, but why are you so convinced the world is going to fall apart because of Coronavirus? The world doesn't fall apart every winter when flu season hits and tens of thousands of people die with millions ending up sick and missing school and work in the US alone. Martial law isn't going to happen anytime soon, nor is the government going to suddenly take over everything. It could get to that point in the future, but we're still a really long way away from that.

Isn't that pretty standard Dotinian sensationalism? As for the why of it all, I suspect boredom is the primary culprit. Perhaps a lack of purpose and meaning is also a factor.

Ouch...
https://www.techtimes.com/articles/...ad-after-being-suspected-with-coronavirus.htm
Hopefully this is the only case they have to deal with. I cant imagine this playing out well if they virus gets out of control there, and how many people are going to hid symptoms now that they see how their gov is going to react to it.

North Korea's gonna North Korea.

...

So my neighbor's nephew is studying in Seoul and "they" (could be as big as the US government, or perhaps it's the body overseeing his studies...I didn't prod for more information as my neighbor was largely venting) want him back in the country. He's keen to simply hole up in his apartment over there as a self-quarantine measure, but the powers that be have apparently decided it makes much more sense for him to be exposed to countless people by way of travel.

 

[Rallywagon]

IDK, looks like it was a trade official that broke his mandatory quarantine. As its someone who appears to travel to China a lot, it may be fairly easy to verify. https://nypost.com/2020/02/13/north...executed-for-breaking-coronavirus-quarantine/
sadly, I cant read Korean, so I cant follow up on the source that the NYP mentioned.

 

[TexRex]

*sees "nypost" and waits patiently for an actual news source*

 

[Sander 001]

 

[DesertPenguin]

Has anyone been asked to leave work because they looked like they had a cold or something?

 

[Mr P]

Sorry I'm pretty gullible about how the other side of the world deal with this virus after watching the mock training video from China the other day

 

[BrainsBush]

Has anyone been asked to leave work because they looked like they had a cold or something?

yes I spoke a couple of people over here and they were sent home --> precaution and two of them were asked/demanded to consult thier doctor. Also the larger companies put more emphasis on video conferencing in stead of flying abroad for meetings.

 

[Joey D]

So, if this thread is to be believed, I can expect all the shops to be panic-emptied in the next week, and to die painfully within the month?

Are we reaaaaaaalllyy at this level of bad already? As a (relatively) healthy young man, should I already be knotting bits of leather and car trim together into a crude set of armour, making my raiding axe and acclimatising myself to cannibalism in preparation for my new post-apocalyptic raiding career?

Or, you know, am I gonna be completely fine like all the other times?

Have you ever had influenza? It's going to be similar to that if you catch CoV-19. So essentially you'll feel like crap for a few days with a high fever, fatigue, and short of breath. After a few days, you'll start to feel better and the shortness of breath could last a couple of weeks depending on your body's response. If you have a preexisting condition like asthma though, you could have more serious symptoms that require hospitalization.

There's a real possibility of panic though. People here the word "pandemic" and assume it means that we're staring down the apocalypse. If you look at pandemics in the past, you see things like Ebola, H1N1, Zika, and even AIDS. The world survived even though there was some disruption. It's still also worth noting more people are getting the flu and dying from it than CoV-19. So if it were me, I'd me way more worried about serious complications from the flu and, potentially pneumonia, than CoV-19.

Much of this panic is being fueled by the media using scary-sounding words with clickbaity headlines. They label it things like Disease X and say things like "the next global killer". I get the media is attempting to make money by getting people to read, view, and ultimately share their stories, but it seems kind of unethical considering the panic it's causing. All one has to do it look at the stock markets to see how firmly panic is taking hold.

Has anyone been asked to leave work because they looked like they had a cold or something?

We were told yesterday that if you're sick that you are to work from home until you feel better. It's probably more of a general precaution though.

 

[mustafur]

who will take the Honor of first GT Planet user with Covid-19?

If someone actually does please explain the experience.

 

[Danoff]

There's a real possibility of panic though.

Public schools here have blasted emails saying that they're more than ready to close. It's not like it takes much for them to close anyway (they closed when a teenager bought a shotgun here last year), but now they're extra ready to close. If one of their staff gets diagnosed with flu, they'll stay open. If someone in CO gets diagnosed with Covid, time to shut the school for a month. Absurd.

who will take the Honor of first GT Planet user with Covid-19?

If someone actually does please explain the experience.

Seconded. Also, we need a confirmed diagnosis, not "I'm pretty sure it was".