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

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

Protect themselves from what exactly?

The mad hordes trying to claw away their toilet paper.

 

[Northstar]

Not long ago we thought WW3 would be the result of a complex political issue. Turns out it will just be over the last roll of toilet paper.

 

[TexRex]

The mad hordes trying to claw away their toilet paper.

"I'll give you my roll when you pry it from my cold, dead hands."

 

[Michael88]

Protect themselves from what exactly? You can't shoot a virus. Stockpiling ammunition is some straight-up paranoia that the world is going to collapse. If you're going to stockpile anything it should be Tylenol since if things really get bad, that will be the first thing that you actually need and isn't available.

Guess there simply is quite a ton of scared people out there that expect a major breakdown from this pandemic. Thing is, you cant blame the logic, if you expect a major breakdown to happen all your belongings are simply worth nothing if people come to your place and take it away. That includes your stockpile of Tylenol. I doubt harsh words and waving a pointy stick around would keep the desperate at bay.
Thing is, most people would try to get medications by force if a family member was gravely ill.

Besides, I think people also expect this pandemic resulting in long lasting shortages of many good, this includes ammunition.

Also what is this craziness about the toilet paper that apparently IS a thing? Am I missing something? I could make pretty good makeshift toilet paper from household items for at least a couple of weeks. Am I the only one that has a small locker filled with nothing but reject clothing items that no longer fit or are damaged etc.?

Man, I should have bought toilet paper and protective mask company stocks. Well, next time!

 

[Blitz24]

So this is fun. My sister in law and her kids are in quarantine until at least Wednesday and cannot even leave the state.

 

[Biggles]

When the first world panic buys, no one thought the shortage would be toilet paper

Yeah, just shows how unrealistic the movies are - TP shortage isn't even a thing in Walking Dead.

 

[eran0004]

Protect themselves from what exactly? You can't shoot a virus. Stockpiling ammunition is some straight-up paranoia that the world is going to collapse. If you're going to stockpile anything it should be Tylenol since if things really get bad, that will be the first thing that you actually need and isn't available.

Well, given that people are fighting over toilet paper, you might want to protect your house from being burned down by an angry mob if your neighbours find out you are infected.

 

[TheGeologist]

Ammunition sales have suddenly skyrocketed in the US: https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/g...ales-jump-as-americans-stock-up-for-covid-19/ Guess people are planning to improve their personal protection capabilities.

Doctor: Sir you tested positive for the Coronavirus.

Me: *Holding a gun to my own head* Not when I'm through with it!

 

[Northstar]

Well, given that people are fighting over toilet paper, you might want to protect your house from being burned down by an angry mob if your neighbours find out you are infected.

A couple people fighting over something stupid is quite a bit different than forming organized lynch mobs. Not to mention the fact that if lynch mobs were to start forming they would likely have guns of their own, meaning you are still sol.

 

[Biggles]

A couple people fighting over something stupid is quite a bit different than forming organized lynch mobs. Not to mention the fact that if lynch mobs were to start forming they would likely have guns of their own, meaning you are still sol.

Wise words. The very essence of the gun "self-defence" delusion.

 

[Liquid]

Four dead and 39 missing after a hotel in China used to house quarantined persons collapses.

 

[Touring Mars]

Austin cancelled SXSW and declared a state of "local disaster". 0 cases.

It's probably the right move.

"Zero cases" doesn't necessarily mean that the virus isn't in Austin already...

The UK saw a rise of 46 cases yesterday - but that's only 46 new positive tests for the virus. Most if not all of those people were likely infected days ago... possibly even weeks ago. The corollary of that point is that there are undoubtedly many more people with the virus in the UK than the 209 who have already tested positive thus far.

Containment is the best first step when faced with a possible/likely epidemic, and hence at this stage it makes sense to assume that the virus is already here rather than to make the likely error of assuming 'zero cases' means the virus isn't circulating already.

But yes - the danger is that if they get the timing wrong, there could be negative consequences from that i.e. people will either ignore the warnings or get tired of the restrictions too soon; but - the economic damage caused by being a bit early with containment strategies is offset by the fact that the economic damage of an eventual outbreak will be just as bad if not worse i.e. the damage to the economy could be significantly lower if the containment strategy actually works, and hence it is likely a risk worth taking.

I reckon the UK Government know fine that containment is not really an option any more, and now it is a question of delay. Delay will not affect the total number of people infected/affected, but it can hopefully ease the economic/social pressure of the outbreak by helping to spread the cases over a longer time period, thus meaning lower impacts all round.

Not long ago we thought WW3 would be the result of a complex political issue. Turns out it will just be over the last roll of toilet paper.

To (partially) quote Cypress Hill, "When the 🤬 goes down, you better be ready..."

 

[Wiegert]

Word is the lock-down will last until April 3rd. My travel plans for next month include driving into Italy via Friuli on the 5th but the route down to Umbria has been compromised somewhat. It's still possible at this point but a lot can change in 4 weeks.

Also worth noting that Modena is on full lock-down. Whatever Ferrari team and equipment that's already left for Australia may be cut off from their HQ for two to three rounds while AlphaTauri's Faenza base should avoid such issues for now.

 

[Dotini]

The curious state of US testing for the virus.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/486452-cdc-has-tested-1583-people-for-coronavirus

 

[ryzno]

Word is the lock-down will last until April 3rd. My travel plans for next month include driving into Italy via Friuli on the 5th but the route down to Umbria has been compromised somewhat. It's still possible at this point but a lot can change in 4 weeks.

Also worth noting that Modena is on full lock-down. Whatever Ferrari team and equipment that's already left for Australia may be cut off from their HQ for two to three rounds while AlphaTauri's Faenza base should avoid such issues for now.

The first 2 cases in Atlanta have been confirmed, it's a father and son, guess where they just came from...

Edit: We also have a Cruise Ship in port that has been quarantined with 30+ Georgians aboard. The CDC is here so they are gonna check them out and hold the passengers at Dobbins AFB.

 

[Veinz]

The F1 race in Bahrain will be held behind closed doors. Not that it ever attracted massive crowds anyway, still pretty significant none the less. I don’t recall this happening in a race series before?

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/148580/bahrain-gp-to-be-run-behind-closed-doors

 

[TenEightyOne]

The F1 race in Bahrain will be held behind closed doors. Not that it ever attracted massive crowds anyway, still pretty significant none of the less. I don’t recall this happening in a race series before?

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/148580/bahrain-gp-to-be-run-behind-closed-doors

The closest is Indianapolis 2005 where the fans watched a nearly-closed track

 

[Blitz24]

The closest is Indianapolis 2005 where the fans watched a nearly-closed track

I have to imagine it has happened before where it's NEAR zero, but not zero (think of many rained out NASCAR races).

 

[TenEightyOne]

I have to imagine it has happened before where it's NEAR zero, but not zero (think of many rained out NASCAR races).

That's a good point. Have there been any forced no-fan race situations before?

 

[Famine]

Both of the attendees will be devastated.

 

[Veinz]

You would think most attendees would be locals anyway, because why would you go to Bahrain of all places for an F1 race? Lol.

 

[Blitz24]

You would think most attendees would be locals anyway, because why would you go to Bahrain of all places for an F1 race? Lol.

Local cuisine? Friend of the ruler? Forced slavery Hired laborer?

 

[Veinz]

Sipping on rose water in the middle of the desert does not sound very appealing.

 

[Dotini]

Word is the lock-down will last until April 3rd. My travel plans for next month include driving into Italy via Friuli on the 5th but the route down to Umbria has been compromised somewhat. It's still possible at this point but a lot can change in 4 weeks.

Also worth noting that Modena is on full lock-down. Whatever Ferrari team and equipment that's already left for Australia may be cut off from their HQ for two to three rounds while AlphaTauri's Faenza base should avoid such issues for now.

Italy has some pretty amazing statistics.
Total cases: 5883
New cases: +1247
total deaths: 233
new deaths: 26
active cases: 5061
total recovered: 589
serious/critical: 567

Whose statistics are to be trusted? Surely not the US due to a severe lack of reliability and availability of the kit, not to mention severe restrictions on who gets tested. Is Italy more representative and believable than any other country?

IMHO there is going to be a 3-way trade-off between stopping the pandemic, keeping the economy going and the need to keep infection levels below that which swamps the hospitals.

Italy has placed up to 16 million people under quarantine as it battles to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Anyone living in Lombardy and 14 other central and northern provinces will need special permission to travel. Milan and Venice are both affected.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte also announced the closure of schools, gyms, museums, nightclubs and other venues across the whole country.

The measures, the most radical taken outside China, will last until 3 April.

Italy has seen the largest number of coronavirus infections in Europe, with the number of confirmed cases jumping by more than 1,200 to 5,883 on Saturday.

The strict new quarantine measures affect a quarter of the Italian population and centre on the rich northern part of the country that powers its economy.

The death toll in Italy has passed 230, with officials reporting more than 36 deaths in 24 hours.

Under the new measures, people are not supposed to be able to enter or leave Lombardy, where Milan is the main city.

The same restrictions apply to 14 provinces: Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Reggio Emilia, Rimini, Pesaro and Urbino, Alessandria, Asti, Novara, Verbano Cusio Ossola, Vercelli, Padua, Treviso and Venice.

"There will be no movement in or out of these areas, or within them, unless for proven, work-related reasons emergencies or health reasons," Mr Conte told reporters.

"We are facing an emergency, a national emergency. We have to limit the spread of the virus and prevent our hospitals from being overwhelmed."

However transport in and out of the regions affected continues. Flights continued to arrive at Milan's Malpensa and Linate airports on Sunday, though some scheduled flights were cancelled.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51787238

 

[PocketZeven]

Ammunition sales have suddenly skyrocketed in the US: https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/g...ales-jump-as-americans-stock-up-for-covid-19/ Guess people are planning to improve their personal protection capabilities.

As for the situation in my country, we've had the first couple cases just 20 kilometers away from my place so I guess I can say the virus is here. Today I wanted to go to the mall and do some shopping, but right in front of the entrance I saw it was pretty crowded in there so I turned around and went home. No need to take unnecessary risks I guess. The flu is also going round and that's not good either.

I guess there is a rumor going around its mutating into a zombievirus?

 

[Dennisch]

Terrible. I have Corona.

And it's a mutated Extra version.

 

[Northstar]

Terrible. I have Corona.

View attachment 898056

And it's a mutated Extra version.

Condolences, may better beers be in your future.

 

[Dennisch]

Condolences, may better beers be in your future.

I was able to build a wall right after this one crossed the border. I'll flush this one down with some Dommelsch.

 

[Dotini]

Is It OK to Make Coronavirus Memes and Jokes?
Humor can relieve anxiety; it can also stoke racial tensions or spread misinformation. So, the answer isn't simple.

Certain products associated with coronavirus have become memes, most notably face masks. PHOTOGRAPH: GREG BAKER/GETTY IMAGES

https://www.wired.com/story/coronavirus-memes-humor/

A global outbreak that has killed thousands of people doesn’t seem like a likely source of humor, but the internet can’t stop cracking jokes about coronavirus. Since late last year, when China first alerted the world to the novel coronavirus, jokes, puns, and memes about it have been spreading even faster and wider than the virus itself. It doesn’t seem to matter that the virus that causes Covid-19 is now a far more tangible threat to English-speaking meme makers than it was three months ago. If anything, as anxiety and outbreak preparation and infection rates have increased, so have the attempts at humor.

The memes are almost too numerous to typify. Certain products associated with coronavirus have become memes, most notably face masks. As people have run out of masks—which, incidentally, the surgeon general says you don’t need and urges you not to buy—they’ve turned to DIY options so bizarre and instantly internetty that it’s difficult to tell who is serious and who is memeing. People are making masks out of fabric, sure, but also bra cups and giant, winged sanitary pads. In Australia, coronavirus panic has led to mass hoarding of toilet paper to the point where it has created a genuine shortage for some companies, which Aussies are already memetically mocking. Some memes are standard-issue internet fatalism, while others poke fun at the lengths people go to avoid someone coughing. Some are just puns: Corona the beer is having a rough go of it this year, as virus memes have caused its stock prices to plummet. Others are just jokes. “Yeah, no, sorry,” satirical singer Al Yankovic tweeted. “Not gonna do ‘My Corona.’”

Of course, plenty of people do not appreciate people making light of a serious, deadly disease. Public figures from Prince William to controversial celebrity YouTuber PewDiePiehave faced online criticism for their coronavirus quips. The debate over jokes about the virus seems to be particularly heated on college campuses. “I visited my daughter at Dartmouth, and in the bathroom someone had written, ‘A lot of people are dealing with anxiety, so it would be better to think twice before joking about coronavirus,’” says Paul Lewis, author of Cracking Up: American Humor in a Time of Conflict. “Like proactive joke prevention.” When a group of students threw a coronavirus-themed party at the University of Albany, complete with Corona beers and face masks, the school’s Asian American Alliance released a statement on Instagram condemning the event, calling it a hate crime. Many instances of coronavirus humor that have drawn backlash, including the University of Albany party and PewDiePie’s comments, have been understood as racially tinged or worse.

According to Lewis, coronavirus memes and jokes are as inevitable as the backlash against them. “This virus is a terrible scary thing, and, therefore, we should expect joking,” he says. “It’s not happening despite that, it’s because of it.” Gallows humor is a last ditch comfort of a normal human brain, and, because of the way the news and social media ecosystems have latched onto coronavirus in particular, many people are hard pressed to think about much else. “It's a humor rainbow when something like this happens,” Lewis says. “People usually make jokes about everything, but then news narrows down, and has this element of fear, jokes are a way of temporarily triumphing over and repressing it.” That’s why coronavirus memes range from ironic fatalism and non-sequitur puns to jokey new greetings like “The Wuhan Shake” (basically, clasping feet rather than hands) to political humor. Concern about the virus has permeated every part of people’s lives.

Is that bad? Not inherently. “I’m all for it,” says Lewis, who has literally written a bedtime story about the coming apocalypse. “As long as it isn’t ethnic joking. One of the things about derogatory joking is that it can relax the inhibitions against committing an act of violence.” Considering that Asian Americans have already been reporting rising hostilities and attacks from ill-informed people concerned about coronavirus, complaints like the one from the University of Albany’s Asian American Alliance should be taken seriously. The internet’s penchant for irony has also created misinformation. Many coronavirus conspiracy theories, like the extremely wrong and dangerous idea that washing your mouth out with bleach will prevent coronavirus, began as misunderstood irony. Fact checking site Snopes recently felt the need to confirm that an article stating that Vice President Pence had introduced a conversion therapy program to combat coronavirus was, in fact, satire. In the absence of context, the line between wild news story and snarky meme can be exceedingly fine.

Sometimes the difference is intentionally nonexistent. Vietnam’s Ministry of Health released an anti-coronavirus song meant to motivate citizens to “push back the virus” with proper hand-washing techniques, and people found it so catchy that it became something of a TikTok dance craze. The World Health Organization and the Red Cross have also taken to TikTok to make public service announcements—often conscripting their office workers to participate in jazzy hand-washing sessions and minimum spray sneeze dabs. Goofy? Absolutely. Watched by millions? Also yes. Like the memes that circulated after tensions rose between the United States and Iran, coronavirus memes can be an accessible entry point for actual learning, a way to educate the public without, you know, sending them scrambling to the grocery store to hoard toilet paper.

As long as they aren’t stoking racial tensions or spreading misinformation, it’s hard to begrudge anyone a coronavirus quip. “The ability to joke around with strangers online or people at the store, it makes me feel more human,” says Viveca Greene, who studies dark humor at Hampshire College. “People are being encouraged to be hypervigilant and stay six feet away from people, so they’re finding all these other ways to connect and communicate.” Frankly, people need something warm and intangible to hold onto right now—they’ve been warned away from touching everything else.

 

[Touring Mars]

A good friend of mine is now in lockdown north of Milan - he's pretty relaxed about it, though he does look after his elderly mother and I guess he must privately be pretty worried. I hope for their sake that Italy handles the lockdown better than China.

That said, there are reports that many people, perhaps understandably, took the opportunity last night to flee the lockdown zones and make their way elsewhere, despite appeals for people not to do so. This is where China perhaps has the upper hand in enforcing a lockdown better than we might manage in the 'West'.

Italy is clearly struggling to contain the virus, even though it was one of the first to react to the outbreak and has been checking people for weeks. And yet... trains and planes are still flying in and out of Milan and other affected regions, although the police have the authority to stop people and ask them what the purpose of their trip is... I guess so long as you don't say "I'm fleeing the lockdown" then you are probably free to go.