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

  • Thread starter baldgye
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That's definitely true and I get not touching your face is rather difficult. But at least washing your hands frequently throughout the day should lower the risk you'll contract any form of illness. If hand sanitizer was still a thing, I'd probably carry one of those little bottles with me and use it after shopping, getting gas, etc.

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Oh, and do you want to see what stupidity looks like: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...-it-will-be-fine-cruise-fans-ignore-u-s-alert

Look, I'm not a proponent of shutting down a country and staying inside for the next 6 months. However, I do think it's really stupid for people to get on a cruise ship right now. Many of the cases we're seeing in the US are the result of picking up the disease on a cruise ship or coming into contact with someone who was. It seems like the smart thing to do would be to stay off these ships until we get the spread of the virus under control. I can't imagine what post Spring Break is going to be like.
 
Here in Austria a partial ''lockdown'' has been announced. That means pretty much all festivals and other kinds of gatherings have been cancelled, universities and colleges are closed with schools soon to follow. Also the border to Italy is closed for civilian traffic, which means no civilian cars may travel from Italy to Austria. In case things get more dire than anticipated plans are being prepared to cancel all public transports.

Also, a shortage of lung ventilators was mentioned, meaning hospitals may not be able to treat all severe cases and doctors think about implementing a selection process / triage system. That means lethality rate may rise significantly should the infection rate reach a certain threshold.
 
NYC Half Marathon was canceled and the 2020 New York Auto Show was ppd until August (usually would kick off the weekend before Easter and run for about 8 days). First death in NJ was recorded. 69 year old man with pre-existing conditions.
 
This nifty graphic has apparently been circulating. Apologies if it's been posted here already.

1024px-Covid-19-curves-graphic-social-v3.gif


It should be obvious, but people are sometimes not smart.
 
Angela Merkel estimates that 60% to 70% of the German population will contract the coronavirus
https://news.yahoo.com/angela-merkel-just-estimated-60-184506028.html

German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Parliament on Tuesday that 60% to 70% of the German population could contract the coronavirus.
Merkel's dropping the figure at the outset of a parliamentary meeting left the room silent, according to a report from Bild, a German newspaper.
Germany already has more than 1,400 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease resulting from the virus.
Click to expand...
 
At this point with the whole of Italy more or less confined to their homes if it doesn't vanish within the next week or two then either the public aren't obeying the guidelines or there's something fishy going on.
 
baldgye
There are currently 382 cases of coronavirus in the UK (up from 373 yesterday) - and this number is growing.

c676a23f-4f10-462a-b705-67bc0fc7f8b0.png
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Wow 16 cases in one county I am quivering with unchecked terror.

On the Isle of Wight already, or are we included in Hampshire? To be fair, the way Wightlink and Red Funnel ferries operate, I wouldn't expect them to lift a finger with regards to checking anything. Or cleaning anything. Or making sure the ferries don't catch on fire mid crossing.
 
MaxAttack
Wow 16 cases in one county I am quivering with unchecked terror.
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I guess there isn't anything to be concerned about really, I mean, only 60 million other Europeans have been quarantined, a countries national health system is struggling to cope, thousands have died and the markets have had a huge drop similar to the financial crisis.... oh and of course that aside from the fact that the major consensus across all major European governments is that the majority of nations will become infected.

MaxAttack
I wouldn't expect them to lift a finger with regards to checking anything. Or cleaning anything.
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I mean, why would they? iTs JuSt fLu
 
MaxAttack
On the Isle of Wight already, or are we included in Hampshire?
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IOW is its own ceremonial county - the smallest and second-smallest of them - so it shouldn't be.

Meanwhile it looks like the North practices good handwashing and isolation techniques, except for that there metrosexual York. And Sunderland - one case there confirmed yesterday. Still zero in North Yorkshire, Teesside, and Redcar & Cleveland.
 
Depressing to read today that in Northern Italy many hospitals at 200% capacity. They are already forced to take the decision that if you are over 65 or have a compounding health condition, they will not give you intensive care or revive you if you arrest. They are having to pick and choose who lives and who dies.

Worth noting that the Italian healthcare system has more spare capacity built in than either the UK or the USA do in their health care systems.
 
Famine
IOW is its own ceremonial county - the smallest and second-smallest of them - so it shouldn't be.
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You're damn right, but it's often forgotten. We do share some things with Hampshire, most notably Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police.

Screw Rutland, they don't have beaches.

baldgye
I mean, why would they? iTs JuSt fLu
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Bugger all to do with my skepticism - they wouldn't do anything that might feasibly cost them a penny, considering they operate in a permanent state of massive debt to Chinese shipbuilders. Clearly, you aren't familiar with the shambles that is cross-Solent travel.
 
baldgye
It was more linked to the ignorance you displayed earlier in the post 👍
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Clearly, but also an excuse to complain further about the Island's ferry services, which any islander worth his salt would take.

Mother taught me to wash my hands and not cough in people's faces, regardless if there's an active viral epidemic, and I do that, and if people do the same, this isn't going to be a problem any more than any other virus that affects most people mildly but can be fatal in specific circumstances (there are more than a few of these as you know).

I'm not "ignorant". I AM dismissive. If people maintain basic hygiene and decency we will be fine. If we don't then... why?

In my view, ignorance is buying a years supply of toilet paper because everyone else is, without thinking about how ridiculous the idea that that's the one thing you'd need to stock up on in this situation is.
 
MaxAttack
I'm not "ignorant". I AM dismissive. If people maintain basic hygiene and decency we will be fine. If we don't then... why?
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That's cool, clearly you haven't had arguments with your senior management who refuse to take this seriously. Despite having hundreds of staff who are potentially at risk, without proper procedures in place for them to follow. Because all they've heard is that, it's just flu, only the weak and old are at risk... etc etc...


Chancellor unveils £30bn coronavirus package
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-51835306

He is abolishing business rates for many firms, extending sick pay and boosting NHS funding. He warned of a significant but temporary disruption to the UK economy but vowed: "We will get through this together."
The Bank of England announced an emergency cut in interest rates just ahead of the Budget on Wednesday.

Mr Sunak who was promoted to chancellor just four weeks ago after Sajid Javid quit the government, has had to hastily re-write the government's financial plans to deal with coronavirus. "We are doing everything we can to keep this country and our people healthy and financially secure," he told MPs.
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It seems the governments stance is that, the health concern is secondary to the economic concern.
 
baldgye
That's cool, clearly you haven't had arguments with your senior management who refuse to take this seriously. Despite having hundreds of staff who are potentially at risk, without proper procedures in place for them to follow. Because all they've heard is that, it's just flu, only the weak and old are at risk... etc etc...
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That must be frustrating, and I'd like to make this clear, I do understand the reasoning behind the preventative measures being taken in places like Italy. I'm not advocating we let the elderly die off 'cos we'll all be fine.

I get this is a very, very infectious virus that seems to have outrun the efforts at early containment with surprising ease.

The things that are annoying me are mostly the panicked actions of the mis/uninformed. I might not be very concerned about this personally, but I have made a point of researching the facts (this thread helps, too) and making sure I'm informed as to what's going on.

You'll notice none of that has led to me stripping the shop shelves bare, kicking people off the bus for coughing, or any of the silly stuff people are up to. Perhaps that's BECAUSE I'm informed.

I live in a building full of students, many of whom haven't lived away from home before, some of whom have never left their home country. The potential for panic to creep in here is huge, especially since we have Chinese in the building and you know how jumpy people are getting around them. I'm maintaining a level head, trying to help them separate fact from hearsay, and to contextualise this outbreak against previous epidemics and media circuses.

My mother works in admissions for a reputable school, taking on European pupils as part of an exchange scheme. People are calling her saying they will cancel a whole year or more of education for their kid if even a single kid or staff member at the school tests positive. I'm sorry, but that's a ridiculous level of concern, even at this point.


It seems the governments stance is that, the health concern is secondary to the economic concern.
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They are Tories, mate, not sure what else we could've expected.
 
baldgye
Angela Merkel estimates that 60% to 70% of the German population will contract the coronavirus
https://news.yahoo.com/angela-merkel-just-estimated-60-184506028.html
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This sucks.

I work at Deutsche Post, delivering parcels to companies and private customers. One of the jobs with the highests chances of getting infected I guess. Not to mention my 1h30 (3 buses + 2 s-bahn) commute each way, everyday.

Gonna ask if the company has any plans to address the situation. If not, I might get sick leave and stay at home. I'm not in the mood of risking my health (and possibly take space in a hospital) for an ordinary salary right now. It they pay more due to the circumstances, I might keep working.

Most of my friends from my previous job in the gaming industry will sooner or later work remotely, as some of them do once in a while.
 
Why is Italy so much worse than everywhere else right now? I haven't seen anything remotely educated as to a reason why.

Daz555
Worth noting that the Italian healthcare system has more spare capacity built in than either the UK or the USA do in their health care systems.
Click to expand...

Do you mean unoccupied beds or beds in general? The best number I've seen suggests 200,000 beds in Italy, but I'm not sure what their expansion capacity is. I can't imagine they don't have access to tents and mobile units.
 
I think another potential precaution we should be looking into right now is flattening the curve by intentionally exposing people ahead of it. Especially healthcare workers. It might be a good idea to start taking 10% of the staff at a time and rotating them through infection, so that they can come back online when the masses come in. Having them out now (in the US) while rates are low, is not as costly as having them out later, when rates are high.
 
My university is moving to online virtual classes after spring break and then having us move out back to our permanent residence. I mostly expected that after Harvard and many other institutions announced their plans, but does feel very surreal. I feel awful for the graduating class as they're going to be missing out on graduation and many other annual events. I'm fortunate enough that my CS classes are easy to move online but whereas a lot of my friends are in class where it's just not possible like chemistry labs and such.
 
ProjectWHaT
My university is moving to online virtual classes after spring break and then having us move out back to our permanent residence. I mostly expected that after Harvard and many other institutions announced their plans, but does feel very surreal. I feel awful for the graduating class as they're going to be missing out on graduation and many other annual events. I'm fortunate enough that my CS classes are easy to move online but whereas a lot of my friends are in class where it's just not possible like chemistry labs and such.
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If I was still in school right now I don't know what they'd do because I was in performing arts. We couldn't have a virtual class to practice chorus or keyboard harmony so...
 
Biggest daily rise as UK cases reach 456
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51839106
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK has now reached 456, the biggest rise in a single day. The Department of Health confirmed there had been 83 more cases since Tuesday. Six patients with coronavirus have died in hospitals in the UK.
It comes as NHS England plans to expand the number of people it can test in a day to 10,000, up from 1,500.
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It's also only 14:22...
 

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