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

[maxi25]

So due to the large influx of people staying home during these crazy times, online services are getting huge amounts of traffic and outages, delays, or long load times are to be expected. The article for those interested:
https://gizmodo.com/it-s-not-just-you-nintendo-xbox-playstation-and-more-1842376497

 

[Milouse]

Good luck with that, USA.

 

[JKgo]

...Perhaps this might be the worst naming sense in history of mankind - a cargo ship is being held off Cape Town atm after one of its crew members showed the symptoms of the coronavirus. The name of the cruise cargo ship is MV Corona. Imagine that.

Link: https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/...t-cruise-ship-off-coast-of-cape-town-20200317

Edit: oops.

 

[Milouse]

This is my soap box, and I'm sticking with it - we should have been focusing quarantine on the elderly instead of everyone.

I used to think the same, but since the average age of Covid19 positive patients in resuscitation service in France is only 54 yo, that wouldn't be a good idea.

 

[baldgye]

The UK abandoned its coronavirus plan after realising it would have resulted in 'hundreds of thousands of deaths'
https://www.businessinsider.com/uk-abandoned-coronavirus-strategy-that-would-cause-250000-deaths-2020-3

I believe that today the health secretary said they expect about 2,000 deaths, but I could be wrong with that

 

[girabyt3]

So due to the large influx of people staying home during these crazy times, online services are getting huge amounts of traffic and outages, delays, or long load times are to be expected.

Yeah, wetransfer is down... 🤬🤬

 

[zzz_pt]

Germany:
5600+ (from 4500+ yesterday) and 11 deaths (9 yesterday)

Hamburg jumped to 196 (158 yesterday)

Today 7000+
14 deaths

Hamburg: 260+ and 1st death (76yo man)

At the moment:

9352 positive cases (+ ~2000)
24 deaths (+10)

Hamburg: 312 / 1 death

Last Friday the numbers were less than half.

 

[McLaren]

Just had another employee placed under quarantine by the company. He just came back from Mexico, but he flew back so the owners were concerned. A coworker on my team also just got back from Mexico, but he drove, so ownership cleared him.

Rumor now is we’ll be shutting down for 2 weeks eventually as AutoNation (large dealer chain) is considering in response stores being shut down in SanFran. Right now, I think its a case of whoever closes first, everyone else will. I know our new company takeover has been pushed back 3 weeks as well.

 

[Danoff]

I used to think the same, but since the average age of Covid19 positive patients in resuscitation service in France is only 54 yo, that wouldn't be a good idea.

Is there an upper age limit where they're just letting people die?

 

[Touring Mars]

The UK abandoned its coronavirus plan after realising it would have resulted in 'hundreds of thousands of deaths'
https://www.businessinsider.com/uk-abandoned-coronavirus-strategy-that-would-cause-250000-deaths-2020-3

I believe that today the health secretary said they expect about 2,000 deaths, but I could be wrong with that

It was 20000, which is about as low a number as they can hope for.

 

[Slapped]

Is there an upper age limit where they're just letting people die?

In all countries not officially yet, but it will probably get to the stage where triage will favour the most likely to survive with treatment, which will generally, but not in all cases, correlate with age.

 

[Milouse]

Interesting publication, that confirms positive results in China, South Korea and France for an antipaludique drug:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/...JAGbdfF67WuRJB3ZsidgpidB2eocFHAVjIL-7deJ7/pub

The reference to UK is interesting. Do they fear shortage?
I know they are side effects, but not their extent.

Is there an upper age limit where they're just letting people die?

Not at this point.
Younger cases number may have been fueled with zealous usage of Ibuprofen in auto-medication, though.

 

[christara321]

Not sure on the severity or the truth of the article but I guess someone as put that idea/article out there?
It was about a day ago.
Coronavirus-hit Italy warns those aged 80 or older 'will be left to die'

 

[Dennisch]

Younger cases number may have been fueled with zealous usage of Ibuprofen in auto-medication, though.

I heard this too, how is this possible? I was popping Ibuprofen up to 3 weeks ago, and even though I never get sick, 2 times flu in 20 years or so, it feels like I dodged a BB pellet with this.

 

[Jezza819]

I heard this too, how is this possible? I was popping Ibuprofen up to 3 weeks ago, and even though I never get sick, 2 times flu in 20 years or so, it feels like I dodged a BB pellet with this.

Ugh, I can't stand a lot of Ibuprofen. I took two Aleeve (200mg each I think) once without thinking and it made me very nauseous. I'll take one here and there whenever my back pain flares up but definitely not everyday. Glad I didn't try that as a preventative.

 

[NLxAROSA]

This is pretty much the NL strategy at the moment. Government has accepted that everyone will get this at some point in time so we won't go for a full lockdown, only a partial one to slow down the rate of infection so our hospitals can keep up. NL infection rate is also low compared to other countries in EU, even if adjusted for lack of detection. This gives us an advantage over other countries. Guess we'll have to see if this works out or not. We can still have total lockdowns as 'circuit breakers' but these would have limited impact as opposed to a total lockdown. At least, that's the theory.

The Dutch RIVM (The Dutch version of the CDC) is now looking at specific measures targeting older and other vulnerable people on top of what I posted earlier. So a controlled infection rate (but no lockdown) and specific protections (read: isolation) for the elderly and other vulnerable folks. Looks like what you proposed @Danoff ?

I heard this too, how is this possible? I was popping Ibuprofen up to 3 weeks ago, and even though I never get sick, 2 times flu in 20 years or so, it feels like I dodged a BB pellet with this.

Pharmacy was out of Paracetamol so I suggested Ibuprofen to my wife two weeks ago. Glad we didn't do that.

 

[Jezza819]

NBA player Kevin Durant and three other Nets teammates test positive for COVID-19.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles...om&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_medium=referral

 

[UKMikey]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/51929628

 

[baldgye]

Well, I’m still expected to work for the remainder of the week, commuting via train. Honestly it’s exhausting, having to manage a massive workload with less staff and with some in office/out of the office all the while the situation changes and making sure I don’t touch anything while on the train... though I did see someone on the train last night wearing a gas mask... but no gloves...

While walking home the station was moderately busy and the pubs on the way home where about 2/3 full. I live in a fairly young and ‘trendy’ area and so you’d assume fairly switched on. Which made the sheer number of people out and about quite surprising.
The shops where running low, though...

I’m not sure what that says, just some anecdotal observations.

 

[MatskiMonk]

While walking home the station was moderately busy and the pubs on the way home where about 2/3 full. I live in a fairly young and ‘trendy’ area and so you’d assume fairly switched on. Which made the sheer number of people out and about quite surprising.
The shops where running low, though...

I’m not sure what that says, just some anecdotal observations.

I had to kill an hour in town today waiting for some keys to be cut. Went to a backstreet micropub for a beer. At 41 I was the youngest person in there, 2 of the other 4 people were over 60, the other two were probably early 50's. Whilst they didn't brush it off as nothing to be worried about, they basically admitted that they thought business as usual was a higher priority than self isolation, for the sake of businesses.

The keys I had cut were the only transaction of the day at that shop. Probably lucky for him I was getting 24 different ones made... still came to a hundred quid! Mostly the town was a lot less busy than it would be normally, but it's never that busy. if this carries on it's going to tip a lot of people over the edge

 

[Swagger897]

My state's university system has mandated that all classes be online-based now, with limited exceptions. Our program lasts 2 years with one summer semester, and I'm currently in the final/graduating semester. Our chairman is pushing the university system to try to get at least our class (20 total) to be able to return under the limited exceptions that they left out, and also be able to stay in the dorms.

On one hand I hope we're able to return to combat the dreaded boredom, but on the other I see no point, as graduating quicker will not solve any of our future problems as we enter the aviation industry, where none of us will be able to get a job as at the moment all hiring has ceased. I'd say I'm most looking forwards just to finish out and not be put back any further for the most part however.

 

[Danoff]

My hands are getting chapped from all the hand-washing.

Mine too. If they get sufficiently cracked, no amount of hand washing will work - because the virus will have direct access to your bloodstream from the shopping cart handle. I might have to go to gloves.

Doesn't help that I cut my thumb either...

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Mine too. If they get sufficiently cracked, no amount of hand washing will work - because the virus will have direct access to your bloodstream from the shopping cart handle. I might have to go to gloves.

Doesn't help that I cut my thumb either...

Yep I'm at "surgical gloves outside the house" point now.

In other news, remote working is going pretty well despite some inherent inefficiencies. I'd say I'm about 80% as productive. Hopefully I can improve my setup. Apparently grocery stores have calmed down a lot here in the post-hunker down...though Whole Foods / Amazon still has no delivery windows. I guess I'll have to drag my ass to the store at some point.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Cafeteria at my work just shut down. Have to bring my lunch now I guess...

 

[Joey D]

If your hands are taking a beating, try O'Keefe's Work Hands. When I actively worked in a hospital and used hand sanitizer probably no less than 100 times a day, it was the only thing that I found that kept my hands feeling somewhat normal. I also found Duke Cannon Bloody Knuckles to work pretty well too.

 

[Adamgp]

Right as I was leaving work today, they announced we can start working from home for at least the next couple weeks. I still have to go back in tomorrow morning to unhook my entire workstation and set it up at home.

 

[NotThePrez]

Florida has closed all K-12 schools until April 15th, standardized testing has been cancelled for the school year.

While this doesn't effect me directly, it does influence my mother, as she's a school teacher, so it's led to some interesting conversations. Apparently the state(?) has sent out a packet to instructors basically giving them a crash-course on hosting classes online.

I need to talk to some other teacher friends about this, but apparently a predominate worry, given how easy(er) it is to find and save people's information online, is trying to figure out a way for students, parents and teachers to communicate school manners in a way that doesn't compromise any parties personal info, since school boards (ours, at least) apparently hasn't provided much information about this particular concern.

Another worry/major annoyance is how the cancelled state testing will influence school budgets. It's a pretty open secret that Florida schools (and I imagine other states) gear their curriculum towards the state tests, since the results of those tests will also influence a schools budget in the coming years. With no state tests, and the resources for online learning getting pulled from "unused" state funds, some teachers are definitely worried about their school's budget next year.

 

[mustafur]

I'm getting ahead of the curve here but I'm starting to hoard some cash because I know Australian Banks are already in a unstable situation being over leveraged with home loans I don't want to be in a scenario where everyone is withdrawing from an ATM Machine at the same time because their bank is failing only for it not to work, Similar thing happened in Greece not too long ago.

 

[Slapped]

Younger cases number may have been fueled with zealous usage of Ibuprofen in auto-medication, though.

First off the obligatory I Am Not A Doctor.

OK, Ibuprofen is already known to have side effects with some asthmatics, which is why the pack or the leaflet always says that asthmatics should not take it.

Corona Virus produces symptoms in the lungs (swelling) similar to what asthmatics experience, and certain people can react to ibuprofen in a way that makes the swelling worse, and therefore make their breathing worse.

Unfortunately those who are healthy and without breathing difficulties, and can take ibuprofen without any apparent side effects will not know how they will react to ibuprofen in the case that they find themselves with an illness that affects the lungs.

So a normal healthy person who contracts Covid 19 and takes ibuprofen to relieve the fever symptoms may go on to develop worse breathing difficulties than they would have done without the ibuprofen.

So basically don't take ibuprofen with any condition that causes inflammation in the lungs.

I'm an asthmatic, and fortunately for me ibuprofen has no side effects, but even I would be wary of it with any lung infection.

 

[Biggles]

Looks like the US, even with the advantage of plenty of prior warning, is going to have n exploding number of Covid-19 cases over the next couple of weeks.

https://www.cnn.com/videos/health/2020/03/17/clearwater-beach-spring-break-coronavirus-mxp-vpx.hln