Government Response to Coronavirus 2: It's Not A Hoax

[WiseGirl]

 

[fraurosena]

Update of the news from my side of the pond:

• There are now 3631 cases that have tested positive for the virus. 136 patients have died. 
• The number of corona patients in the ICU went up with more than a quarter to 354.
• 500-700 hospitalized patients are being transported from hospitals in Brabant (the province where it started) to hospitals all over the country. The military is aiding in this laborious process.
• Pregnant women in Brabant can give birth in a specially created birth centre in a hotel in Brabant, in order to relieve the pressure on hospitals. The Union of Midwives and two of the main insurers started this initiative. (Note that midwives here are highly educated and women use them very often to assist with births, either at home, in a birth centre or in a hospital). The birth centre in the hotel will have the same equipment and facilities as a regular hospital does. 
• Volunteers have started an initiative to do grocery shopping for healthcare workers (who often find empty shops at the end of their shifts-- sadly, hoarding is still very much an issue)
• Shell and DSM are donating free of charge (ingredients for) disinfectants to hospitals and care facilities.
• The NS, the National Railway company, has said their number of passengers has decreased by 90%; trains will still be running for those with essential jobs or people who must travel for other urgent reasons. They are urging those that do travel by train to keep their distance 
• Last night the King held a speech for the country. It was both alarming (things are very dire right now) and uplifting (together, we can do this). He didn't obfuscate the seriousness of the situation, he thanked the workers from each and every essential job by name (the job, not the person) and he gave hope. I particularly liked his statement that 'We can't stop the coronavirus, but we can stop the loneliness-virus', urging people to take care of each other, especially the vulnerable and those that live alone.
• Belgium is enacting strict scrutiny at their borders; no one is allowed into the country that does not have an urgent reason to enter. They are even threating to issue monetary fines.
  They now have 30 more deaths in one day; doubling the number of deaths in 24 hours
• Germany now has 16.662 patients, an increase of 2705. 16 people died in the past 24 hours, increasing the death toll to 47.
• The WHO has is sharing the latest news on the virus on WhatsApp. You can receive these updates by sending a text to this number: +41 79 893 18 92
• The WHO has reiterated that the number of corona patients consists of a relatively large portion of people under 50
• Be on the alert for a fake email purportedly from the WHO though. It says it contains an ebook on how to protect yourself from the virus, but the .exe file contains malware.
• The Jack Ma Foundation (Ma is the founder of Alibaba) has donated 2 million face masks and other medical necessities to Europe for free
• Cuba has closed it's borders for foreigners
• Britain has closed its pubs, restaurants, theatres and other entertainment venues. Takeaway restaurants remain open for business.
• Spain has had 300 more deaths
• The ice hockey world championships have been annulled
• Switzerland now has 6113 corona patients; 56 people have died.

On the personal front: 

• There are now three confirmed cases in my town. There are two in the town where my (at risk) parents live, and 5 in the town where my son and DIL live. So it's getting closer. Texted with my parents this week and they are coping well. Face-timed with son and DS today. DS proudly showed us his new 'big boy' bedroom and asked to see Kella and Finn, our dogs, whom he loves to play with.  They both reacted to hearing his voice on the phone by trying to smell it or lick it, with hilarity ensuing. Still, it's not the same as seeing them in person...

[clueliss]

Looks like St Louis will be going to stay at home status Monday if I’m reading this correctly.

Missouri is up to 73 cases and 3 deaths.  Boone county is at 14 and has gone to reporting numbers twice a day.   
 

And geez it’s the daily White House presser, these fools and the no social distancing.

[JMarie]

During today's task force announcement: Pence says "if you don't have symptoms don't do a test."  A minute later, he says a member of his staff has tested positive and that person had mild cold-like symptoms.  An asymptomatic-appearing Pence and his wife (presumably also asymptomatic) will be receiving a test, because Pence is the head of the task force.   

[clueliss]

Why do we as a world have anyone on a cruise ship anywhere?

 

[clueliss]

https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-outbreak-03-21-20-intl-hnk/h_78c431662464112a27434663a0860cdc
NYC and LA (finally) stop testing mild cases, reserving for those cases where it changes treatment (so we’ll stop seeing healthy celebs saying I was positive on social media now????)

New Jersey is under stay at home

https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-outbreak-03-21-20-intl-hnk/h_5749efe403dae8d2b7a9916b34db3e6e

[CTRLZero]

I forgot to mention this earlier, but the day before yesterday we saw two sets of Mormon missionaries still going door to door in an over-55 neighborhood!  I can only think they are preaching about the end time while simultaneously bringing it on themselves.  Crazy. 

We have the first reportings of coronavirus in our county, which is adjacent to the Seattle-Tacoma area. 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

3 minutes ago, CTRLZero said:

I forgot to mention this earlier, but the day before yesterday we saw two sets of Mormon missionaries still going door to door in an over-55 neighborhood!  I can only think they are preaching about the end time while simultaneously bringing it on themselves.  Crazy. 

We have the first reportings of coronavirus in our county, which is adjacent to the Seattle-Tacoma area. 

I think I'd call the cops.   Probably wouldn't do anything, but with the shelter in place law maybe they could now.

[SassyPants]

1 hour ago, clueliss said:

Why do we as a world have anyone on a cruise ship anywhere?

 

I have a childhood friend and his wife who have cruised from Australia-NZ-Fuji- Tahiti, which banned the ship port entry, to Hilo-banned, to Honolulu again banned and now on the way to San Diego, which I’m sure will deny entry too. The west coast of the US is a mess...we all live in CA, so San Diego would be geographically ideal.

Edited March 21, 2020 by SassyPants

[AmericanRose]

In other 'people aren't taking this seriously' news:
Tuesday night, manager calls me to tell me we're moving to a 'minimal staffing' model and will rotate shifts weekly. The people we provide services for are mainly WFH (went from ~2000 to 13, and apparently now it's 7) but we still have to 'provide services' unless the building is closed, so 1 person from each team is scheduled to be there.
Friday afternoon, my manager asks if anyone is willing to go to the new campus being built; they've fallen behind because of COVID-19. They'll pay for a rideshare (I'm definitely not taking 1 bus, let alone 2), but... I didn't feel I could say no. I've only been there 5 months, and I feel lucky enough they're paying me during this as it is. ?

We also had a video meeting yesterday and one of my fellow team members said she thought people were over-reacting.

This is why governments have to step up and order things to close, because companies won't do it on their own.

Edited March 21, 2020 by AmericanRose

[Italiangirl]

42 minutes ago, CTRLZero said:

I forgot to mention this earlier, but the day before yesterday we saw two sets of Mormon missionaries still going door to door in an over-55 neighborhood!  I can only think they are preaching about the end time while simultaneously bringing it on themselves.  Crazy. 

We have the first reportings of coronavirus in our county, which is adjacent to the Seattle-Tacoma area. 

maybe i'm wrong but haven't the mormon church stop all his meeting in person and recall the missionary in various places? So why those two where still going door to door if the church is now made online? maybe it was like here 10 days ago where you could still go around but have to be careful?

[Dandruff]

45 minutes ago, CTRLZero said:

I forgot to mention this earlier, but the day before yesterday we saw two sets of Mormon missionaries still going door to door in an over-55 neighborhood!  I can only think they are preaching about the end time while simultaneously bringing it on themselves.  Crazy. 

We have the first reportings of coronavirus in our county, which is adjacent to the Seattle-Tacoma area. 

I'd call the LDS HQ (Salt Lake City?) and report them.  Direction could then move from HQ to the Ward in your community to the missionaries.

[fraurosena]

Has anyone heard how things are in Russia at the moment? I find it rather peculiar that there is no news whatsoever from there. Even Kim Jong Un admitted there was a humanitarian crisis happening in his country. Why is Putin silent? 

[CTRLZero]

8 minutes ago, Italiangirl said:

So why those two where still going door to door if the church is now made online? maybe it was like here 10 days ago where you could still go around but have to be careful?

We don't have a shelter in place order yet, but lots of shops, restaurants, etc., have been shut down because it only makes common sense.  We were very shocked that these two pairs (four individuals) were still working the streets.  We thought about calling their local ward, but our neighbors are Mormon and are a good pipeline to the local church, so we'll ask them why this is still going on (or was two days ago).

We don't know of anyone who actually answers their door when the missionaries come through.  If a neighbor spots them coming through, we tend to go inside and pretend we are not home.  If they catch us, it's a mutual relief to direct them next door.  Our LDS neighbors are always happy to invite them in and feed them, lol. 

 

[Xan]

Interesting information about why the Coronavirus is so dangerous and so difficult to control:

Spoiler

This is from an immunologist at Johns Hopkins University:

Feeling confused as to why Coronavirus is a bigger deal than Seasonal flu?  Here it is in a nutshell.   I hope this helps.  Feel free to share this to others who don’t understand…   

It has to do with RNA sequencing….  ie. genetics.

Seasonal flu is an “all human virus”.  The DNA/RNA chains that make up the virus are recognized by the human immune system.  This means that your body has some immunity to it before it comes around each year…  you get immunity two ways…through exposure to a virus, or by getting a flu shot. 

Novel viruses, come from animals…the WHO tracks novel viruses in animals, (sometimes for years watching for mutations). Usually these viruses only transfer from animal to animal (pigs in the case of H1N1), (birds in the case of the Spanish flu).  But once, one of these animal viruses mutates, and starts to transfer from animals to humans, then it’s a problem,  Why? Because we have no natural or acquired immunity…the RNA sequencing of the genes inside the virus isn’t human, and the human immune system doesn’t recognize it so, we can’t fight it off.

Now…sometimes, the mutation only allows transfer from animal to human. For years it’s only transmission is from an infected animal to a human before it finally mutates so that it can now transfer from human to human…once that happens, we have a new *contagion phase*…and depending on the fashion of this new mutation, that will decide how contagious, or deadly it’s gonna be.

H1N1 was deadly…but it did not mutate in a way that was as deadly as the Spanish flu. It’s RNA was slower to mutate and it attacked its host differently, too. 

*Fast forward*.

Now, here comes this Coronavirus…it existed in animals only, for nobody knows how long. But one day, at an animal market, in Wuhan China, in December 2019, it mutated and made the jump from animal to people.  At first, only animals could give it to a person…But here is the scary part…in just *TWO WEEKS* it mutated again and gained the ability to jump from human to human. Scientists call this quick ability, *“slippery”*

This Coronavirus, not being in any form a “human” virus (whereas we would all have some natural or acquired immunity), took off like a rocket. This was because, Humans have no known immunity…doctors have no known medicines for it.

It just so happens that this particular mutated animal virus, changed itself in such a way that it causes great damage to human lungs.

That’s why Coronavirus is different from seasonal flu, or H1N1 or any other type of influenza…this one is “slippery”. It’s a lung eater. It’s already mutated AGAIN, so that we now have *two strains* to deal with, *strain S* and *strain L*, which make it twice as hard to develop a vaccine for. *We really have no tools in our shed, with this*. 

*History has shown that fast and immediate closings of public places has helped in the past pandemics.*  Philadelphia and Baltimore were reluctant to close events in 1918 and they were the hardest hit in the US during the Spanish Flu.

Factoid:  Henry VIII stayed in his room and allowed no one near him, till the Black Plague passed…(honestly…I understand him so much better now). Just like us, he had no tools in his shed, except social isolation!

And let me end by saying…right now it’s hitting older folks harder… but this genome is so slippery…if it mutates again (and it will) who is to say, what it will do next. 

Be smart…acting like you’re unafraid is not smart right now. 

Stay home folks…and share this with those that just are not catching on.  Please explain the gravity of this to your children. It’s going to be hard, they will be bored, but this is the only way we can help flatten the curve.

 

[clueliss]

Missouri finally mandates social distancing.( we are so far behind)

 

[Ozlsn]

8 hours ago, Italiangirl said:

@Ozlsn that is a very help full map where did you find it?' i'm looking at others in these days but those are just about the n of know cases and be update just once every day (usually around 18.20 italy time

I came across it via a FB post but the source is @matt_hopcraft (the chart source) from WHO data.

8 hours ago, SassyPants said:

Can you provide the source for testing criteria?  

I'm talking about what appears to be happening in Australia - I have no idea what is happening in the US, sorry. My sources for what's happening here are friends who work in the medical field, what has been said in press briefings etc. 

I really think Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and other cities should be locking down. I also think they need to be screening the community in order to isolate people who have mild cases or who are asymptomatic. Melbourne has three large medical research precincts that I can think of offhand (Parkville, Monash and Alfred) - there must be easily 100 PCR machines in them, plus Taq, buffer, consumables etc. We have the resources to do a screen - we would probably need to use research staff to process, work out protocols for the test and for minimising cross-contamination, and work out a way of getting swabs to every house and then to the centres - but it is doable I think. And then at least we would know what we were dealing with and be able to more specifically isolate people.

[laPapessaGiovanna]

TRIGGER WARNING the video embedded in this article is hard to watch, it shows the main hospital in the worst hit city in Italy. You won't see the ICU, just the emergency care and the halls.

[fraurosena]

6 minutes ago, laPapessaGiovanna said:

TRIGGER WARNING the video embedded in this article is hard to watch, it shows the main hospital in the worst hit city in Italy. You won't see the ICU, just the emergency care and the halls.

Thank you so much for posting that video. It is good that people get to see what it is actually like instead of simply hearing that hospitals are overwhelmed. I really felt for that one doctor when the reporter asked him how he personally was doing; it seemed as if he was only barely holding it together.  

 

[Ozlsn]

Description of what's happening with testing (patient perspective) in Australia

"To conserve the number of testing kits in Australia, you have to meet certain criteria to get the swab.

That means only people who have had direct contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19, the elderly or patients admitted to hospital with respiratory illness will be tested."

Small town in Italy who did mass screening and has controlled their outbreak.

"Around 3,300 people were tested, even if they had no symptoms.

"We tested everybody," Andrea Crisanti, professor of microbiology at the University of Padua, told the ABC's The World Today.

"We found that an alarming portion of people were already positive for the virus."

Nearly 3 per cent — or 89 Vo residents — were infected with COVID-19.

Even more alarming for Professor Crisanti and his colleagues was that many of the patients had no symptoms.

Every Vo resident who tested positive for the virus was put in quarantine in their homes."

...

After two weeks of quarantine, the researchers carried out another round of mass testing in Vo.

The rate of COVID-19 infection had dropped from nearly 3 per cent to 0.41 per cent."

Edited March 21, 2020 by Ozlsn
testing requirements

[Italiangirl]

11 minutes ago, Ozlsn said:

I came across it via a FB post but the source is @matt_hopcraft (the chart source) from WHO data.

thanks i will search him on fb to see if he has put the new data from today, if you have the link to the post can you send it in pv? thanks i'm always looking for better chart 

[Ozlsn]

5 minutes ago, Italiangirl said:

thanks i will search him on fb to see if he has put the new data from today, if you have the link to the post can you send it in pv? thanks i'm always looking for better chart 

This is the public Facebook post I found it in (the chart I posted is in a comment from an update).

He's an Australian blogger, but is updating regularly.

The Twitter link is here.

Just realised it makes more sense if I say the chart was quoted on Facebook by the blogger who follows the Twitter account of the guy who made it. Clear as mud?

Edited March 21, 2020 by Ozlsn

[GreyhoundFan]

This is Omar Hardy, a city commissioner in Lake Worth, FL:

 

[47of74]

Fuck face was practicing medicine this morning so an actual doctor had to sound the alarm  

 

[GreyhoundFan]