Mega-Thread: Coronavirus Pandemic

[Gaidax]

OK, so our daily update.


Our cases curve is flattening really nicely, we do a lot of testing per-capita about the same level as SK, we have total 60 deaths so far and ventilated total amount is 113 out ~2800 capacity.

PM told during the speech yesterday evening that the government will issue lockdown for all cities during Easter (can't go out/in of the city/town) and complete lockdown the very first evening of Easter (can't go out houses at all).

Overall things are starting to look up and after Easter the intention is to start opening up, where younger population will get more restrictions lifted, while older ones will take more time for that.

[Magical Mudcrab]

Sure, have u found those WMDs yet too? It's always convinient for west that its "sources" r always provided with stuff for their narrative to leave no doubt their goals must be the way to go

I don't want to derail the thread any further, as the topics of what China is doing is getting a bit off topic. I'll list a couple sources below, but feel free to PM me if you want to continue the conversation:

For their persecution of religious people, we have: Jailing Muslims, burning Bibles, and forcing monks to wave the national flag: How Xi Jinping is attacking religion in China (Business Insider)
For them concealing informatound about COVID, we have: China Concealed Extent of Virus Outbreak, U.S. Intelligence Says (Bloomberg)
For their relationship with the WHO we have: The coronavirus crisis is raising questions over China's relationship with the World Health Organization (CNN)
For their organ harvesting practices, we have: China is harvesting thousands of human organs from its Uighur Muslim minority, UN human-rights body hears (Business Insider)

If anyone is curious in the discrepancy in the spelling of Uyghur, it's because there's multiple different ways of spelling it and this was simply the spelling I was initially introduced to. Wikipedia lists four different, valid ways of spelling it, so articles will also have discrepancies in their spelling between publications and authors.
[Infraction]

[Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang]

I find this... bizarre. Very much so.

First of all, most governments stock these. And not just a few hundred. They are basically non-perishable, and while technically not designed to hold bodies for long, they theoretically can do that, although you probably don't want to open them up anymore after some time...

Modern bodybags are made from a synthetic canvas, a 100% non-porous material. They don't degrade, at least not in a reasonable timeframe.

And they aren't all that complicated. The most 'luxurious' versions are rectangular, with a D-shaped zipper, two to three handles on each side for transportation, and a transparent plastic department for a card with info, although you can also write on most of them with a sharpie.

The point is, they are really easy to make, and cheap.

China has a population of 1.4 billion, and a crude death number of 7.1/1000 per year, according to the WHO, meaning that ~7.1 out of 1000 people die in China, every year. If my medicated sleepdeprived brain isn't failing me, that means that approximately 9.95 million people die in China each year. Most of those need body bags.

Now you probably don't want to hear this, but these things are reusable, and are being reused. Law enforcement uses single-use ones, so they don't tamper with evidence, but those used by paramedics, old folks homes and so on can and often are reused, simply to save funding.

Still, it stands to reason that China has a considerable stockpile of these for emergencies.

- - - Updated - - -





This is what you should take away from this article. Anecdotal evidence means that are observing a desired effect in patients, but have no clue if there actually is a correlation between the drug and the effect.

I don't want to drag you down, but there are reasons why doctors are so reluctant to say stuff like 'it shows promise'. To my understanding, all they have observed so far is that some treated patients are improving. And the reason they proceed with the trial is because no adverse effects have been observed.

I want a treatment just as bad as anybody else, but I also really don't want to get peoples hopes up for no reason. Headlines like the one in the linked article are, in my opinion, misleading.

On the body bags, they might be refraining from reusing them for Coronavirus patients, and simply send the whole package to the incinerator, given that mortuary services were/are overwhelmed in many places, thus they might need to replenish their stockpiles...or be prepared...

On treatment, from what was reported happening in some of our major hospitals, Hydroxychloroquine+Lopinavir+Remdesivir are part of the treatment given to patients in ICU, on the basis of "beneficial signals".

The French have a clinical trial underway on its stage III, DisCoVeRy, testing the following treatments over 3100 randomized participants :

Drug: Remdesivir
Drug: Lopinavir/ritonavir
Drug: Interferon Beta-1A
Drug: Hydroxychloroquine
Other: Standard of care

Didier Raoult, the French doctor pushing for Hydroxychloroquine, is a controversial figure, but while there have been critics against lacking randomized trials, others have been supportive of his empirical approach. He was also the one pushing for mass testing against the current approach; reportedly his city of Marseilles has now one of the highest ratio of testing around, in contrast with the rest of the country, with Grand-Est and Paris now going under. According to friends who have relatives there, morale is still high.

[Gorsameth]

I would assume they have something similar to the US but not quite sure, he will have the best of care so doubtful he will die though I wouldn't shed a tear.

Dominic Raab is his designated successor and will take over Johnson's job for the moment. Should Johnson die then Raab will keep doing his job until the party elects a new leader who will then become PM.
Its a little more fluid then the US where the VP simply becomes President for the rest of the term but the general idea isn't that much different.

[Draco-Onis]

Have u ever had a pm who wasn't a giant asshole within living memory? At least Boris has personality, is funny n seems to belong to the human race unlike the usual stiff blood-less zombies...

How many of them advocated a strategy that would kill countless people while making fun of the virus? what part of that gave you giggles? because people dying is so funny glad you were entertained.

[Ihavewaffles]

How many of them advocated a strategy that would kill countless people while making fun of the virus? what part of that gave you giggles? because people dying is so funny glad you were entertained.

Are u replying to the wrong person or are u imagining things??

[Draco-Onis]

Are u replying to the wrong person or are u imagining things??

Nope you are the one defending Boris assholeness by saying hey at least he's got personality. The guy is a racist piece of shit on top of doing what he did about the virus not sure what part of that makes you think "hey at least he is not zombie like"

[Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang]

Cough has gotten worse, and my throat is sore from the coughing, but no fever yet. So okay, I'd say.

I agree that we could use some good news.

Best of luck and take care.

From a few accounting of early tested patients I've read, fever can be almost non-existent (<38°C) despite joint pains, headache and extreme fatigue, with a sore throat at start progressively going down the trachea and into the lungs as cough ramps up.

I had something familiar starting mid-February, thinking first of a Flu (but odd due to no real fever), then thought about hay fever. What struck me was how the extreme fatigue was similar to the time I had Malaria, even before the heavy cough would tire me out. Did not take any treatment unless you count cough easing herbal tea, until after over a week I'd start feeling like drowning while lying down on my back, after which I went consulting :

-Bronchitis, have you been abroad?
-No (was too strained to remember exposure factors : meeting in a hotel on the Chinese Tourist Trail a few days earlier, and commuting using subway and train lines used by the same on their ways to and from Milan and the rest of Italy...)
-Ok, take Ibuprofen, Antibiotics and Cough syrup and you can go back to work
-I work in an Open Space
-Ah you might contaminate people then, stay at home for the remainder of the week then.

I ended up coughing heavily for 2 additional weeks, so I guess the Antibiotics did not make much of a difference on symptoms but at least prevented a pneumonia evolving from bacteria taking advantage of a weakened immune system.

[Ihavewaffles]

Nope you are the one defending Boris assholeness by saying hey at least he's got personality. The guy is a racist piece of shit on top of doing what he did about the virus not sure what part of that makes you think "hey at least he is not zombie like"

The last thing anyone should ever accuse Boris of, that he lacks personality, he has more of that than ur whole parliament.
Yes, he's a funny guy, unlike stiffs like gordon brown, theresa may, margaret thatcher.

George Bush is funny guy, being dumb n screwing up doesn't change that.

Regardless, all ur pms have been incompetent.

Why dare u accuse me wanting virus to kill? Like I would want u to spread it to me too? Don't be absurd. Are u one of those bored guys sitting on ur ass at home letting off steam? I for one have to work, so shove ur accusations.

[Draco-Onis]

The last thing anyone should ever accuse Boris of, that he lacks personality, he has more of that than ur whole parliament.
Yes, he's a funny guy, unlike stiffs like gordon brown, theresa may, margaret thatcher.

George Bush is funny guy, being dumb n screwing up doesn't change that.

Regardless, all ur pms have been incompetent.

Why dare u accuse me wanting virus to kill? Like I would want u to spread it to me too? Don't be absurd. Are u one of those bored guys sitting on ur ass at home letting off steam? I for one have to work, so shove ur accusations.

The personality of or entertainment value of a leader of a country pales in comparison to their actions. If you are so bored that you need to be amused by them then your work probably does involve sitting on your ass. If personality is what you seek there's plenty of reality shows to entertain you not people whose stupidity is literally costing people their lives.

[xenogear3]

Cough has gotten worse, and my throat is sore from the coughing, but no fever yet. So okay, I'd say.

I agree that we could use some good news.

If dry cough, go to hospital.

Fever is actually good. It means your body detects the virus.
After 7 days, if still not cure, then bad.

[Trassk]

Cough has gotten worse, and my throat is sore from the coughing, but no fever yet. So okay, I'd say.

I agree that we could use some good news.

Best of luck, take it easy and hope it doesn't get any worse

[Poopymonster]

My states stay at home "order" went into effect to day here in MO. Bunch of nothing is what it amounts to. Saw more people at the state park then even on the weekend. Its stupid since its not even shutting down non-essential businesses. They can still operate just fine as long as they stick to social distancing practices, where possible. Its sad to see our governor be so useless. First he refused to put one into place, and no he does a half-assed one that hinders nothing.

Some states staying home by order, others not giving a shit. Gonna spread fast. It's like having a peeing section in a swimming pool.

[tikcol]

With hurricanes, they have an update every 3 hours as it approaches land. But, the news has 24hour coverage. Rarely any new information in between the 3 hour updates from the National Hurricane Center, but non stop coverage to make sure everyone is watching and afraid to change the channel or they will die.

So, yeah, it's important to get people to understand the point of the distancing and other measures and the severity of the disease, but at the same time the non-stop coverage (especially when people are stuck at home) is just not a healthy thing, IMO. At least with a hurricane it ends in a week or two, who knows with this.

I only watch tv while lunching/dining and I only open this thread when I'm in the toilet

I've achieved enlightenment.

I wouldn't advise people to keep the information flowing 24/7 regarding this. A bit of escapism does miracles.

[Ihavewaffles]

The personality of or entertainment value of a leader of a country pales in comparison to their actions. If you are so bored that you need to be amused by them then your work probably does involve sitting on your ass. If personality is what you seek there's plenty of reality shows to entertain you not people whose stupidity is literally costing people their lives.

Uk or usa, ur foreign policy is same regardless who is in office, ur tony blair excellent example. Personality is the only good thing from ur disgusting leaders.

[Deja Thoris]

Well active cases have started dropping in Greece. Hoping last day was not a fluke.

Honestly? It's probably is some kind of data anomaly and its probably to do with weekend reporting being lighter than the weeks.

[Tuor]

Current situation in Portugal:
99 730 suspected cases
25 070 under authorities vigilance
4 442 waiting for lab result
12 442 confirmed cases
712 cases in the last 24h (+260)
1 180 at hospital
271 in ICU
345 deaths
34 deaths in the last 24h

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
https://covid19.min-saude.pt/ponto-d...l-em-portugal/
https://covid19.min-saude.pt/wp-cont...20200407_2.pdf

In my town:
4 confirmed cases
0 cases in the last 24h
https://www.reconquista.pt/articles/...os-do-distrito

[hellhamster]

Best of luck and take care.

From a few accounting of early tested patients I've read, fever can be almost non-existent (<38°C) despite joint pains, headache and extreme fatigue, with a sore throat at start progressively going down the trachea and into the lungs as cough ramps up.

I had something familiar starting mid-February, thinking first of a Flu (but odd due to no real fever), then thought about hay fever. What struck me was how the extreme fatigue was similar to the time I had Malaria, even before the heavy cough would tire me out. Did not take any treatment unless you count cough easing herbal tea, until after over a week I'd start feeling like drowning while lying down on my back, after which I went consulting :

-Bronchitis, have you been abroad?
-No (was too strained to remember exposure factors : meeting in a hotel on the Chinese Tourist Trail a few days earlier, and commuting using subway and train lines used by the same on their ways to and from Milan and the rest of Italy...)
-Ok, take Ibuprofen, Antibiotics and Cough syrup and you can go back to work
-I work in an Open Space
-Ah you might contaminate people then, stay at home for the remainder of the week then.

I ended up coughing heavily for 2 additional weeks, so I guess the Antibiotics did not make much of a difference on symptoms but at least prevented a pneumonia evolving from bacteria taking advantage of a weakened immune system.

I've had exactly the same in January, as well as last week (I'm quarantined till next week). My throat is still slimy but nothing too weird, the slime resides in the lower regions, I've got very mild coughing, my fever never went upwards of 37.6 (although I took paracetamol liberally and drank liters of tea).

Chances are that it's just a cold. It's kinda weird though that I got sick in such a short time span with exactly the same symptoms. Usually I get sick at once a year at most, more often once in two years. No one I know that got into contact with me these past weeks got sick.

[Omega10]

India's problems are starting to be harder for them to hide.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...ed/ar-BB12edtX

Title: 'Don't target doctors': Indian medics say coronavirus critics being muzzled

Indian authorities are facing growing complaints from doctors who say their criticism of the response to the coronavirus outbreak and a lack of protective gear is being muzzled.

The Resident Doctor's Association of New Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences, which represents 2,500 doctors, wrote on Monday to Prime Minister Narendra Modi complaining about the backlash against doctors.

The association's general secretary, Dr Srinivas Rajkumar, told Reuters at least 10 doctors had been threatened by police, transferred or forced to resign following their criticism.

Apparently Indian police have been on the alert for, and have taken actions against, doctors that criticize the Indian response to the virus or complain about the lack of protective gear.

Dr Indranil Khan, a hospital oncologist in the eastern city of Kolkata, told Reuters he was questioned by police for 16 hours last month but let go after deleting online posts that showed doctors using raincoats as protective health gear.

Police were reprimanded over the lengthy interrogation by a court, which allowed authorities to initiate criminal proceedings without arresting the doctor and also barred Khan from making similar Facebook posts for now, according to an order seen by Reuters.

It seems as if this is standard policy, possibly throughout the whole country.

Meanwhile, this has not been a good time to be a flight attendant.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/new...us/ar-BB128VQh

Title: “We’re Definitely Spreading It”: Flight Attendants Fear They Are Losing The Fight Against The Coronavirus

Not as bad as the way Indian doctors are being treated, but not very good either.

The airlines employing flight attendants who spoke with TIME, including American Airlines, Delta, United, Southwest and JetBlue, say they have encouraged flight attendants and pilots to stay home if they are feeling ill. “U.S. carriers have closely followed and complied with all health and safety rules, as well as CDC and FAA guidance provided to airlines for passengers and crew, and will continue to do so,” Airlines for America, which represents major U.S. carriers, said in a statement. The challenge for airlines has been compounded by the deepening crisis in their industry, which is projected to lose up to $252 billion in revenue this year.

But for months, the rapid spread of the outbreak, overlapping travel bans and conflicting messages from overwhelmed superiors have left many flight attendants feeling forced to fly in order to keep their jobs. According to flight crews from several major airlines, the only way to be taken off their scheduled flights is to provide a doctor’s note or a COVID-19 positive test result. Several described having to staff flights even while waiting to get their test results back. Those who chose to take unpaid leave in order not to endanger others often risked being penalized by having points against them on their record, several flight attendants tell TIME. “They are doing nothing but giving us wipes,” one said. “We’re like bees scattering pollen everywhere.” Others described feeling guilty while helping elderly or disabled passengers, not knowing if they could be infecting them with the serious virus.

A private social media group created for flight attendants to share concerns about working during the pandemic has grown to almost 50,000 since it was created on March 22, overflowing with posts from attendants who tested positive, advice on homemade protective equipment, and offers of food and medicine to those forced to quarantine in hotel rooms in strange cities. “When airlines call us essential, what they mean is expendable,” one flight attendant posted in the group. “Collateral damage, acceptable casualties,” wrote another.

All flight attendants who spoke with TIME did so under condition of anonymity, citing fear of losing their jobs given the stringent airline rules about talking to the press. “So many of us are afraid to speak out for fear of backlash and even firing by our respective airlines,” one flight attendant told TIME. “I know that reaching out to the media is a complete violation of our handbook at my company, but I can no longer stomach seeing my colleagues continue to be exposed to this virus with little to no regard for our safety.”

The article is kind of hard to read.

These measures are unlikely to fight off the virus as flight attendants continue to sit shoulder to shoulder in jump seats and use the same lavatories as passengers. Some say that even on mostly empty flights, they have not been allowed to sit in passenger seats to distance from each other. In medical emergencies, they continue to act as first responders without any personal protective equipment. “I have cried every time I am on my way to the airport to start my trip,” one flight attendant for a major U.S. airline told TIME, saying her biggest fear is contracting the virus from her fellow flight attendants.

[Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang]

I've had exactly the same in January, as well as last week (I'm quarantined till next week). My throat is still slimy but nothing too weird, the slime resides in the lower regions, I've got very mild coughing, my fever never went upwards of 37.6 (although I took paracetamol liberally and drank liters of tea).

Chances are that it's just a cold. It's kinda weird though that I got sick in such a short time span with exactly the same symptoms. Usually I get sick at once a year at most, more often once in two years. No one I know that got into contact with me these past weeks got sick.

I get that once a year too usually, but this time the coughing was much more violent in my case, and I was feeling the extreme fatigue as it was only in a sore throat stage, days before the serious coughing, and despite being on total rest already. After that I gradually got to cough more and more sputum, in larger quantity and at much frequency to what I'm used to, until it was reaching bronchitis stage and I got antibiotics, at that point it didn't evolve into pneumonia (I had bronco-pneumonia once as a child), but the heavy coughing continued for 2 weeks...

Could be that it simply takes multiples forms if this is it, weirdly enough, over the course of my month of sickness, my wife had two if not three fever episodes which had me worried, with a diversity of symptoms, including substantial and productive coughing in the last. And all of my 4 children had at different times feverish episodes, with single occurrences of coughing heavy enough to make them vomit.

On another note :

Chinese tourist sites packed as country comes out of lockdown, but experts say risk still high

Images from the Huangshan mountain park in Anhui province on Saturday April 4 showed thousands of people crammed together, many wearing face masks, eager to experience the great outdoors after months of travel restrictions and strict lockdown measures.
Such was the rush to get into the popular tourist spot, that at 7.48 a.m., authorities took the unusual step of issuing a notice declaring that the park had reached its 20,000 person daily capacity, and would not be accepting any more visitors, according to state media Global Times.
Meanwhile in Shanghai, the famous Bund waterfront was once again packed with shoppers and tourists, after weeks of being near deserted. Many of the city's restaurants that were shuttered only days ago also appeared to be doing a brisk trade, with several requiring reservations to enter.

...what could go wrong?