Covid-19 pandemic

[Amor de Cosmos]

There's a difference between "can't be stopped" (which seems pretty clearly to be the position now) and "can't be slowed". It might not seem much of a benefit to any particular individual merely to push back by weeks or months the time at which the virus will inevitably strike him or her, but from a national perspective, in particular in relation to managing the treatment of the critically ill, but for many other practical reasons too, it's essential to slow the spread as much as possible in order to lower or at least defer the peak levels of infection, surely? Or have I got that wrong?

This is why we're leaning toward cancelling our April trip. We'll be traveling in planes, trains, taxis. Staying at six different houses/hotels, be among a couple of hundred wedding guests, and visiting people who are in our age group and our grand-daughter (3) and her parents. It just doesn't seem the responsible thing to do right now.

[Patrick Thistle]

Daily Mail front page all about HUNTING THE CORONAVIRUS SPREADERS!!!

That paper needs to be put out of business.

[Diable Rouge]

Mary Lou McDonald has to self-isolate for 14 days, as her children attend the Dublin school.

https://twitter.com/MaryLouMcDonald/status/1234492837179396096

[Guy Profumo]

Wise words here:


https://mobile.twitter.com/NevilleSo...66863482130443

[Gangster Octopus]

Wonderful.

[Balderdasha]

Countries reporting most new cases today (10 or more).

South Korea: 599
Iran: 523
Italy: 335
China: 202
Spain: 36
Germany: 27
Japan: 18
USA: 16
Kuwait: 10

China only accounts for 11% of today's new cases so far.

Latvia, Saudi Arabia and Senegal have reported their first cases.

[Nefertiti2]

The united States is able to charge 3000 dollars to test someone because it has state of the art medical techniques at its disposal.

https://twitter.com/edwinheathcote/status/1234532424983470080?s=20

[ursus arctos]

https://twitter.com/ByMikeBaker/status/1234559457113202688

[Incandenza]

[URL]https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1234536619270688768[/URL]

[Amor de Cosmos]

The united States is able to charge 3000 dollars to test someone because it has state of the art medical techniques at its disposal.

https://twitter.com/edwinheathcote/status/1234532424983470080?s=20

The guy leaning on the mantelpiece: (*thinks) "What the f**k am I doing with these dweebs!"

[pebblethefish]

[https://twitter.com/CuteRefute/status/1234474914918412288?s=20

That tweet does make it sound a bit more "last minute" than it actually was, given that the link was dated 26 Feb.

[Incandenza]

The guy leaning on the mantelpiece: (*thinks) "What the f**k am I doing with these dweebs!"

Oh god he's TOUCHING HIS FACE

[Balderdasha]

First case in Morocco.

[Kevin S]

Bugger.

[Antepli Ejderha]

First case in Morocco.

My colleague at work is from Morocco, he was expecting this as many Moroccans work in that part of Italy.

[Nefertiti2]

https://twitter.com/eramshaw/status/1234109738264268801?s=20

[Snake Plissken]

OK, now it is serious.

https://twitter.com/MickJon95058639/status/1234495852112158720

[Patrick Thistle]

Some niche Twitter interest there, Snake

[Gangster Octopus]

It was bound to happen. It shouldn't've, though.

[Nocturnal Submission]

OK, now it is serious.

https://twitter.com/MickJon95058639/status/1234495852112158720

[URL]https://twitter.com/MarkFrancois12/status/1234564012051922944[/URL]

[ursus arctos]

[URL="https://twitter.com/richardjspencer/status/1234809154340114435?s=21"]https://twitter.com/richardjspencer/status/1234809154340114435[/URL]

[ursus arctos]

Also, a private school in Riverdale (that very posh bit of the Bronx overlooking the Hudson that no one thinks of as the Bronx) has closed due to a suspected case. Riverdale is home to three of the most prestigious private schools in the city (Horace Mann, Fieldston and Riverdale Country Day).

The school in question is one of the smaller ones that serves the area's large Jewish community (many of whom are Russian emigrés).

[Hot Pepsi]

Obviously, rich people getting sick will push this to the top of public policy agendas in the city, but then it was probably already there.

Lots of scientific meetings have been cancelled, at great expense. But lots are going ahead.


Again, I don't know what to make of all this. Does this make the people who were going to be at the meeting safer? Or does it make vulnerable people around the world safer? I don't think it's really the former, but it might be the latter. But then, it seems like this epidemic is not going to be contained regardless.

Personally, I'm hoping the meeting I'm supposed to go to in DC in two weeks gets cancelled, but it's unlikely. I get the impression that my bosses, including some with biology degrees, think they're too smart for that.

[ursus arctos]

There was a story yesterday about how a local tycoon called the "hospital with his name on it" to make sure that he will be able to jump the queue for any vaccine.

[Nocturnal Submission]

I'm sure that most OTFers are pretty well informed about the virus and/or would know where to go to if they wanted more details, but this is a pretty good primer for anyone feeling slightly under-powered on some of the basics: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-51048366