Coronavirus-Themed Open Thread 20200310
Because why not?
National Guard troops sent to coronavirus ‘containment area’ in NYC suburb
New York state officials are sending National Guard troops to a special “containment area” centered in ... New Rochelle, where schools are closing for two weeks because of the virus ... about 20 miles north of Manhattan, has a population of about 77,000 ... to help clean surfaces and distribute food in the outbreak area. In addition, a coronavirus testing facility is being set up in the community.
Donald Trump claims coronavirus will just ‘go away’ if Americans ‘stay calm’
Trump was on Capitol Hill begging lawmakers for a stimulus package to save the stock market from continuing its decline. Yet, at the same time, he said that everything was fine and would go away soon.
“Just stay calm – it will go away,” said Trump. “It’s really working out.”
Because the wealthy are the real victims here.
- The death toll from the coronavirus outside China passed 1,000 on Tuesday, as Italy recorded 168 deaths, its highest one day toll.
- In the United States, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases was up to 761 as of Tuesday morning, but there are still concerns over a lack of testing kits in the country.
- The total number of Covid-19 cases in the UK jumped to 373, as of 9am on Tuesday, up from 319 at the same time on Monday.
- A sixth patient in the UK died after testing positive for coronavirus. The man was in his early 80s and had underlying health conditions
- British Airways and Ryanair have cancelled all international flights to and from Italy, following the Italian government’s decision to place the entire country on lockdown came into effect on Tuesday.
- The start of the UK peak of the coronavirus epidemic is expected within the next fortnight, England’s deputy chief medical officer, Dr Jenny Harries, said. She added that the UK would see “many thousands of people” contract the virus.
- A number of universities including Harvard, NYU and Trinity College Dublin have moved lectures online in a bid to tackle the spread of the virus.
- Greece announced it would shut down all schools and universities for two weeks in a bid to control the spread of the virus.
EDIT:
What does the coronavirus mean for the U.S. health care system?
The U.S. has about 2.8 hospital beds per 1,000 people (South Korea and Japan, two countries that have seemingly thwarted the exponential case growth trajectory, have more than 12 hospital beds per 1,000 people; even China has 4.3 per 1,000).
Comments
Dr John Campbell report from today...
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZV9z0RVhy4]
25 min for the whole thing. Pretty interesting look at the data.
and I posted this earlier on how Vit D is an excellent preventive...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5yVGmfivAk
And this was an interesting conversation from a student in lockdown in Italy and a poorly informed talking head. video or text...
https://www.democracynow.org/2020/3/10/italy_red_zone
Schools are the vectoring nexus. Closing them is a good idea as is postponing large gatherings. Just like climate, we are a day late and a dollar short...reactive rather than proactive.
I expect worse results here than in Italy.
thanks for the topic - been on my mind today.
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
2 confirmed cases
in Quincy, MA - where my son lives. He told me Harvard told students not to come back from spring break and they will resume with online classes.
My university is preparing for us to work from home if it comes to that.
"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11
for what it's worth
ANTI-VIRAL / BACTERIAL HERBS STRENGTHEN YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM
Dear ...
There's a lot of buzz out there around our health and wellbeing so I'm dropping you a quick line on the issue.
This is an opportunity for us to incorporate self-care, stay calm and call on our herbal allies for immune support. The plants are here and so am I, so please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions!
Tips for preventing viruses and bacterias from entering our bodies:
Get plenty of rest, take naps to recharge rather than reaching for caffeine
Carry lavender essential oil around and dabb it on your hands then breathe it in to your lungs. Lavender is antimicrobial, calming to the nervous system, a small bottle is easy to bring everywhere. Add it to a diffuser, too. Other antibacterial/antiviral essential oils are: sage, thyme, oregano, thieves. Be careful with them on direct skin, they can burn, so always dilute in carrier oil first.
Relax - the first part of keeping EPIs (External Pernicious Influences in TCM language) out of your system is to calm the Nervous System. Drink chamomile lavender tea, read a book, go for walks in the woods, breathe in fresh clean air in nature, do yoga, meditation, etc
Laugh - this is a key component to calming the NS! Watch a funny TV show or make silly jokes with friends to lighten the mood
Elderberry Syrup - naturally anti-viral and boosts the immune system. I'm fully stocked online and at the winter market in Northampton Saturdays 9-1
Respiratory Support + Immune Boosts - whats the difference? One is geared toward the lungs / immune and the other is a full spectrum antibacterial / anti-viral. I suggest swishing and gargling these tinctures with a little water before swallowing to coat your mouth/throat 2-3X daily. Murder of Colds tea from Full Kettle is a stellar blend to kick EPIs
Wash hands, obviously
Zinc lozenges - these babies, rock! I carry them everywhere in the winter and dole them out to friends like candy
Face masks - these don't protect you from airborne diseases so much, but they do prevent you from touching your own face (which we do about 90X per day on average) and how viruses are spread is through fluids. Either put one on or don't touch your face as often if you're around lots of people. I prefer to wash my hands more than sport the mask. It doesn't go with my outfit
Don't stress. Balance taking preventative measures like hand-sanitizer when out and about, but continue loving & living your life. Hyper-sanitizing every surface of your house is not necessary.
Cheers to your health,
Hannah
question everything
YACF-19
Great point! The dreaded coronavirus isn't even as virulent as the other influenzas it resembles; nor does it contribute as much to general mortality as they do each and every year.
As another c99er correctly pointed out, it's the flu, folks! Prior to 1980, we didn't even have the means to distinguish the Coronavirus from its influenza cousins. And we still don't have any reliable means of containment or control, as the strain's escape from China proves beyond doubt. So I think we all -- all of humanity -- need to take a step back, stop panicking, do what we can while still living our lives, and treat all influenza sufferers with the very best we've got. Of course, that means science-based medicine, not Sew Age Crystal Weenie quackery or the "medicine" for corporate profits that is practiced in some (USA! USA! USA!) countries. Perhaps a "silver lining" to the Coronavirus and its accompanying scare will be the end of the "health insurance" medical system and its replacement by a single public payer no opt-out national health service like all civilized nations provide for their peoples.
In this vein, I propose a change for the acronym used to describe this virus. Let's call it "YACF-19". "YACF" is acronymic for "Yet Another Chinese Flu".
Because that's all it is. It's flu, and mild flu at that.
"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar
"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides
Some of your information
is out of date. The death rate for regular flu is 1 per 1,000. The death rate from Covid is 10-30 per 1,000. I'm not advocating panic. However this is a completely new virus. Nobody has immunity. Each of us taking precautions helps to protect the most vulnerable, immune suppressed individuals, people with cancer, the elderly, etc.
You're right about one thing, Granma:
Actually, we don't know that about COVID-19. Considerable evidence exists that current published mortality stats are seriously inflated. This article, among others, discusses the case for this.
As one writer for the National Institutes of Health put it:
source
So, at a time when reliable data about all influenza mortality is of the essence, we really don't have any at all; while meanwhile, panic-inspiring guesswork rules the roost.
But you're definitely right about one thing here. In the very words of my strongest dissenting source:
One fact from the Slate dissenting article which rattled my cage hard: fully half of all Chinese men still smoke! Shudder!!
"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar
"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides
COVID-19 is not "just a flu"
It's a completely new virus where there is zero "herd immunity". Another difference is that it is extremely aggressive in patients who have compromised health situations and will require a much greater use of available resources within hospitals.
The regular flu has an R0=1.3 while COVID-19 has an R0=2.28 so it's much, much more contagious (spreading is exponential). Medical facilities could get overwhelmed very rapidly as has happened in China. How fast can America supply several hundred thousand beds to treat an aggressive viral outbreak and the doctors, nurses, technicians and other necessary staff and medical equipment?
A good point:
Great point there. It really is time to face the fact that we in the USA are a society like all others; and that there are some social needs, like medical care, which cannot, should not, and must not be supplied for corporate profit; yet need to be fully supplied to society in an organized manner.
"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar
"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides
Thanks, WD. Will switch my so-called 'updates'
regarding Medicare coverage to this thread.
Great idea!
Mollie
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
I've seen this movie. It's one of my favorite books
Great book
Horrible movie.
Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.
True. It was made-for-tv
Like IT, they need to redo The Stand.
The Stand
given the size of the book, needs a new multi-episode rendition, with modern cinematography and direction.
Whoever made Breaking Bad could do a decent job.
Also, no Molly Ringwald.
Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.
CDC no longer testing for COVID-19
This testing is now the responsibility of state public health labs as of Mar 7.
Total tests between the various agencies as of Mar 9 now stand at 8,554.
China gave America a head start and they completely botched it due to Trump's 'Made in the USA' arrogance. At the time of this posting there are 959 confirmed cases compared to the 753 cases just 15 hours ago. We have entered that dreaded geometric rise.
By Feb 15 China was testing at the rate of 8,000/day in Wuhan, a city of 11 million people.
The US is in for a lot of hurt. The way I see what is now happening in the country is that we will have multiple epicenters unlike China where the fast response and quick lock-down meant they had only one major population center to deal with. China could then depend on bringing hundreds of medical teams and thousands of workers from all the other provinces to help deal with the problem. They managed to get the disease under so much control (only 20 new cases yesterday) that most of the new cases are coming from OUTSIDE China. Maybe they will have to ban travelers from the US in the near future - Karma is such a bitch.
PS The US will require hundreds of CT machines for diagnosis in ICU wards. They should start to ramp up production. Ooops - CT machines are Made in China. Maybe if Trump apologizes for his insults to China the country will make several hundred a week for him.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cp90UFu1J4E]
More Tidbits
Debate will have no studio audience
Responsible, but awfully convenient. Now it's a town hall with no town. So I guess the guys will just sit there and drink coffee for an hour.
The window for containing the coronavirus has passed in some parts of the US: CDC
EDIT:
Coachella postponed until October
Well done.
"The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function." -- Albert Bartlett
"A species that is hurtling toward extinction has no business promoting slow incremental change." -- Caitlin Johnstone
Anyone know how to herd cats in NYC?
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSuLeUCmagw]
@CB
I was thinking about how Americans would act if there were cops or NG troops keeping people in or out.
I only have hurricane prep to go by, and only in/around Houston. Prior to Ike I was pleasantly surprised and proud of Houstonians. Tens if not 100 of us waited in line with our shopping baskets full of enough supplies for a few days. The lines stretching from the registers nearly to the back wall. Close to an hour of waiting to pay, and a bakery worker taking orders from the backs of the lines. Fresh bread by the time we were ready to pay. No one flipping out. No Black Friday style behavior. Waiting for fuelling up was similar, and a very long, orderly wait.
Then, after the storm, there was no power. That's normal. Days ticked by. People got antsy. You could drive as long as you went around the downed power lines, but no power at many stores. When partial power came back, guards limited the number of people who could be in places at once. Inconveniences and changes in behavior accompanied by a change in attitude. Auto accidents, people flipping out, fighting with fists by otherwise normal people. Some people were without power for up to three weeks.
It would take martial law to keep some people at home. Americans don't mind a 2 week vacation (not enough imo), and don't care about the ones who won't be paid during that time, but keep them from going to the mall or on a cruise or to a concert? LMFAO! Good luck.
These are the ones listening to the travel agent I heard last night on the news and changing their spring break destinations to Barcelona or London from Milan. They just don't care about facts, and neither does the administration, including the CDC. Same with most employers. My employer has not updated our info page since 2/28.
Shit is about to hit the fan now that the states have finally been allowed to actually test people, and those of us at high risk of death from it, are laughed at and told to wash our hands, but keep going to work with people who don't even wash their hands after they stink up the bathroom.
Edit: clarity
I agree
and so we're in trouble.
China's cases are now in decline. Their aggressive quarantine response was effective. They've got testing kits, are testing where needed, their health care system isn't overloaded, and they've achieved a level of containment.
Italy waited too long and now the whole country is locked down.
The US population won't react well to quarantine, and we aren't doing testing because we won't like the answers. We're failing to use the very few tools we have available, so we're going to fail to contain the virus. At the current rate of spread we'll be out of hospital beds by the first week of May, plus or minus a week. Then we start putting intensive care patients in the hallways (they have done that in Italy). A week after that the halls are full. Then people won't be getting the care they need and you can fill in the blanks yourself.
I think it's fair to say that the American system is uniquely unsuited to handling this situation.
"The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function." -- Albert Bartlett
"A species that is hurtling toward extinction has no business promoting slow incremental change." -- Caitlin Johnstone
Sincere query -- what word from Cuba?
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
I won't bother linking
since the only source I turned up was a Caribbean tourism site, but dated 3/7 said there were no confirmed cases in Cuba, another source from mid February said that Cuba had test kits from China, and that China was using Cuban-sourced anti-virals to try to treat it.
I didn't turn up anything from an authoritative source.
"The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function." -- Albert Bartlett
"A species that is hurtling toward extinction has no business promoting slow incremental change." -- Caitlin Johnstone
Thanks, there's stuff from prensa to the effect that they have
no cases yet and are testing those inbound from nations where it exists, but nothing else.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --