Semi-OT: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Discussion Thread IV (Must read Post 1)

[NoDopeOnSundays]

The masks work, but doctors and nurses are exposed to high viral loads, that's why they also use the clear shields as well.


A mask won't stop a direct sneeze or cough in your face, but preventing people from spreading the virus by wearing masks in public should be priority before fall/winter. If 80% of people are wearing masks when they're at work or in public how will the virus spread?

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[NoDopeOnSundays]

South Korea is thinking so far outside the box, just incredible ingenuity.

Read on Twitter

?s=20

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It’s somewhat misleading, the temporary phone booth structure is a swab collection like a drive thru but safer for the doctor/nurse. You still have to wait for the test results. I am sure we could do this or better had there been less red tape.

They also have drive thrus and are the people who came up with them. This is for foot traffic that doesn't have access to cars. For comparison there's a testing site in Brooklyn where people stand in line with no real protection from one another other than standing a few feet apart, this stops that.

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[ken6199]

Cepheid's Xpert Xpress SARS-COV2 test approved by FDA. This is the first FDA approved point-of-care testing, and it returns the results in 45 minutes.

Watch on YouTube

[Optimus_Steel]

CEOs from America’s largest publicly traded airlines sent an urgent letter Saturday to Congressional leaders promising to stop stock buybacks and paying dividends in exchange for a multi-billion dollar coronavirus bailout.

The letter says “If loans and or loan guarantees are enacted, equaling at least $29 billion, participating passenger and cargo air carriers commit to placing limits on executive compensation; eliminating stock buybacks over the life of the loans and eliminating stock dividends for the life of the loans.”

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/airline-ceos-promise-to-eliminate-dividends-and-stock-buybacks-if-congress-passes-29-b-coronavirus-bailout-175925540.html

A promise? A promise???? We are supposed to take these CEO's word? Yea I don't think so.

[Richfield]

Cepheid's Xpert Xpress SARS-COV2 test approved by FDA. This is the first FDA approved point-of-care testing, and it returns the results in 45 minutes.

Watch on YouTube

First I'm hearing of Covid-2, the one that "causes" Covid-19.

Is that the only Covid that causes it? What percentage of Covid-19 patients would this screen for? Do they all get it from Covid-2? Or some from other numbers, or other things?

Thanks you

[Sisqo]

I think a lot of internet doctors should read this

Read on Twitter

?s=19

This is why you listen to doctors for medical advice not the internet or the president.

[Ainosterhaspie]

How is Washington state managing to achieve controlled growth without shutting everything down? They've had an average of about 200 new cases per day the last four days so its growing, but not exponentially. I wonder if there's something we can apply from there to other places to keep things running. Just curious because it looks like they aren't shutting down as aggressively as other places, but don't have out of control growth either.

[basketballRob]

Regarding masks, seems to me there is not enough precautions being taken in long term care facilities. In Canada, we are up 18 deaths, at least 12 of which are connected to 2 care centers. Need more discussion in protecting seniors especially over 70 yrs.

That's how it started here also. Almost all the deaths were connected to one retirement center. Now they're up to 35 deaths.

https://www-nytimes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.nytimes.com/2020/03/21/us/coronavirus-nursing-home-kirkland-life-care.amp.html?amp_js_v=a3&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQFKAGwASA%3D#aoh=15848279334994&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2020%2F03%2F21%2Fus%2Fcoronavirus-nursing-home-kirkland-life-care.html

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Please don't misinform. That nursing home just captured the news because many got infected at once and raised awareness. But in reality transmissions have been spreading throughout the globe simultaneously.

We weren't talking about the whole globe, we were talking about Canada and United States.

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[Tomhomes33]

Australians enjoying the beach. The combo of sea salt and ultra violet rays is probably a safer environment than other places. Summer is ending down there.

Watch on YouTube

WTF. This video has me conflicted. On the one hand, all these Aussie beach dwellers can die and I wouldn't shed a tear. They know the risks so that's on them. The less stupid people the better. But on the other hand its stupid people like these that will infect other non stupid people. If only this damn virus wasn't so infectious.

Most viruses, and there's belief that COVID19 may act similarly, do not do well with humidity, and warm moist air in general. They thrive in old dry air. It's likely why cases are more prevalent further north. We also know that concentrated UV light can kill viruses, although I'm not sure that getting sun at the beach is concentrated enough. It's summer in Australia. Being at the beach is safer than being indoors where air is recirculated & there are lots of contact surfaces.

You wish..get back to your own post lets say in about two weeks fro now..

There are si many issues in the modern world that will allow this wirus to thrive on the pandemic..from US health care issues..to ignorant people in Italy, Spain, UK and Australia (these 4 countries will all have worst mortality rate than China)..to huge problem nobody talks about yet..and its INDIA..country with 1,3billion population and only 20something labs in the country..and each can do like 60-70tests a day..in other words they dont test at all..but they can still travel..and infect people all over the world....put all these Issues together at the same time and tell me how will this pandemic end in like 30-60 days??
Even if summer slows it down..fall can trigger another wave..then we get into the winter and flue season...

The ONLY WAY OUT is self isolation for 2-3 weeks...pretty much all The fcuking world..economies will be hit hard but trust me its nothing Compared to months of misery otherwise...

[basketballRob]

Dude, restaurants are screwed regardless and that's besides the places (which will keep growing) where they are shut down by government altogether. Do you think anybody is spending much money on anything besides essentials at this point?

Not spending "much" money is different to not spending any money. And yes, I'm ordering more from restaurants right now because I'm still at work, am in "essential" work and so feel that I have a responsibility to try and help these small businesses at least scrape by. That wouldn't happen if I were unemployed.

Do you even think about the statements you are making?

I don't, I just slap the keyboard and hit submit. I'm assuming you do something similar?

Plus I like how you ignored the fact that you described the exact behavior that rich people engage in when they receive tax breaks - they hoard their money instead of putting it back into the economy.

I'm not even sure how to respond to this. My original point was that an airline letting go of most of it's employees is an actual threat because it will put a strain on local governments and see less money getting put into the economy because you'll see even less people that are comfortable with spending for anything outside of the essentials since they're unemployed, which could then have further knock on effects like seeing lay-offs not only in restaurants and the like but also delivery drivers, postal workers, etc, which then leads to more unemployment and so on. What does rich people not spending money they get from tax breaks have to do with that?

Nothing. It has nothing to do with it. So you can take this agenda you want to push and screw off.

Good point about take out service in restaurants, I bet they're booming right now.

I have a landscaping company which is considered an essential service and haven't seen a slow down yet.

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[Neutral 123]

The masks work, but doctors and nurses are exposed to high viral loads, that's why they also use the clear shields as well.


A mask won't stop a direct sneeze or cough in your face, but preventing people from spreading the virus by wearing masks in public should be priority before fall/winter. If 80% of people are wearing masks when they're at work or in public how will the virus spread?

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I'm so glad I was paying attention to this and have enough n95 masks to get me through this. Feel bad for those who believed the media nonsense. They are extremely vulnerable sadly. No wipes, no disinfectant, no masks. I see people with scarves trying to cover up. It's pathetic what these so called experts have done to the masses.

[basketballRob]

The masks work, but doctors and nurses are exposed to high viral loads, that's why they also use the clear shields as well.


A mask won't stop a direct sneeze or cough in your face, but preventing people from spreading the virus by wearing masks in public should be priority before fall/winter. If 80% of people are wearing masks when they're at work or in public how will the virus spread?

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I'm so glad I was paying attention to this and have enough n95 masks to get me through this. Feel bad for those who believed the media nonsense. They are extremely vulnerable sadly. No wipes, no disinfectant, no masks. I see people with scarves trying to cover up. It's pathetic what these so called experts have done to the masses.

I wear buffs that are similar to bandanas. Plus i have a food service, so i had a couple thousand gloves, soaps, sanitizer, and cleaners.

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[Metallikid]

How is Washington state managing to achieve controlled growth without shutting everything down? They've had an average of about 200 new cases per day the last four days so its growing, but not exponentially. I wonder if there's something we can apply from there to other places to keep things running. Just curious because it looks like they aren't shutting down as aggressively as other places, but don't have out of control growth either.

None of the information from any state right now is even close to accurately taking account of the full picture. What I can say about Washington is that they were showing Seattle as a ghost town three weeks ago already and Washington state has a low population density.

But in general there's no lessons to be taken from anywhere other than South Korea and Taiwan right now. I wouldn't trust the numbers coming from Japan; I don't even trust the numbers coming out of Vietnam.

If anything we should be setting up links to citizen journalists and people we personally know in other countries and get their info as to what appears to be happening on the ground.

[Zenzibar]

Meanwhile while we lag behind.



Chinese diocese donates masks to Vatican, Italy, to help fight COVID-19

A Catholic diocese in China's Shaanxi province has donated thousands of face masks to communities in the Vatican and Italy to help them fight the coronavirus.

Ucanews.com reported Xi'an Diocese has donated 24,000 disposable medical masks to the Vatican and religious communities and dioceses in Italy such as Milan and Bologna.

"When mainland China experienced the epidemic, the Holy See and the Italian church group helped by sending medical masks. We have now effectively contained the virus, but Italy is now suffering. It is our turn to help them," Father Chen Ruixue of Xi'an told ucanews.com.

The coronavirus, he said, "is the public enemy of humanity. Only when all people work together to fight the disease can we overcome the pandemic."

The virus was first reported in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December, slowly spreading across the globe.

In China, the "people's economic life is returning to normal" as the infections have come down, Father Chen said.

As of March 19, China had reported 81,139 COVID-19 cases with 3,253 deaths. However, the number of newly diagnosed cases on March 18 was only 34, all of which were overseas cases. The death toll also came down on March 18, with only eight fatalities.

After China, Italy has become the worst-affected country, with hundreds of deaths and infections in the past few weeks, killing nearly 3,000 people. At least 475 people died in Italy on March 18 alone.

The Vatican has donated masks to China since January.

Father Chen said he was told the masks the Vatican receives in a donation would be distributed to "the needy people on the streets, which is admirable and an urgency."

The Archdiocese of Milan covers the hardest-hit area of Italy, and some groups and families in Milan have supported the students of the Shaanxi Theological Institute for many years, he said.

Father Chen also said that several church members had privately funded the donation.

"Italy needs help now. We will continue to do our best to raise more materials to donate to them to fight the epidemic," he said. "We sincerely hope that these donations, however small they are, will help some people. It will also help promote the friendship between China and the Vatican, and China and Italy."

[LKN]

How is Washington state managing to achieve controlled growth without shutting everything down? They've had an average of about 200 new cases per day the last four days so its growing, but not exponentially. I wonder if there's something we can apply from there to other places to keep things running. Just curious because it looks like they aren't shutting down as aggressively as other places, but don't have out of control growth either.

None of the information from any state right now is even close to accurately taking account of the full picture. What I can say about Washington is that they were showing Seattle as a ghost town three weeks ago already and Washington state has a low population density.

But in general there's no lessons to be taken from anywhere other than South Korea and Taiwan right now. I wouldn't trust the numbers coming from Japan; I don't even trust the numbers coming out of Vietnam.

If anything we should be setting up links to citizen journalists and people we personally know in other countries and get their info as to what appears to be happening on the ground.

They aren't testing anyone - that's how.

I don't trust the data from anywhere other than New York. That's the only state that is testing people en masse.

[basketballRob]

How is Washington state managing to achieve controlled growth without shutting everything down? They've had an average of about 200 new cases per day the last four days so its growing, but not exponentially. I wonder if there's something we can apply from there to other places to keep things running. Just curious because it looks like they aren't shutting down as aggressively as other places, but don't have out of control growth either.

None of the information from any state right now is even close to accurately taking account of the full picture. What I can say about Washington is that they were showing Seattle as a ghost town three weeks ago already and Washington state has a low population density.

But in general there's no lessons to be taken from anywhere other than South Korea and Taiwan right now. I wouldn't trust the numbers coming from Japan; I don't even trust the numbers coming out of Vietnam.

If anything we should be setting up links to citizen journalists and people we personally know in other countries and get their info as to what appears to be happening on the ground.

They aren't testing anyone - that's how.

I don't trust the data from anywhere other than New York. That's the only state that is testing people en masse.

NY is testing more per capita than China and South Korea now.


https://www-businessinsider-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.businessinsider.com/new-york-state-coronavirus-testing-compared-to-other-countries-2020-3?amp_js_v=a3&amp_gsa=1&amp&usqp=mq331AQFKAGwASA%3D#aoh=15848338848538&amp_ct=1584833894177&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Fnew-york-state-coronavirus-testing-compared-to-other-countries-2020-3

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[Richfield]

None of the information from any state right now is even close to accurately taking account of the full picture. What I can say about Washington is that they were showing Seattle as a ghost town three weeks ago already and Washington state has a low population density.

But in general there's no lessons to be taken from anywhere other than South Korea and Taiwan right now. I wouldn't trust the numbers coming from Japan; I don't even trust the numbers coming out of Vietnam.

If anything we should be setting up links to citizen journalists and people we personally know in other countries and get their info as to what appears to be happening on the ground.

They aren't testing anyone - that's how.

I don't trust the data from anywhere other than New York. That's the only state that is testing people en masse.

NY is testing more per capita than China and South Korea now.


https://www-businessinsider-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.businessinsider.com/new-york-state-coronavirus-testing-compared-to-other-countries-2020-3?amp_js_v=a3&amp_gsa=1&amp&usqp=mq331AQFKAGwASA%3D#aoh=15848338848538&amp_ct=1584833894177&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Fnew-york-state-coronavirus-testing-compared-to-other-countries-2020-3

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To be clear, that statement is a bit manipulative (made orig by Cuomo)

Yes, in one day, NY tested more per capita the SK.

Why did SK test fewer per capita than NY in that one day? Because they've been testing at a much higher rate than NY for a long time, are way ahead, and have the situation much better under control.

So yeah, there was a spike in testing, and that spike was sharp (per capita) because of how far behind NY is in testing and how many people are now sick.

It's like saying I'm running faster than the leader of the marathon, for a minute, even though you're miles behind the leader. It's true, that for that minute, you ran at a faster rate than the leader. But you are in no way winning the race, and you are not in front of the leader.

Good to see trying to catch up though.

Thanks for the link BasketballRob. Just want to clarify for the readers who might take the statement the wrong way. It's a very convenient number for a politician to make a statement on, but it can be interpreted as saying more than its actually saying.

Keep up the good work NY!!

[bwgood77]

THIS WILL BE THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION I CAN MAKE TO THIS THREAD.

LISTEN AND PAY ATTENTION.

Watch on YouTube

Great interview. Pretty powerful.

[LordCovington33]

Either you had a type or you don't know how decimals work.

Haha
I meant to say “inadequate”

Edit:
Good for stopping droplets you produce, but not for incoming particles.

These are quotes from Peter Piot
co-discoverer of the Ebola virus,the Director of London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

How about masks? Are those blue surgical masks or an N95 facemask useful?

Masks have very limited value except in certain specific circumstances. For example, depending on the type of N95 mask, just under 50% of inbound virus particles will be filtered out, but they may reduce spread from airborne droplets.

What are the advantages of masks when used properly and who should wear masks?

The best masks, carefully fitted and worn properly, slow down the spread FROM sick people coughing. Meaning, the mask is not to protect you from other people; it is to protect other people from you. It is a courtesy to others to wear a mask when you get what you think is a cold, and you start coughing. Masks have an additional benefit: they make it less likely that you will touch your mouth, so it becomes less likely that if you have the virus on your hands, you will transfer it into your body. Masks provide benefits for healthcare workers. If you work in a healthcare setting or in elder care, masks are mandatory.

Protecting others from you (and not you from others) should be common knowledge at this point in time. Social distancing and cleaning your hands with soapy water or sanitiser is the thing you can do to protect yourself, and wearing a mask is the thing you can do to protect others.

[Zenzibar]

Cuba’s medical team to Italy

https://www.pressenza.com/2020/03/coronavirus-pandemic-china-and-cuba-send-medical-teams-equipment-and-medicine-to-countries/


Socialist country Cuba has already sent medical team to Italy to help the EU-member fight coronavirus.

Cuba’s team to Venezuela

A specialized Cuban technical delegation traveled to Venezuela March 15 to support the country’s Covid-19 containment strategy.

Cuba’s medicine to China to fight coronavirus

Among the thirty medicines the Chinese National Health Commission selected to fight the coronavirus is a Cuban anti-viral drug, Interferon Alpha 2b. This drug has been produced in China since 2003, by the enterprise ChangHeber, a Cuban-Chinese joint venture.

Cuban Interferon Alpha 2b has proven effective for viruses with characteristics similar to those of coronavirus, officially named COVID-19.

Cuban biotech specialist Dr. Luis Herrera Martinez explained, “its use prevents aggravation and complications in patients, reaching that stage that ultimately can result in death.”

Cuba first developed and used interferons to arrest a deadly outbreak of the dengue virus in 1981, and the experience catalyzed the development of the island’s now world-leading biotech industry.

In 1981, the Biological Front, a professional interdisciplinary forum, was set up to develop the industry in Cuba. While most developing countries had little access to the new technologies (recombinant DNA, human gene therapy, biosafety), Cuban biotechnology expanded and took on an increasingly strategic role in both the public health sector and the national economic development plan. It did so despite the U.S. blockade obstructing access to technologies, equipment, materials, finance, and even knowledge exchange. Driven by public health demand, it has been characterized by the fast track from research and innovation to trials and application, as the story of Cuban interferon shows.

Interferons are “signaling” proteins produced and released by cells in response to infections that alert nearby cells to heighten their anti-viral defenses.

Countries ask Cuba to send medicine

The Cuban medication Interferon Alpha 2B has been requested by more than ten countries.

Coronavirus-hit cruise ship docks in Cuba for passengers to evacuate

A British cruise ship that has been stranded for more than a week in the Caribbean after several cases of the new coronavirus were confirmed onboard is set to dock in Cuba on Wednesday to allow weary passengers to disembark and fly home.

Britain’s Foreign Minister Dominic Raab expressed gratitude on Tuesday in parliament to Communist-run Cuba for offering a safe haven to the Braemar, which has more than 1,000 mainly British passengers and crew aboard after several Caribbean ports refused to let it dock.

“Prevention and contention of new coronavirus require the efforts of entire international community,” said Cuba’s foreign minister, Bruno Rodriguez. “Let’s reinforce health care, solidarity and international cooperation.”

Passengers would return to Britain from the capital’s international airport in the evening on four charter flights including a separate one for passengers who had received a positive diagnosis for coronavirus or displayed any flu-like symptoms.

Any not considered well enough to fly would be offered support and medical treatment in Cuba.

The ship was refused docking in Barbados and the Bahamas, which are both part of the British Commonwealth – an irony not lost on some passengers.

“We should all remember what #Cuba has done for us, stepping in when none of the British Commonwealth countries and protectorates in the region offered any help,” tweeted one passenger aboard the Braemar, Steve Dale.

Cuban authorities are screening travelers at airports and have stepped up the production of facemasks while banning large cultural events. Family physicians are paying more home visits to monitor local communities.

Yet the government has not canceled flights from countries hardest hit by the pandemic, restricted internal movement or banned social gatherings, in contrast to other countries in the region, eliciting concern among some Cubans, as has the arrival of the Braemar.

A March 18, 2020 datelined Granma report, headlined “A safe port amidst adversity” said:

The humanitarian and altruistic dimensions of the events could make them stuff of a movie scene. The crew of the MS Braemar, owned by the British Fred Olsen cruise line, spent several days sailing the Caribbean with passengers aboard suffering coronavirus infections.

Despite diplomatic efforts by the UK government, the ship was refused entry to several ports in the region. But there was nothing fictional about the urgent situation of passengers, including the sick whose lives were endangered, with the rest facing possible infection, in the middle of the ocean.

Cuba said yes, and offered a safe port in the midst of adversity, with modesty, not seeking headlines in the media, for absolutely nothing in return. Such a decision perhaps generated incomprehension on the part of some, those who are unaware of the value of a helping hand during a catastrophe.

But, for most Cubans, the opportunity to help fills us with patriotic pride, with the emotion only understandable by women and men of good will in all latitudes. Because in “times of coronavirus,” the words “help, cooperate, work together” should be the norm, across the planet. Because human civilization should understand, once and for all, that only together can we overcome common challenges and tragedies...

Perhaps for these reasons, in the time of Covid-19, the eyes of the world look hopefully to Cuba, and our people, who despite hardships and a fierce blockade, did not hesitate to respond.

Requests for support have arrived from various parts of the world.

Meanwhile, others are sending thousands of military personnel to Europe to conduct the most extensive maneuvers since the Cold War, while leading an insulting campaign against Cuban medical collaboration around the world. Cuba’s response? An army of white coats at the service of the dispossessed: more than 400,000 health professionals who, over 56 years, have carried out missions in 164 nations.

Women and men from this Caribbean island have faced Ebola in Africa, blindness in Latin America and the Caribbean with Operation Miracle, and cholera in Haiti. Twenty-six Cuban brigades from the Henry Reeve International Contingent of Doctors Specialized in Disasters and Major Epidemics – recognized with the Dr. Lee Jong-wook Public Health Award, granted by the Executive Council of the World Health Organization – helped during difficult times in Pakistan, Indonesia, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Venezuela, among others.