news Covid19-Coronavirus updates and news

[Mister Funsky]

Having relatives and friends scattered all over the globe, I am getting an overload of input (some on the record and some off the record).

My intention for this thread is for community members from around the world to post first hand stories and/or links to information sources that, for the most part, should be reliable.

In my community, just outside a major southeastern city, 'assets' have been placed. Only because I have friends in both high and low places have I heard about some of this. At this point it is only some basic medical supplies that should be equally distributed anyway in preparation for a natural emergency (hurricane/wildfire/etc.).

I will start with posting a link to a site with current data that seems to come from an aggregate of sources and hope others will do the same as they come across similar sites/pages.

Because of the 'typhoid Mary' spread-ability of this disease, I feel we may be in for a really large spread globally which will impact the global economy and through extension, retail domain prices.

One thing is for sure...things will get worse before they get better.

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/usa-coronavirus/

 

[iAdam]

Corona beer sales are supposedly down.

 

[blockhead]

Where I'm at in Ohio, face masks are long-since widely sold out (at Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart, etc), and hand sanitizer is either sold out or nearly so, depending on the store.... (and this is before any confirmed cases in this region!). There is currently a national shortage in the U.S., so please, DO NOT HOARD.

I strongly recommend that everyone, of all ages, in all localities, takes this seriously, immediately. Better safe than sorry.

- At minimum, EVERYONE needs to WASH YOUR HANDS REGULARLY, for at least 20 seconds (with bacteria-killing soap), and avoid touching your face or food with unwashed hands. As I understand it, only around 5% of Americans actually wash their hands properly.

- Cough & sneeze into your SHOULDER or SHIRT -- not into your hands or the air! Very important, "sick" or not! Remember, it seems that the majority of those who acquire this virus will likely not even realize it; they may assume they simply have a cold or regular flu. Meanwhile, they may spread it to those less able to fight the virus.

- Where possible, people should purchase (and use) several bottles of hand sanitizer (70%+ alcohol). It's advisable to carry a bottle of it in your vehicle and use it after touching public surfaces (door handles, shopping carts, gas pumps, ATMs, etc). Again, don't hoard; supplies are low.

- Stock up on WATER, FOOD (including non-perishable canned foods), and things like TP. Massive, unprecedented lockdowns and quarantines may very well occur in the near future -- yes, this is possible even in the U.S.! Aside from the potential for various shortages -- if this continues to spread, it'll be best to avoid going to the store unnecessarily since you'll simply increase your chances of picking up (or spreading) the virus.

- Be sure to have any required medications on hand, and perhaps even a small personal supply of cold/flu medicines. The less severe cases will generally be treated at home, since hospitals will quickly be overrun if this does indeed continue to spread. Ideally, those who are not severely ill will already be prepared to stay home, to help avoid spreading it further.

- IF you've traveled to known coronavirus hotspots, and then come down with a cold or flu-like illness 1-14 days later, CALL your doctor or hospital BEFORE you show up, so that they may take precautions! Don't just show up and say "Oh yeah, by the way, I just got back from Wuhan/Daegu/etc."

IF everyone takes precautions like these, we can help slow the overall spread of COVID-19.

 

[NickB]

What a joke - not one person has actually posted the WHO website

Fear, paranoia and misinformation - 21st century normality.........

https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus

 

[blockhead]

Fear, paranoia and misinformation - 21st century normality.........

Uhhm thanks so much for chiming in doc, but clearly you're not paying attention.

Let me guess.... "it's just the flu"?


Since you brought up the WHO:

WHO declares rest of the world at 'very high' risk for coronavirus (Feb 28, 2020)

"The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday said that it had raised its risk assessment relating to COVID-19 for the rest of the world to very high from high."


WHO raises coronavirus threat assessment to its highest level: ‘Wake up. Get ready. This virus may be on its way’ (Feb 28, 2020)

“We are on the highest level of alert or highest level of risk assessment in terms of spread and in terms of impact,” said Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO’s health emergencies program. The group isn’t trying to alarm or scare people, he said. “This is a reality check for every government on the planet: Wake up. Get ready. This virus may be on its way and you need to be ready. You have a duty to your citizens, you have a duty to the world to be ready.”

 

[blockhead]

Straight from a respected expert, Dr Peter Lin:

(video from Feb 18, 2020; this is an evolving situation, so advice will evolve as time goes on)

 

[Cal2]

Can't find hand sanitizer in our area too easily, so my wife is making some. Picked up a couple ingredients today, that were still readily available. Eg. rubbing alcohol, aloe gel. Still need a couple things more.

Some diy hand sanitizer recipes: https://www.google.com/search?sourc.......0....1..gws-wiz.......0j0i131.z0fxzU4oAdU

 

[dna]

The death rate for coronavirus will not transfer to western countries.
Chinese hospitals and doctors are horrible and they have been
told by the Chinese government to use traditional medicines
to treat coronavirus, such as buffalo horn.

 

[Cal2]

NO, not charcoal alone - the mask must be marked P-95 or P-100

Remember P and a min of 95.

A lot of the recommendations are for masks marked N95. So they also could be adequate(?)

But the respirator type of mask might be the thing to especially look for(?)
http://emag.medicalexpo.com/which-masks-actually-protect-against-coronavirus/

 

[BrandPlease]

N 95 is "adequate" for short duration exposure. e.g. you had to run to a store to buy food and come right back. say an hour or 2 use before it wont stop oily particles anymore (virus)

P - is long term, like respirators for poison applications, car spay paint etc. & will work for virus too.

I think there is an R rating as well - no good, dust and smog only, wont stop virus at all.

 

[BrandPlease]

(I AM NOT A DOCTOR, FOR THE RECORD - dont take any thing I say as advice)

I write for the healthcare industry, for a bunch of companies . I just did an article and this is cut from an M.D. notes to me on the article. The Medical Drs. here are not really all that worried, from the info I get from them (tiny sample size, so not relevant really to outside my area).

But - here are comparable historical virus outbreak scenarios - these are fact, so this isnt something Drs. are unaware of.

Hope you find it interesting

Is the world in danger?

Possibly. When a new disease arrives on the scene—one for which we are not immunologically prepared for—it spreads so quickly and extensively that it is referred to as a “pandemic.” Some examples are
• Bubonic plague in the 6th Century, killing half the population of Europe,
estimated to range from 75-200 million people. Fleas on merchant
ships were the villains.

• Cholera pandemic in the 1850s killed a million people. Contaminated
water was the cause.

• Flu Pandemic of 1890 killed 1 million people. It was caused by the
H2N2 influenza A virus, what is commonly prevented by the “flu shots”
given today.

• Cholera pandemic in 1910, killed nearly a million people, much
reduced by what was learned in the 1850s cholera outbreak.

• Flu pandemic of 1918 killed a range of between 20 and 50 million
people, infecting over a third of the world’s population. It had a 20%
mortality rate. This flu pandemic was different, because unlike the
previous 1890 pandemic, this one even killed healthy young adults.

• Asian flu of 1956—again H2N2. Of the 2 million deaths, 70,000 were in
the USA.

• Flu pandemic of 1968 (the “Hong Kong Flu”) was caused by a different
strain of influenza A—the N3N2, which probably evolved from the H2N2
strain. It killed a million people.

• HIV/AIDS pandemic of 2005-2012 killed 36 million people since it
originated in 1981 (or before). Today, advances have turned it from a
guaranteed killer to—in many instances—a chronic, manageable
disease.

So, yes, the world could be in danger. Does that mean you? If you’re in good
health otherwise, probably not.

 

[Compassion]

 

[blockhead]

Obviously the mortality rate will vary from country to country, but it's too early to say how much difference there will be. There are so many factors to consider.

China's healthcare system was clearly overloaded, but if this continues on, the healthcare systems of most countries would be overloaded. In the U.S. for example, hospitals are already struggling just with the seasonal flu. Add COVID-19 to that, and the result could be dramatic.

For one, it's already been stated by the U.S. government that we only have something like 10% of the respirators that our medical workers need on hand in our stockpile (~30 million vs a need of ~300 million). IF this holds true, and we have difficulty manufacturing/acquiring more in a very timely matter, our healthcare workers on the front lines could suffer greatly, to disastrous effect.

Already, in just one SINGLE case in California, 124 healthcare workers have been sent home to quarantine themselves for 2 weeks (the title of the union's press release from 2/28 is literally "Nation’s hospitals unprepared for COVID-19"). Can you imagine if this is repeated time and time again??

Second, the steps taken by China have been more extreme than would (could?) likely be undertaken in the U.S., as well as probably many other countries. As I've stated previously, I do believe that we could see entire cities locked down in the U.S., should this virus continue to spread. However, how likely is it that Trump will take such steps - even if deemed necessary by experts - given the effect it would have on the economy in an election year where his #1 "success story" is the economy? Aside from his willingness to do it, how likely is it that it would actually be effective? In China, apartments have literally been welded shut to keep people inside. Such measures just aren't gonna fly in a country where half the country has a serious distrust of the government and its handling of this.

 

[BrandPlease]

@cbd A deep breath and some relaxing CBDdrink and you will be fine. Actual MDs are not freaking out (in the US) only the media is.

 

[blockhead]

By the way, here's a map by Johns Hopkins of the world's known coronavirus cases.

Keep in mind that these are of course stats provided by individual countries themselves, which will have varying degrees of accuracy; certain countries have been known to vastly underreport their numbers in the past, and of course in general there are many many cases that have so far gone totally undetected.

In the U.S. specifically, it almost seems like the CDC doesn't want to know the truth. Testing here has been EXTREMELY limited, and they've bungled a number of things already, even with the very limited number of confirmed cases.

For example, the rollout of flawed test kits: Coronavirus test kits sent to states are flawed, CDC says

Also: CDC says ‘mix-up’ led to early release of coronavirus patient in California

How on earth are the American people supposed to trust that the CDC is capable of handling a large number of cases? They've had a full 6 to 8 weeks to prepare, and it sure doesn't look like they actually took the initiative to address the many challenges that come with a massive outbreak.

 

[Cal2]

Something further for improving mask/respirator effectiveness - a salt coating: https://newatlas.com/health-wellbeing/salty-masks-kill-coronavirus/

Whether a person can diy an effective enough salt coating....

 

[blockhead]

@cbd A deep breath and some relaxing CBDdrink and you will be fine. Actual MDs are not freaking out (in the US) only the media is.

Sure, I'll be fine, personally; I'm young, healthy, stocked up, etc. I have zero concern for MY health. And I'm not saying anyone should be "freaking out"; we shouldn't. But we should be far more prepared than we generally are in this country, and a vast percentage of our population does NOT have the same luxury I do with regards to health. A common theme from our government has been "If you are healthy and young, you have nothing to be concerned about".... oh, great, so we're just going to ignore the tens of millions in our country that do not fit this description??

And I really don't think it would be accurate to state that actual MDs are not concerned about this. Again I'll refer to this: Nation’s hospitals unprepared for COVID-19. As you stated, I think your sample size is too small.

 

[Mister Funsky]

The death rate for coronavirus will not transfer to western countries.
Chinese hospitals and doctors are horrible and they have been
told by the Chinese government to use traditional medicines
to treat coronavirus, such as buffalo horn.

You are correct...death rate in Western countries will likely be lower than others. Just returned from a meeting at our local 'city hall'. Estimates for US infection is currently running from between 20% to 30%. So, whip out your calculator and multiply that times the number of US citizens and multiply that times 2.3% (current rate of death for flu/covid). Nothing to worry about.

btw, in third world countries, there is speculation that it could be 60% or even higher.

 

[blockhead]

Estimates for US infection is currently running from between 20% to 30%. So, whip out your calculator and multiply that times the number of US citizens and multiply that times 2.3% (current rate of death for flu/covid). Nothing to worry about.

..... this is sarcasm, right? Hard to tell for sure. EDIT:

20% of 330 million = 66,000,000
30% of 330 million = 99,000,000

2% of 66 million = 1,300,000
2% of 99 million = 1,980,000

 

[Mister Funsky]

@cbd A deep breath and some relaxing CBDdrink and you will be fine. Actual MDs are not freaking out (in the US) only the media is.

I've got a fairly invasive procedure next Friday and yesterday the surgeons nurse called to let me know that in the event I have any signs of the 'flu', they would prefer I not come. At this same hospital last week, when I went in for pre-procedure screening, they checked my temp in the lobby BEFORE I approached the regular 'check-in' desk. Then they asked me about ten questions and had me sign the form. I am sure the MD's there were misinformed. (level 1 trauma center at one of the most noted facilities in the region).

 

[Mister Funsky]

..... this is sarcasm, right?

Of course. I'm losing my tolerance for ignorance on this subject. An ignorant person is not stupid or lacking of intellect, just missing some information or insight.