Coronavirus spreads. But don't panic! (topical thread)

[Thumpalumpacus]

Oh I should specify, the emergency supplies aren't because most of us are at risk of expose or illness, it's because there may be supply chain disruptions as businesses voluntarily close, and if there are hot spots here and there that force voluntary quarantines and the like.  It appears some of our overseas supply chains are certain to be disrupted as it  currently stands.

I'm not saying we are all gonna die.  I'm just saying, don't wait to get groceries until the day you find out your city has had an outbreak and the shelves are empty.

I'm gunning up, just in case.

Love,

Stu Redman

[Rainy_D]

Isn't the infection rate on the cruise ship over 60%?

Again, the CDC says this is "possibly" more infectious than the seasonal flu's, and certainly more deadly.  Yes, it's not the plague.

I am not encouraging anyone to panic, I just hope people take it seriously enough to make sure they are prepared just in case.  Girl Scout Motto: better safe than sorry.

Quick search

3711 people quarantined
705 cases  = 19% infection rate.
4 deaths = .6% of infected (regardless of cause of death)

The first three [deaths] were in their 80s and Japanese; one died of pneumonia, and two died after testing positive for coronavirus. There has not been information released on the fourth.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cr...860620002/

No, its not the plague.  And tomorrow, shelves will begin to empty as people prepare for an epidemic that we are already ahead of.  Prices will rise and not fall back to pre-panic numbers.  And within a couple weeks the alarm will pass and a couple months from now, food shelves will be stocked with bags of dried beans and rice that no one buys unless following another prediction of its-the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it.

But I do need some powdered milk. I only have two cans of milk left.

[GenesisNemesis]

I'm kind of worried Trump will use the Coronavirus as an excuse for more authoritarianism.

[Rainy_D]

Quick Search:

The National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention aren’t suffering from budget cuts that never took effect.

https://apnews.com/d36d6c4de29f4d04beda3db00cb46104

So I guess this explains why Trump put Pence up to make sure information getting out there is accurate.

[Chas]

Quick Search:

The National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention aren’t suffering from budget cuts that never took effect.

https://apnews.com/d36d6c4de29f4d04beda3db00cb46104

So I guess this explains why Trump put Pence up to make sure information getting out there is accurate.

He got rid of the knowledgeable staff in charge of pandemic response.

[Cavebear]

1. Never trust any reports of numbers coming out of China. Or from Trump.
2. Never trust any reports of numbers of infected people when people can walk around without symptoms for days.
3. Never trust any reports of numbers of infected people when carriers get over it it but can transmit unknowingly.
4. Consider that the speed of global travel is greater then the time symptoms are expressed.

I'm preparing (in a general non-fanatical way) to stay out of contact with crowds for a month.

[SYZ]

As at 06:30 hrs on 28 February 2020, we have 23 confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Australia:

   •  8 in Queensland
   •  4 in New South Wales
   •  7 in Victoria
   •  3 in South Australia
   •  1 in Western Australia

As of today, 15 of these cases are reported to have recovered. Each of the 8 remaining cases are in a stable condition.

[SYZ]

I note that the COVID-19 virus has a mortality rate of around 3.4%, whereas the SARS virus
of 2003 had close to a 10% mortality rate.  And then, as now, China reported the highest
number of confirmed cases.  After being criticised for a slow response to SARS, China is once
again facing global scrutiny for its handling of the new COVID-19 outbreak. By the time the
global SARS outbreak was contained, the virus had spread to over 8,000 people worldwide and
killed almost 800.

Number of Reported Probable Cases of SARS: 1 Nov 2002 to 20 June 2003

China’s initial response to SARS was plagued by a "fatal period of hesitation regarding information
sharing and action", according to a 2004 report on its handling of the outbreak.  During that time,
the Chinese public was kept largely in the dark about the new illness, which the 2004 report said
"heightened anxieties, fear, and widespread speculation".  

Some experts say that this time around, Chinese officials were once again reluctant to share
information during the early stages of the current COVID-19 outbreak, which hampered global
recognition of the threat. For weeks, local officials in Wuhan—where the virus first appeared—
downplayed the seriousness of the threat, reporting that people with the infection had only
contracted it through exposure to live animals at a market.

But... according to new estimates published in December 2017, between 291,000 and 646,000
people worldwide die from seasonal influenza-related respiratory illnesses each year, based on
a robust, multinational survey. The new estimate, from a collaborative study by CDC and global
health partners, was reported in The Lancet. The estimate excludes deaths during pandemics.

—This raise the obvious question:  We're panicking about COVID-19 deaths, but we apparently
never panic about the common influenza virus.  Why is this?  Maybe because the flu mainly kills
people from the third world?  What a disgrace if that's the case.

[Cavebear]

I note that the COVID-19 virus has a mortality rate of around 3.4%, whereas the SARS virus
of 2003 had close to a 10% mortality rate.  And then, as now, China reported the highest
number of confirmed cases.  After being criticised for a slow response to SARS, China is once
again facing global scrutiny for its handling of the new COVID-19 outbreak. By the time the
global SARS outbreak was contained, the virus had spread to over 8,000 people worldwide and
killed almost 800.

Number of Reported Probable Cases of SARS: 1 Nov 2002 to 20 June 2003

China’s initial response to SARS was plagued by a "fatal period of hesitation regarding information
sharing and action", according to a 2004 report on its handling of the outbreak.  During that time,
the Chinese public was kept largely in the dark about the new illness, which the 2004 report said
"heightened anxieties, fear, and widespread speculation".  

Some experts say that this time around, Chinese officials were once again reluctant to share
information during the early stages of the current COVID-19 outbreak, which hampered global
recognition of the threat. For weeks, local officials in Wuhan—where the virus first appeared—
downplayed the seriousness of the threat, reporting that people with the infection had only
contracted it through exposure to live animals at a market.

But... according to new estimates published in December 2017, between 291,000 and 646,000
people worldwide die from seasonal influenza-related respiratory illnesses each year, based on
a robust, multinational survey. The new estimate, from a collaborative study by CDC and global
health partners, was reported in The Lancet. The estimate excludes deaths during pandemics.

—This raise the obvious question:  We're panicking about COVID-19 deaths, but we apparently
never panic about the common influenza virus.  Why is this?  Maybe because the flu mainly kills
people from the third world?  What a disgrace if that's the case.

Annual flu deaths are predictable and known. COVID-19 is spreading rapidly and the eventual deaths are not predictible.

[brewerb]

In the wee hours of the morning, while channel surfing, there was a FOX commentator expressing that COVID-19 may be a bioweapon that escaped from a Chinese lab.

I see it's all over the internet.

[Cavebear]

In the wee hours of the morning, while channel surfing, there was a FOX commentator expressing that COVID-19 may be a bioweapon that escaped from a Chinese lab.

I see it's all over the internet.

Yes, that DOES sound like Fox News. They probably also still think that Obama was a Russian agent and that Hillary Clinton actually got fewer votes than Trump.

[mordant]

In the wee hours of the morning, while channel surfing, there was a FOX commentator expressing that COVID-19 may be a bioweapon that escaped from a Chinese lab.

I see it's all over the internet.

There's supposedly a Chinese lab not far from the initial outbreak that is alleged to be doing that kind of research, and that is the stuff that gives birth to conspiracy theories (motto: "Coincidence? I think not!")

We've had the same conspiracy theories in the US, about Lyme Disease and mycoplasma hominis for example. Of course in terms of dealing substantively with these infectious agents, it's kind of a moot point. But Fox would want to float this to deflect the heapin' helpin's of blame that will befall Trump over it due to his mishandling of the response.

[Thumpalumpacus]

In the wee hours of the morning, while channel surfing, there was a FOX commentator expressing that COVID-19 may be a bioweapon that escaped from a Chinese lab.

I see it's all over the internet.

A remarkably inefficient bioweapon designed to reduce an army's stock of face-masks? Makes sense to me.

[Cavebear]

In the wee hours of the morning, while channel surfing, there was a FOX commentator expressing that COVID-19 may be a bioweapon that escaped from a Chinese lab.

I see it's all over the internet.

A remarkably inefficient bioweapon designed to reduce an army's stock of face-masks? Makes sense to me.  

Conspiracy theorists live on clouds of fogs on rumors. "Certainty" to them is a whisper of a rumor hidden in an innuendo. Like religion...

[GenesisNemesis]

In the wee hours of the morning, while channel surfing, there was a FOX commentator expressing that COVID-19 may be a bioweapon that escaped from a Chinese lab.

I see it's all over the internet.

Rush Limbaugh claims China made it as a bioweapon to hurt Trump. 

People are fucking dying and all these assholes can think about is daddy Trump's image. Perhaps it's because they're as narcissistic as he is.

[brewerb]

In the wee hours of the morning, while channel surfing, there was a FOX commentator expressing that COVID-19 may be a bioweapon that escaped from a Chinese lab.

I see it's all over the internet.

A remarkably inefficient bioweapon designed to reduce an army's stock of face-masks? Makes sense to me.  

Yep, a 2-3% kill ratio mostly limited the elderly with comorbidities. It's the Dr. Fu Manchu-iest.

[Cavebear]

In the wee hours of the morning, while channel surfing, there was a FOX commentator expressing that COVID-19 may be a bioweapon that escaped from a Chinese lab.

I see it's all over the internet.

Rush Limbaugh claims China made it as a bioweapon to hurt Trump. 

People are fucking dying and all these assholes can think about is daddy Trump's image.

Well, after all, what's a few Thousand Chinese to the Billion Chinese? Fewer cars, more apartments, more food.

That's a deliberate bad joke people, OK?

[Tres Leches]

Quick Search:

The National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention aren’t suffering from budget cuts that never took effect.

https://apnews.com/d36d6c4de29f4d04beda3db00cb46104

So I guess this explains why Trump put Pence up to make sure information getting out there is accurate.

I've largely stopped watching the news although I've paid attention periodically to coronavirus stories. I haven't watched or read anything Donald says including about coronavirus. 

I'm not afraid but I've seen a lot of misinformation and rumors floating out there.

Keeping the government in check and questioning the government are cornerstones of a free society. If you want to breathe a sigh of relief and say "it's all fine, folks" based on statements made by partisan government representatives who have a stake in making sure people think everything is copacetic - well, that's on you, man.

ETA: Even the Chinese are questioning their government authorities concerning the coronavirus.

-Teresa

[Tres Leches]

In the wee hours of the morning, while channel surfing, there was a FOX commentator expressing that COVID-19 may be a bioweapon that escaped from a Chinese lab.

I see it's all over the internet.

I saw a comment weeks ago about the virus being a bioweapon in the comments section of an article on the NY Times. Probably posted by a dumb American or a merchant of disinformation. (Is there even any difference anymore?)

-Teresa

[Szuchow]

In the wee hours of the morning, while channel surfing, there was a FOX commentator expressing that COVID-19 may be a bioweapon that escaped from a Chinese lab.

I see it's all over the internet.

A remarkably inefficient bioweapon designed to reduce an army's stock of face-masks? Makes sense to me.  

Well, it was produced in China so lack of efficiency is to be expected.

[Rainy_D]

Keeping the government in check and questioning the government are cornerstones of a free society. If you want to breathe a sigh of relief and say "it's all fine, folks" based on statements made by partisan government representatives who have a stake in making sure people think everything is copacetic - well, that's on you, man.

Quite the stretch there matey!

Understanding why the WH decided to reign in rumors vs beeleefs everything is just fine cuz Trump sez so, is not at all what I communicated.  

Once again, I showed my math and that fact was ignored, the partisan population choosing to remain on OMB as the answer to everything. 

Alt+42

[Aroura]

CDC official statements are not "rumors".

[Aroura]

According to the WHO, coronavirus R0 scale is higher than SARS, MERs, or the annual flu all between 1.3 to 1.6).
Coronavirus is about 2.5, though estimates can go up to 6. It's not completely clear yet, except that it's definitely higher.

It also has a death rate approximately 2000 times higher than the annual flu, which again, it's higher even than the Spanish flu that weed out millions in 1917.
2 to 4 people in every hundred is significant.

The CDC expects "significant disruption" in American Life at some point due to this outbreak, unlike SARS and MERs which did not spread widely in the US, it is expected that the novel Coronavirus will.

Now, medical care is better, so I'm not saying it's going to kill millions, though it's already killed more than SARS and MERs combined. I'm saying I'll listen to experts instead of either some random person on a forum, or our untrustworthy government. So I'll take what precaution I can for emergency preparedness. This means not panicking, but also not dismissing the serious warming of health officials.

This is the true danger of Trump. Look how it's already causing people to dismiss health officials facts and warnings.

[Rainy_D]

Title:  CDC Confirms Possible Instance of Community Spread of COVID-19 in U.S.

Possible /= confirmed

not rumor -->  At this time, the patient’s exposure is unknown.

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2020/...pread.html

It’s possible this could be an instance of community spread of COVID-19, which would be the first time this has happened in the United States. Community spread means spread of an illness for which the source of infection is unknown. It’s also possible [better words MORE LIKELY], however, that the patient may have been exposed to a returned traveler who was infected.

^^^^ unfounded rumor totally beneath a professional approach to an ever-changing situation. ^^^^

A Giant WTF are they thinking!

[Cavebear]

Quick Search:

The National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention aren’t suffering from budget cuts that never took effect.

https://apnews.com/d36d6c4de29f4d04beda3db00cb46104

So I guess this explains why Trump put Pence up to make sure information getting out there is accurate.

I'd like to see proof that the NIH and CDC didn't get their budgets cut.