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

[Dānu]

[Dānu]

“Also today, it was announced that, due to coronavirus, the music festival Coachella has now been postponed until October. In fact, headliner Rage Against the Machine has already changed their name to Rage to Get the Vaccine. And that’s not the only musical act that plans to be in Coachella in October. You can also count on Miley Virus, Justin Fever, the Flu Fighters, Pandemic! at the Disco — we got like a hundred of these. The only band yet to confirm is the Cure.” — JAMES CORDEN

[Dancefortwo]

Exposure to dirt is exposure to bacteria, and most are neutral to us or beneficial. Actually, the saying is that we are 1 percent human and 99% biome, with a brain attached. We are vessels for these other life forms, and they feed on stuff we don't want or can't break down. Early exposure to lots of bacteria populates our systems with beneficial bacteria and stimulates the immune system to get rid of harmful ones. The 40 trillion bacteria who call us home also help defend against harmful bacteria.

So, playing in the dirt is generally good for kids. Bacteria are generally good for us, with exceptions.   However, bacteria are not viruses.

I seemed to be rather immune to viruses as well.  The youngest in a large family is exposed to the most bacteria, scum and crap.  Parents generally start off being pretty clean with the first child but as each added baby comes along cleaning everything goes to hell. By the time I came along cleaning was a distant memory.  I remember several classmates came down with chickenpox and played with them in their homes and didn't catch it.  I never had pink eye, strep throat, bad flues.  I donno, I was a very skinny, dirty, healthy kid.

That's great and I too avoided mumps measles and chickenpox until my nurse training due to an isolated existance even though I attended what you would call public school. Then at age 20 21 & 22 I caught all three in three consecutive years and they were worse than if I'd caught them as a child, I nearly died from measles but funny enough felt the worst with mumps, you probably did contract chickenpox as a child most likely before you played with the friends you mentioned but you most likely caught an extremely mild form and remember no symptoms and from what you've said it sounds like your mum wasn't exactly a medically savy individual who could recognise the mild symptoms especially considering some children have ten spots or less on their body if it's mild. If it turns out that you are naturally immune to chickenpox and most other viruses that's great for you and I'm happy for you ( you're pretty much a medical miracle) but that doesn't necessarily preclude you from being a carrier or even a super spreader of viruses to other less fortunate individuals ( didn't you say you never got sick until your pubescent interest in boys emerged and then you did get sick? That's a huge clue, my childhood farm isolation and yours ) and why we all need to take sensible and serious steps to avoid spread, after all most have some older person in our lives who is special to us and we would like to keep around for a bit longer, in my case it's my mother.

My mother had 8 kids.  She knew chicken pox when she saw it even in a baby.  When I got married I had to have a measels/ mumps and chicken pox shot because my blood tests showed that I'd never had the antibodies for any of them.  Funny thing is,  I'd had a measels mumps shot when I was about 10 years old (the chicken pox vaccine wasn't available yet) and STILL didn't show in my blood work so I got vaccinated again when I got married.  Before I got pregnant I wanted to have another blood test to be sure everything was ok and I STILL didn't have the antibodies for M/M/R and chicken pox so I fuckin had ANOTHER series of shots.  This time it seemed to take.  I didn't want to get pregnant without immunity to those diseases.  I don't for the the life of me understand why vaccines don't take.  It's very weird.  I'm not sure if I inherited some strange thing from my mother who never in her life caught a cold. I catch colds but they're generally very, very mild.

[Aroura]

The WHO officially declares Covid19 a pandemic

[brewerb]

A so called student "riot" in Dayton Ohio after the university stops classes, campus housing and activities over virus.

https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/loc...CFzdq4CrI/

March madness?

[Cavebear]

A so called student "riot" in Dayton Ohio after the university stops classes, campus housing and activities over virus.

https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/loc...CFzdq4CrI/

March madness?

Some students have no where else to go but the dorm. When you are putting yourself through college and there wasn't even no pizza and beer in the budget, where do you go if the campus is shut down? for 2 weeks?

[brewerb]

A so called student "riot" in Dayton Ohio after the university stops classes, campus housing and activities over virus.

https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/loc...CFzdq4CrI/

March madness?

Some students have no where else to go but the dorm.  When you are putting yourself through college and there wasn't even no pizza and beer in the budget, where do you go if the campus is shut down? for 2 weeks?

Where college kids always go, the bar.

[julep]

Just heard from UMass.  Spring break extended for one week, to be followed by two weeks of classes online only.   My son is not happy.  

All the work-study kids will lose at least three weeks of income, and I wonder how the students who don't live relatively close by are managing.

[Joods]

Many colleges are evicting students from dorms all together and sending them home.

[Aegon]

Many colleges are evicting students from dorms all together and sending them home.

All SUNY schools (New York public universities) are mandating all classes be online starting March 19, but the dorms will stay open. They want as many kids as possible off campus, but they're not kicking anybody off.

[SYZ]

As at 11:00 hrs on 11 March 2020, we have 112 confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19), including 3 deaths, in Australia.

The Australian Government has unveiled a comprehensive $2.4 billion health package
to protect all Australians, including vulnerable groups such as the elderly, those with
chronic conditions and Indigenous communities, from the coronavirus (COVID-19).

[Aroura]

Well, I just got an email from the school superintendent that there's now a case in our county, but not in our school district yet. So schools remain open, with extra cleaning and screening of visitors.
I don't know that being reactive, that is waiting until there's a case in the school itself, is the smart thing to do, but not much I can do about it.

The dooooooooom!

But in all seriousness, I'm guessing spring break will get extended, time wise, that seems about when it'll be more common where I'm at

[Phaedrus]

Tom Hanks says he has coronavirus

[Mad Hatter]

Actor Tom Hanks and his wife announced that they both have been diagnosed with Coronavirus while in Australia...

Actor Tom Hanks says he and his wife, actress Rita Wilson, have been diagnosed with coronavirus.

In a statement posted to Instagram, Hanks said he and his wife were traveling in Australia when they were tested after exhibiting symptoms like tiredness, body aches, chills and "slight fevers."

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/11/entertain...index.html

[Mad Hatter]

Tom Hanks says he has coronavirus

You beat me to it!

[Tres Leches]

With the latest developments in the US today and the news yesterday that all businesses in Italy are closed down, I'm expanding my worst-case-scenario dystopic pandemic kit and will be stocking up a bit on food supplies tomorrow after work. I'm going to a regular grocery store instead of a big-box discount store, in the hopes that their shelves with their higher-priced items haven't been plundered yet.
It's only my daughter and me in my household and we don't need a lot, perhaps a little extra just in case family members or our elderly neighbors need help.

-Teresa

[Phaedrus]

Tom Hanks says he has coronavirus

You beat me to it!

[Minimalist]

https://nypost.com/2020/03/11/nba-suspen...ronavirus/

NBA suspends season after Rudy Gobert tests positive for coronavirus

Glad I don't like basketball.... oh, but can the NHL be far behind?

[Chas]

I can thank SARS-CoV-2 (and panic) for cancelling March Madness!!  Yippee!!

Really, I'm serious.

[Phaedrus]

[Aroura]

With the latest developments in the US today and the news yesterday that all businesses in Italy are closed down, I'm expanding my worst-case-scenario dystopic pandemic kit and will be stocking up a bit on food supplies tomorrow after work. I'm going to a regular grocery store instead of a big-box discount store, in the hopes that their shelves with their higher-priced items haven't been plundered yet.
It's only my daughter and me in my household and we don't need a lot, perhaps a little extra just in case family members or our elderly neighbors need help.

-Teresa

I stopped into an Albertsons today.  The TP, cold medicines, pastas and flours were all low, but still available.  Plenty of canned and frozen food, and soup and such. I hope you found what you needed!

[Gwaithmir]

With the latest developments in the US today and the news yesterday that all businesses in Italy are closed down, I'm expanding my worst-case-scenario dystopic pandemic kit and will be stocking up a bit on food supplies tomorrow after work. I'm going to a regular grocery store instead of a big-box discount store, in the hopes that their shelves with their higher-priced items haven't been plundered yet.
It's only my daughter and me in my household and we don't need a lot, perhaps a little extra just in case family members or our elderly neighbors need help.

-Teresa

Oddly, the only item I found missing at my favorite grocery store this week was Clamato. 

[Phaedrus]

Oddly, the only item I found missing at my favorite grocery store this week was Clamato. 

I prefer V8.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

The cousins are planning to label their ... products ... "Corona Vaccine."

[Gwaithmir]

Oddly, the only item I found missing at my favorite grocery store this week was Clamato. 

I prefer V8.

You would have been pleased. There was still plenty of V8 in stock. I'll buy some V8 if they haven't restocked Clamato by next week.