SARS CoV-2 coronavirus / Covid-19 (No tin foil hat silliness please)

[Pexbo]

Here’s a thread to make you feel better about the world:

 

[TheGame]

 

[Sarni]

Here’s a thread to make you feel better about the world:

Shea Serrano is a great man. Love him on NBA podcasts.

 

[Fener1907]

Only one confirmed case here but they're cleaning like crazy all over and it looks as if schools are shutting down.

 

[Wibble]

I'm just sceptical about someone touting the below credentials and everyone posting random tweets like they are revealing new facts.

Kaila Colbin
@kcolbin
Boma New Zealand // Boma Global // Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator // lover of life

And most random twitter idiots will be blaming 5G

 

[kps88]

I will never get over people believing holding your breath for 10 seconds is an accurate way to check for the virus. Seemingly normal people I know are sharing this on social media.

 

[Skills]

Haven't gone in today. Have developed a dry cough over the last night, temperature still seems fine (don't have a thermometer) but it seems stupid to potentially risk it at work.

On a different note, my breathing has become a tiny bit whistly (especially when I'm breathing in). Just something I noticed, is that just completely unrelated?

 

[Smores]

The grauniad have an article up with 4 different expert perspectives on the UK course of action ranging from positive to negative, so maybe we can dispense with the "all" or "most" experts agree with Boris bollocks. It seems there is a range of opinion, a weighing up of pros and cons of the severity of restrictions and a timing issue.

We're in it now so I guess we've just got to hope those in charge have our best interests at heart and have sound judgement.

Oh feck.

That would involve those mindlessly parroting the advice from press conferences to actually use some critical thinking. Rather than "I repeat Vallance, i so smart".

I mean we've got someone above saying if we do strict measures now then the peak is still 3 weeks away so we can't. I'd hope they've got the faculty to realise the error there.

 

[Adisa]

Millions of people voted for this shit house of a government.

I don't even feel angry anymore. We deserve it.

 

[Berbasbullet]

I don't even feel angry anymore. We deserve it.

I can’t believe the government aren’t doing anything, at the very least encourage people to work from home?

It’s almost like they want it to spread.

 

[11101]

Some interesting stats collected by a task force in Italy



https://www.epicentro.iss.it/coronavirus/bollettino/covid-19-infografica_eng.pdf

Very interesting. I am glad they have started putting this kind of thing out, its just been raw data up to now.

I see the symptom onset to case diagnosis tracks almost perfectly with a 5 day offset. So if this lockdown works there should be a positive trend from the beginning of next week.


For those complaining about the UK's approach, all schools and public events were shut down on 4 March but in reality most had already been closed a week earlier by local governments. It doesnt make a difference to the spread.

 

[Marcelinho87]

I hope it is true. Israel's minister of science says that a vaccine will be ready within 3 months. This won't happen according to the scientists of the company who is making the vaccine, but apparently it can happen much sooner than the forecasted 18 months. Maybe the urgency of the situation, with dozens of top-notch companies working on it will make a vaccine available faster than it is expected. And maybe the regulations will be softened.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israe...avirus-on-track-but-testing-will-take-months/

My only fear with this is if regulations and testing are relaxed to rush this through then what of the long term affects of the vaccine?

Could be another disaster down the line.

 

[Drifter]

What a terrible grifter and human being.

 

[harshad]

Haven't gone in today. Have developed a dry cough over the last night, temperature still seems fine (don't have a thermometer) but it seems stupid to potentially risk it at work.

On a different note, my breathing has become a tiny bit whistly (especially when I'm breathing in). Just something I noticed, is that just completely unrelated?

Get tested just to be on the safe side.

 

[jojojo]

Get tested just to be on the safe side.

They won't test him for those symptoms alone. He might be able to get a phone call from his GP if he mentions the breathing issue.

 

[Godfather]

Daily infection rate is very high here. Talk of complete shutdown beginning with Monday like in Italy.

 

[arnie_ni]

Get tested just to be on the safe side.

Dont think they do unless you can say youve been in contact with someone who has it. Let us know what comes of your 111 call if you make it though skills

 

[mav_9me]

Daily infection rate is very high here. Talk of complete shutdown beginning with Monday like in Italy.

Where is here?

 

[Cascarino]

Very interesting. I am glad they have started putting this kind of thing out, its just been raw data up to now.

I see the symptom onset to case diagnosis tracks almost perfectly with a 5 day offset. So if this lockdown works there should be a positive trend from the beginning of next week.


For those complaining about the UK's approach, all schools and public events were shut down on 4 March but in reality most had already been closed a week earlier by local governments. It doesnt make a difference to the spread.

That’s not the case here.

 

[TheReligion]

He probably pissed the doctor off.

My partner's mum just had her mouth swabbed.

EDIT - A few places are doing drive through tests, aren't they? The image of that with rectal swabs is amazing.

They did that, too. He was pretty ill so it could have been for something else.

Well he does talk out of his arse so I can fully understand any mix up

 

[Godfather]

Where is here?

Austria. Feel we should have acted quicker. The shit is spreading quicker than anywhere else in Europe atm.

 

[Lynty]

I was at meeting yesterday where I was told that NHS will stop testing all but life threatening cases.

It looks like we are going to let it spread through the population slowly, as was previously touted, and no testing will mask the infection figures to curb hysteria.

 

[mav_9me]

Austria. Feel we should have acted quicker. The shit is spreading quicker than anywhere else in Europe atm.

Unfortunately imo this will be the defining story of the European and American response when all is said and done. "Should have acted quicker".

 

[harshad]

They won't test him for those symptoms alone. He might be able to get a phone call from his GP if he mentions the breathing issue.

Yeah the breathing issue is the reason I suggested that it would be better to get it tested. But yeah even if his GP is personally aware of his conditions then they can at least monitor the same to see if the prescription medicine is having any benefit.

Dont think they do unless you can say youve been in contact with someone who has it. Let us know what comes of your 111 call if you make it though skills

Hard to be sure about that no? I mean it could be a random encounter somewhere or touching something which was previously touched by someone carrying the virus.

 

[TMDaines]

That would involve those mindlessly parroting the advice from press conferences to actually use some critical thinking. Rather than "I repeat Vallance, i so smart".

I mean we've got someone above saying if we do strict measures now then the peak is still 3 weeks away so we can't. I'd hope they've got the faculty to realise the error there.

Enlightened one, please explain our error.

The peak is more like 10+ weeks away, not 4 weeks away. No country unless you start shooting people in the streets, which will only create a spiral of unrest, will be able to quarantine a population for that long and still function. An estimate of 5000-10000 cases currently is nothing. Literal millions in the UK are getting this at once at the peak.

The Guardian article is good. It shows that there are differences in opinion between qualified experts and even most of them are speaking with much uncertainty. Professor John Ashton is one speaking out in much clearer terms, both in the article and elsewhere, but we should remind ourselves that A) he has a reputation for being very outspoken, B) he has been suspended from his previous high profile public sector roles for inappropriate language on social media, and C) he has been publicly extremely critical of the Conservative governments of the last 10 years. He likely has political bias.

Yet all four people in the article are only focussing on the viral transmission side of the scenario and not exploring the impact on the running of a country and its essential services. Even leaving entertainment to one side, there is more to keeping the country and services functioning than managing COVID-19 cases.

 

[Stactix]

*Testing will only focus on identifying people with the virus in hospital*

For me that sentence is the most worrying, it contradicts the approach of ramping up to 10000 cases. Aside from perhaps the US and there utter incompetence this isn't a path shared by many countries.
The only people getting admitted to the hospital will be those in need or critical care, 10-15% of cases which will reduce the amount of cases being reported significantly causing a major false sense of security in the public and reduces the chances of the UK detecting a cluster forming ala, Iran, Italy, South Korea, it will completely blindside the UK.

What if an elderly couple in a care home contract this from someone that had all the symptoms but was not sick enough to get admitted to the hospital to get tested. The couple get moved to hospital after symptoms arrive, the governments new measures now mean the remaining people in that care home won't be tested until admitted to the hospital.

This is not what South Korea or any country that have turned the tide are doing.

 

[arnie_ni]

Yeah the breathing issue is the reason I suggested that it would be better to get it tested. But yeah even if his GP is personally aware of his conditions then they can at least monitor the same to see if the prescription medicine is having any benefit.


Hard to be sure about that no? I mean it could be a random encounter somewhere or touching something which was previously touched by someone carrying the virus.

Of course it is, its ridiculous but its apparently what people are being told when they ring 111

 

[TMDaines]

I was at meeting yesterday where I was told that NHS will stop testing all but life threatening cases.

It looks like we are going to let it spread through the population slowly, as was previously touted, and no testing will mask the infection figures to curb hysteria.

Testing costs money and time. It will be impossible to even consider keeping up with testing soon and the value of it will reduce and reduce. It’s normal that we will switch to maintain the statistics through sampling.

 

[CassiusClaymore]

I was at meeting yesterday where I was told that NHS will stop testing all but life threatening cases.

It looks like we are going to let it spread through the population slowly, as was previously touted, and no testing will mask the infection figures to curb hysteria.

Yeah I think that's obvious. The UK and US are both taking the same approach in that regard.

 

[sebsheep]

What makes you think that? It's not like they will report it. No chance of them not having it considering their close relationship with China.

You think Kim Jong Un doesn't already have a cure?

 

[CassiusClaymore]

Testing costs money and time. It will be impossible to even consider keeping up with testing soon and the value of it will reduce and reduce. It’s normal that we will switch to maintain the statistics through sampling.

I agree with you on that. It is pointless if your entire plan is for everyone to catch it.

The only figures that will matter is how many people die from it when all the smoke is clear.

 

[Marcelinho87]

You think Kim Jong Un doesn't already have a cure?

He does, bullets.

 

[dumbo]

Jeremy Hnut not convinced by some of the government advice.

 

[LordNinio]

Here’s a thread to make you feel better about the world:

This is actually amazing, the number of people in the comments helping complete strangers. Heart warming to say the least

 

[jojojo]

I was at meeting yesterday where I was told that NHS will stop testing all but life threatening cases.

It looks like we are going to let it spread through the population slowly, as was previously touted, and no testing will mask the infection figures to curb hysteria.

They don't have the capacity to test everyone. Even at ten thousand tests per day they won't have the capacity to test everyone with symptoms.

They're switching their focus to the point where you might be hospitalised or need home support. The assumption is that it's still rare in the general population (even at the 5000/10000 estimate that's still one in ten thousand) but that it's becoming common in the group that need hospital support, and that soon it'll become common in the general population.

They're still (I believe) doing random testing of people with milder symptoms (and no foreign travel) in some areas but that's for the statisticians/epidemiologists to get data on where we're at on that curve.

 

[Fiskey]

I can’t believe the government aren’t doing anything, at the very least encourage people to work from home?

It’s almost like they want it to spread.

That is what they want. They want the peak to happen in the summer, not next winter.

 

[Fiskey]

*Testing will only focus on identifying people with the virus in hospital*

For me that sentence is the most worrying, it contradicts the approach of ramping up to 10000 cases. Aside from perhaps the US and there utter incompetence this isn't a path shared by many countries.
The only people getting admitted to the hospital will be those in need or critical care, 10-15% of cases which will reduce the amount of cases being reported significantly causing a major false sense of security in the public and reduces the chances of the UK detecting a cluster forming ala, Iran, Italy, South Korea, it will completely blindside the UK.

What if an elderly couple in a care home contract this from someone that had all the symptoms but was not sick enough to get admitted to the hospital to get tested. The couple get moved to hospital after symptoms arrive, the governments new measures now mean the remaining people in that care home won't be tested until admitted to the hospital.

This is not what South Korea or any country that have turned the tide are doing.

Turning the tide on this is a false pretence, everyone is going to get it so it's a matter of when. As soon as measures are released it will come back just as strong.

 

[jojojo]

Jeremy Hnut not convinced by some of the government advice.

Yes, he's talking about targeted advice to oldies etc. Things like reducing/stopping visits to care homes.

I don't know about the national picture, but I do know locally that's happening anyway. Activity type visits - sing alongs etc done by external visitors (who may go to multiple sites) have been banned. Only family visits now and lots of hand sanitizer etc around - and in some places, they're talking about reducing those.

 

[Lynty]

Yeah I think that's obvious. The UK and US are both taking the same approach in that regard.

They don't have the capacity to test everyone. Even at ten thousand tests per day they won't have the capacity to test everyone with symptoms.

They're switching their focus to the point where you might be hospitalised or need home support. The assumption is that it's still rare in the general population (even at the 5000/10000 estimate that's still one in ten thousand) but that it will become common in the group that need hospital support.

They're still (I believe) doing random testing of people with symptoms (and no foreign travel) in some areas but that's for the statisticians/epidemiologists to get data on where we're at on that curve.

Yes I knew it was coming, perhaps not this soon though. Which makes you wonder how inaccurate the Chinese and Italian figures are.

Makes you wonder how many people are also going to take 2 weeks off work to self isolate for something like a common cold.

 

[UnrelatedPsuedo]

It's not really Boris' plan though. It's Professor Vallance at the wheel, and I trust him. The virus has not yet started to peak here, if we start shutting down the country now, we could do more harm than good. Any drastic measures need to be at the right time.

Watch from about 34 minutes -

This guy speaks sense. I'm not sure I trust Boris either, but the two scientists speaking on behalf of the government - I buy them absolutely.

Yes but it’s fcuking bullshit isn’t it. Schools, Pubs and Restaurants.... sure. If they are delayed due to being tied to the economy, fine. It’s insane. But if data suggests you have time, use it.

But anything here;

- Churches/Mosques/All religious gathering spaces
- Amateur sports teams
- Leisure centres
- Youth Clubs

Close them immediately. Close them for months. It’s zero cost beyond complaint.

Closing those things (and anything like them) is a no brainer. It doesn’t have to be everything at the same time. If anything, that’s less desirable.