The COVID-2019 Thread

[HermantheGerman]

But, I say this with some authority as I've been correct at every turn on this thread from the very start... , the European reactions have been 4-6 weeks too late. &, it's for the same reason as the WTO ....

Because you kept reading my posts

That's what I keep saying. I'm more afraid of our politicians then the virus. This will also be a test for the EU, which I'm sure they will fail. Brexiteers always had a good point about this bureaucratic monster. The EU is only swallowing up money and handing it out to even more useless politicians, that have failed in their own country.

They failed miserably with the refugee crisis and they will fail again with the covid-19 crisis.


My advice to Europe, go read up on Teakdoor (especially the reports from our Korean reporter Bettyboo)


Stay save & healthy




P.S. and don't forget to look up to our beautiful ole blue sky (hardly any jet engine exhaust)

[David48atTD]

[Klondyke]

New Zealand will shut its borders to all foreigners in about 30 mins.

And that in addition to de-criminalizing of abortion... (otherwise so many entries because of that)

[Troy]

So is the virus really worth all this destruction? It could kill another million and still be a blip on the landscape. Silly overkill by too many that think of themselves instead of the civilisation in which they live.

[NamPikToot]

^ i agree, imo this is way overblown and it is causing wide scale social and economic implications that will way out last the short term impact on population health. Madness, but we live in an age where people are judged on action through social media and if you down play this or aren't seen to be doing something then you will get crucified, the experts are being drowned out by twats who've barely begun to shave. There will be real lessons learnt from this not least of which will be to tell all these armchair wankers / bloggers with a web connection for shut the fuck up.

[Bettyboo]

^ & ^^ it has been repeatedly stated: the healthcare systems will be overwhelmed if nothing is done, that will just spiral the situation as people with non-virus related issues cannot be treated either within the healthcare systems that are simply beyond capacity. The ICU situation has repeatedly been seen as vital, and it has all been explained many times. People don't just get sick, stay at home and a % die then it all blows over...

The measures being taken now (such as school closures, and limiting transportation/travel) stop far worse situations arising when huge numbers of people get the virus at the same time and overwhelm the healthcare system. Left to it's own devices huge numbers of kids in schools would spread the virus around each other - that's not a problem in itself because it doesn't seem a bad virus for most kids, but the kids go home, go to sports clubs, religious activities, football matches with 30,000 people and they spread it older folk and folk who have prior medical conditions; very quickly the healthcare service is massively overwhelmed, so when there's a car crash and folks are bleeding to death the hospitals do not have the staff or facilities available to treat them...

'Testing' at airports is utterly pointless considering infected people can be asymptomatic and infectious for up to 5 days. 'Testing' at airports is not testing. They just take peoples temperature. I'm 'tested' everytime I go to the supermarket and come home.

That's partially true. It's just another measure that goes some way towards helping, like wearing masks and washing your hands regularly.

It's not utterly pointless, it catches some that do have the virus and foregrounds preventative spreading measures. You have to start somewhere, and we've seen airports/airplanes to be places where the infection is consistently found - airport workers, airline staff, travellers.

[hallelujah]

The cultural element is also true. Westerners are so proud of their individuality and rights that they're not very good at behaving in a socially responsible manner. Obviously, I chat with the parents and brother in the UK, and the average Brit seems to be behaving pretty stupidly compared to those robotic and boring Korean/Japanese.
.

It's also the case that are lot of Europeans aren't taking it very seriously and there's perhaps a bit of selfishness involved. It most likely won't kill me, so why should I bother?

I was reading yesterday that Italian authorities have fined 43,000 people for breaking the curfew. Among them a man who was diagnosed with the virus and told to self-isolate, but who was later found out shopping; another who went for plastic surgery on his nose and didn't bother telling the surgeon that he had Covid symptoms. He later tested positive for the virus.

[Klondyke]

Wondering whether somebody was clever enough (in Hollywood) and has secured the exclusive copyrights for the Virus madness...

[misskit]

March 19


— Russia has reported 52 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total to 199. This marks a 35% jump in cases in the past 24 hours.


— A 79-year-old Russian woman with pre-existing conditions has died in a Moscow hospital after testing positive for the coronavirus. It is the first coronavirus-related death in the country.


MORE Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News - The Moscow Times

[Neverna]

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has tested positive for Covid19.



https://twitter.com/MichelBarnier

[NamPikToot]

Let hope he finishes before he carks it, next month will do. We may just have well moved to WTO now for all the trade going on.

[Luigi]

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has tested positive for Covid19.

Said it before and will say it again.


Current Active Cases are listed as 133,000 worldwide. With a large % in Asia.


There's simply no way that so many high profile people could be infected if that was anywhere near the real number.

[OhOh]

So is the virus really worth all this destruction?

All those that lost loved ones, those now either jobless or suffering real hardships I suspect would prefer that those in the positions to make critical decisions, were able to have the tools to provide guidance

In this situation and all the other global concerns.

the healthcare systems will be overwhelmed if nothing is done

All had not the capacity to manage.

It appears though, as 'arry' has pointed out here:

Jack Ma funds a "How to treat Coronavirus" manual for hospitals written by the medical staff at the sharp end. Good bit of PR.

Global MediXchange for Combating COVID-19 - Alibaba Cloud

There may be things being made available, to all, which will improve the systems around the world's performances in the future.

[lom]

Current Active Cases are listed as 133,000 worldwide. With a large % in Asia.

and it is thought that up to 80% of all infected get so mild symptoms that they don't suspect they are hit by covid-19

[lom]

delete

[sabang]

Fortress Australia- we've totally closed our borders, in and out. I don't agree with it. Totally unsustainable.

[misskit]

U.S. State Department March 19, 2020 says

Global Level 4 Health Advisory – Do Not Travel

The Department of State advises U.S. citizens to avoid all international travel due to the global impact of COVID-19.

In countries where commercial departure options remain available, U.S. citizens who live in the United States should arrange for immediate return to the United States, unless they are prepared to remain abroad for an indefinite period.

U.S. citizens who live abroad should avoid all international travel.

Many countries are experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks and implementing travel restrictions and mandatory quarantines, closing borders, and prohibiting non-citizens from entry with little advance notice.

Airlines have cancelled many international flights and several cruise operators have suspended operations or cancelled trips.

If you choose to travel internationally, your travel plans may be severely disrupted, and you may be forced to remain outside of the United States for an indefinite timeframe.


On March 14, the Department of State authorized the departure of U.S. personnel and family members from any diplomatic or consular post in the world who have determined they are at higher risk of a poor outcome if exposed to COVID-19 or who have requested departure based on a commensurate justification. These departures may limit the ability of U.S. Embassies and consulates to provide services to U.S. citizens.


For the latest information regarding COVID-19, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website.





If you decide to travel abroad or are already outside the United States:


Consider returning to your country of residence immediately using whatever commercial means are available.


Have a travel plan that does not rely on the U.S. Government for assistance.


Review and follow the CDC’s guidelines for the prevention of coronavirus.


Check with your airline, cruise lines, or travel operators regarding any updated information about your travel plans and/or restrictions.



Visit travel.state.gov to view individual Travel Advisories for the most urgent threats to safety and security.
Visit our Embassy webpages on COVID-19 for information on conditions in each country or jurisdiction.
Visit the Department of Homeland Security’s website on the latest travel restrictions to the United States




Global Level 4 Health Advisory – Do Not Travel

[David48atTD]

The Virus is going to change our habits in so many ways.

I collect coins, banknotes, rare (ish) and older, some sort for their silver content but maybe time to sell the collection?

---

Coronavirus fears mean shops are starting to accept card payments only. Is this the end of cash?

The coronavirus pandemic has spread to many aspects of life.
But one of its early and unexpected impacts seems to be on cash — or, more specifically, cash transactions.

Though it does not reference cash specifically, Department of Health advice says COVID-19 can spread through "touching objects that have cough or sneeze droplets from an infected person" on them.

So when managers of The Knox cafe, in suburban Canberra, met to discuss how to protect staff and improve hygiene, refusing coins and banknotes was one of their first decisions.

"We've stopped using keep cups and we've stopped cash transactions," front-of-house manager Madeleine Clarke said.

Coronavirus fears mean shops are starting to accept card payments only. Is this the end of cash? - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

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Our transport system has gone to, except in exceptional circumstances, gone to swipe card payments only.

In the same vain as 'stamp collecting' went the way of the Dodo when emails replaced delivered mail, I wonder if coin/note collections will go the same way as people use less cash?

[David48atTD]

Credit - Stock Photo

Aged care worker accused of putting elderly at risk of coronavirus after lying about overseas trip

An aged care worker in Tasmania's north-west is being accused of putting elderly people at risk of contracting coronavirus by failing to tell her employer she'd been overseas and then visiting a series of older Australians in their homes.

The woman, who works for home care package provider Senior Helpers Australia, told the company she was travelling to Melbourne.
Instead, she went to Thailand in early March and on her return, worked for a week before it was brought to the company's attention.

"She told me she had been overseas in previous years but was only going to Melbourne this year, so she lied, so how many other people have been put at risk?"

Aged care worker accused of putting elderly at risk of coronavirus after lying about overseas trip - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)


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[jabir]

Fortress Australia- we've totally closed our borders, in and out. I don't agree with it. Totally unsustainable.

Nobody knows, but I think Oz has the right idea because you can't beat raising the drawbridge as the healthiest starting point; from there you have more options. No lockdown or closed border will be sustainable over the long haul, but without a timeline to work with effective closure allows greater scope to relax later on, rather than trying for business more or less as usual and suddenly it's all over the place, as we've seen elsewhere.

Land borders are more difficult to seal, and other troubled countries are paying the price for not locking down or closing borders sooner rather than later, so chin up, you'll make it through with fewer casualties.

Not blaming anyone, since nobody could have known how bad this thing could turn out.

[Bettyboo]

and it is thought that up to 80% of all infected get so mild symptoms that they don't suspect they are hit by covid-19

Oh dear, here we go again...

But, those 80% can spread it to others, many others, some of whom could die from the virus after fillimng up desperately needed hospital beds/ICU for weeks.

[kmart]

Said it before and will say it again.


Current Active Cases are listed as 133,000 worldwide. With a large % in Asia.


There's simply no way that so many high profile people could be infected if that was anywhere near the real number.

Yep, seems fishy that the likes of Tom Hanks, Idris Elba, etc are declared to be infected.

[Stumpy]

My daughter called me today. At the hospital, they have set up a pre check tent outside to filter out all the hypochondriacs and people lacking commonsense. She estimated that 9 out of 10 never even enter the hospital now. Smart move.

[Iceman123]

Said it before and will say it again.

There's simply no way that so many high profile people could be infected if that was anywhere near the real number.

Agreed I also thought that from the start

[HermantheGerman]

^ i agree, imo this is way overblown and it is causing wide scale social and economic implications that will way out last the short term impact on population health. Madness, but we live in an age where people are judged on action through social media and if you down play this or aren't seen to be doing something then you will get crucified, the experts are being drowned out by twats who've barely begun to shave. There will be real lessons learnt from this not least of which will be to tell all these armchair wankers / bloggers with a web connection for shut the fuck up.

ALARM ! NamPikToot will eat shit just like Trump and the other dumb ass politicians.

Just wonder what the Italians are thinking about your post?
In the city of Bergamo they holding a funeral every 30 mins. I'm sure someone will agree with you there.