The COVID-2019 Thread

[Switch]

Good idea.

I have got one of these little Covid19 specials off EBay.



I keep the probe permanently inserted while I am out and about and keep the gauge in my pocket so I can monitor my temperature from minute to minute.

It even has an alarm that goes off if I go over 39c

You are such a sophisticate Looper. I hope Nigerians follow your example.

[bowie]

Avigan - Favipiravir


Japanese-Developed Flu Drug Avigan Seems Effective Against COVID-19 | The Motley Fool

Worldwide, there are now more than 222,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and the novel coronavirus has caused more than 9,000 deaths, according to the John Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center. But there is some good news coming out of China. Researchers have found that Avigan, a drug developed in Japan for the flu, appears to significantly speed up recovery from COVID-19.

According to a Chinese researcher, the drug was used in clinical trials in the regions of Wuhan and Shenzhen. Patients who took the drug turned negative for the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the disease in a median of four days after they had become positive -- much faster than patients not taking the drug, who turned negative for the virus in a median of 11 days. Also, 91% of the patients who received the medicine saw their lung functions improve, compared to just 62% of those who didn't take the drug.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Favipiravir

Favipiravir, also known as T-705, Avigan, or favilavir is an antiviral drug being developed by Toyama Chemical (Fujifilm group) of Japan with activity against many RNA viruses.

In February 2020, Favipiravir was being studied in China for experimental treatment of the emergent COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) disease. On March 17, Chinese officials suggested the drug had been effective in treating COVID in Wuhan and Shenzhen.

[Dragonfly]

and when things couldn't get worse

Netflix to cut streaming quality in Europe for 30 days - BBC News

Netflix will reduce the video quality on its service in Europe for the next 30 days, to reduce the strain on internet service providers.

Demand for streaming has increased because large parts of Europe are self-isolating at home due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The video-streaming provider said lowering the picture quality would reduce Netflix data consumption by 25%.

But it said viewers would still find the picture quality good.

The change appears to include the UK but Netflix has not responded to the BBC's request for confirmation on this.

[Dragonfly]

at least in the US some people get their priority straight

US students party on spring break despite coronavirus - BBC News

Crowds of US university students flocked to Florida for their spring break, defying recommendations from the federal government and Center for Disease Control (CDC) over the coronavirus outbreak.

[Cujo]

A nightmare from the dark center.

BERGAMO, Italy (AP) — The priest gave a final benediction. There were no flowers, no embraces. Francesca Steffanoni and her mother hurried away from Bergamo’s main cemetery, their furtive farewell lasting no more than 5 minutes.


Bergamo is the epicenter of the hardest-hit province of Italy’s hardest-hit region, Lombardy, the site of hundreds of coronavirus deaths. Families here are deprived of a bedside farewell with virus-stricken loved ones, or even a traditional funeral, and the cemetery is so overwhelmed by the number of dead that military trucks transported 65 bodies to a neighboring region for cremation this week.


Steffanoni had taken her mother to watch as the coffin containing an 82-year-old relative — a widower with a heart condition, struck down with the virus — was driven inside the imposing gates. They wore masks and gloves; they kept their distance.


"In theory, we should not have gone. But it was one of her last relatives who remains," Steffanoni said.


According to unofficial figures, more than 600 people infected with the virus have died in the province, which is tucked up against the Italian Alps and accounts for more than a quarter of all deaths in Lombardy, even though it represents only a tenth of the region's population of 10 million.


“We are confronting the biggest COVID emergency after Wuhan,” said Dr. Luca Lorini, head of intensive care at Bergamo’s main hospital, named for native son Pope John XXIII, where nearly 500 beds are dedicated to people suffering severe symptoms of the virus, 80 of those in intensive care. “The numbers tell us this.”


But the numbers thus far don’t tell the whole story.


Provincial mayors are sounding an alarm that the virus-related toll fails to reflect a spike in deaths in the general population among those who have not been tested. Last week alone, 400 people died in Bergamo and 12 neighboring towns — four times the number who died the same week the previous year, according to the Bergamo mayor’s office. Only 91 of those had tested positive for the virus.


People on the front lines of the virus fight, including hospital officials, funeral operators, city administrators and union leaders, told The Associated Press that Bergamo’s crisis might have been prevented had their individual requests to create a red zone around the area as early as Feb. 23 been heeded.


Instead, strict containment measures were extended to Bergamo only on March 8, two weeks later, without ever isolating two valley towns where the outbreak was first recorded.


“When the virus arrived here, there was no containment and it spread through the valleys very quickly. ... Some said it was the normal flu. We doctors knew it was not,” Lorini said.


Funeral parlors already were registering an alarming increase in deaths starting in January and February, an anomaly they signaled to officials, said Antonio Ricciardi, head of a local funeral parlor association. His business handled 611 funerals from March 1-18, when the usual pace is just over 100 in a full month.


After the first death in nearby Alzano Lombardo was recorded and other cases confirmed on Feb. 23, doctors at the Pope John XXIII Hospital set up an emergency ICU to handle virus patients. That was two days after the lockdown of 10 towns in southern Lombardy, which has been largely declared a success and served as a model for the nationwide shutdown instituted March 9.


No official explanation has been given for the decision not to extend red-zone status to Bergamo. Regional welfare official Giulio Gallera acknowledged the question but said he didn't want to place blame, adding “we are in a situation in which the entire region has substantially adopted particularly rigid measures.”


Eliana Como of the influential FIOM metalworkers union said she believes the area’s economic significance played a role in the decision not to place a red zone around towns at the mouth of the Seriana Valley, home to steel production and artisanal workshops.


“I think the business interests weighed heavily on the decision," said Como, who lives in Bergamo.


In the epidemic’s fourth week, Lorini estimates that the true number of infected in the area is 5 to 10 times the official figure of 4,645. The current regimen allows testing only of people who show up at a screening area at the hospital with severe symptoms, missing people who are sick at home.


“We believe the true numbers (of COVID-19-related deaths) are hidden,” said Francesco Alleva, spokesman for Bergamo’s mayor. “Because many people are dying at home or in structures for the elderly, and they have never been tested for the virus.”


That uncertain toll is at the heart of officials’ constant appeals for people to stay home. Police cars circulate Bergamo with loudspeakers instructing people not to go out except for true necessities, such as work or grocery shopping. To further discourage people from leaving their homes, Mayor Giorgio Gori this week turned off the public wi-fi and closed down gambling machines in tobacco shops, which remain open and where people can also pay some bills.


Though the increase in positive diagnoses has narrowed from some 500 a day this past weekend to over 300 on Thursday, Lorini said it would take until at least next week to determine if the containment measures were having an impact.


The inability to comfort virus-stricken family members in the hospital or even attend a funeral has been among the most wrenching aspects of the still-unfolding emergency. Hospital wards try to help by phoning updates to loved ones and allowing phone calls when patients start to recover. But when death is near, Lorini said, a visit would be “a useless explosion of contagion.”


"It is terrible to lose a loved one and not be able to hug them. But that is what has happened in epidemics for a thousand years, and what will also happen for the next thousand years,” Lorini said.


Once a loved one with the virus dies, family members are not permitted to choose a favorite outfit for burial. By government decree, the dead are buried in the clothes they died in, wrapped in sterile blankets and placed inside coffins as quickly as possible.


“There is a huge psychological issue for family members who cannot see the body,” Ricciardi said. “Without a body, it is hard to realize a death occurred.”


The sobering toll hits in full force with just a glance at the local newspaper, L’Eco di Bergamo, which has seen the number of pages dedicated to death notices multiply from one to nine, 10, even 11 pages.


In a notice in Wednesday's edition, the family members of Bruno Maffeis, who died at age 66, expressed a “heartfelt thank you to the doctors and personnel of Pope John Hospital in Bergamo, and in particular to Dr. Carlo Fino for his generous availability.”


“As specified by the government, the funeral will be celebrated at a future date to be decided,” the notice said.


____

Italy'''s virus epicenter grapples with huge toll, some hidden

[misskit]

^ That’s a nightmare.

It also mentions many people dying at home and officials never suspecting COVID19. They wouldn’t even be showing up in the statistics.

[NamPikToot]

Is one of the CORVID19 symptoms a strong reaction to statistics.

[Cujo]

Are you fucking kidding me!!!!
They suspected people on board had the virus and they just set the rest loose. Christ almighty.

Officials are scrambling to round up 3,800 passengers and staff who disembarked from the Ruby Princess cruise in Sydney after 4 people tested positive for coronavirus

Officials in Australia are scrambling to round up thousands of passengers who disembarked from the Ruby Princess cruise ship in Sydney on Thursday after four people tested positive for the new coronavirus.
Princess Cruises, which operates the Ruby Princess cruise, announced on Friday that three passengers and a crew member all tested positive.
New South Wales Health Minister Brad Hazzard said it is possible that other passengers who disembarked in Sydney may be carrying the virus without symptoms.
Those who were on the ship are being asked to self-isolate for 14 days and should seek medical help if they experience flu-like symptoms.
Officials in Australia are scrambling to round up thousands of passengers who disembarked from the Ruby Princess cruise ship on Thursday in Sydney after four people who were on board tested positive for coronavirus.
Princess Cruises, which operates the Ruby Princess cruise, announced on Friday that three passengers and a crew member who traveled on the ship have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
About 2,700 passengers disembarked from the ship on Thursday after it docked in the Sydney Harbor at around 6 a.m. local time; 1,100 crew members remain on board.
"Please be advised that all four had reported flu-like symptoms during the cruise, and, along with their stateroom occupants, were in isolation on board the ship minimizing contact with other guests and crew," Princess Cruises said.
The company said it was assisting in making contact with all passengers on board.
The New South Wales Department of Health asked that people who were on the ship self-isolate for 14 days and should seek medical help if they experience flu-like symptoms. New South Wales Health Minister Brad Hazzard said it is possible that other passengers who disembarked in Sydney may be carrying the virus without symptoms.

Officials are scrambling to round up 3,800 passengers and staff who disembarked from the Ruby Princess cruise in Sydney after 4 people tested positive for coronavirus

[bsnub]

This video is pretty revealing. It is ten days old put what he says is spot on.

[Luigi]

California issues 'stay at home' order to 40 million residents



Man arrested for failing to self-isolate on the Isle of Man

[David48atTD]

California issues 'stay at home' order to 40 million residents

... about 64 pages back

California Governor issues statewide order to ‘stay at home’ effective Thursday evening

Bla Bla Bla ... California governor issues statewide order to '''stay at home''' effective Thursday evening

---

Ex-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger self-isolating in style as he enjoys jacuzzi and cigar amid coronavirus pandemic

Attachment 46921

Arnold Schwarzenegger has proven that self-isolation amid the coronavirus pandemic definitely doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom as he treated himself to a jacuzzi.

Sharing a video on Twitter, the Terminator star looked to be in his element as he donned a cap and shades, clutching a cigar in one hand.

Chatting to the camera, 72-year-old Arnie said: ‘Yeah I’ve been home, taking jacuzzis, smoking a stogy, I just finished a bike ride and a bit of a workout, I just keep staying at home, away from the crowds and away from outside.

Video here ... Arnold Schwarzenegger self-isolating in style amid coronavirus | Metro News

[Luigi]

Soz to make you search back 64 pages.

[David48atTD]

Soz to make you search back 64 pages.

TBH, it was 69 pages ... but that just sounded wrong

[Troy]

By the way Troy, what makes you so certain that Thailand will not throw you out of the country in a few weeks?
It was irresponsible of them of letting you in. They should have put you away at LEAST 15 days.

They have put me away for 14 days...it just happens to be my own home in the sticks, about 100m from the nearest neighbour. At least it is away from the silly panic buying I witnessed in Germany.

Many reports are suggesting the virus leads to pneumonia in the severe cases, both viral and bacterial pneumonia. Germany has been vaccinating the over 60's against viral pneumonia. Is this why the death count there is much lower?

The figures from the UK suggest they are not testing enough people for the virus yet.

There are 10 people in my home and farm. All but one has a seasonal cold. I check all their temperatures as well as my own. They are more than happy that I have returned and I hope I can look after them through this time of uncertainty. Wife goes out shopping once a week and follows all the local gossip. Akart market has been closed down because one of the stall girls has the virus. Local shops have someone checking temperatures on entry...wife was recorded with 34.2??? She runs hot normal at 37.4 when I check...

[Troy]

...and Herman, I realise these are difficult times but my earlier question was more philosophic in asking whether the current lockdown is more damaging than the virus. Obviously you and Betty think not and this is the best approach. I have locked myself away with the option of doing so for another 2 months so I guess I feel the same. I was just wondering how others felt.

Apologies for upsetting you...

[harrybarracuda]

Argentina announces mandatory quarantine to curb coronavirus


BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina will begin a mandatory quarantine, President Alberto Fernandez announced on Thursday, the South American nation’s latest measure to curb the spread of coronavirus.
The quarantine, which restricts people to their homes, will be in effect from midnight on Friday morning until March 31, Fernandez said in a televised address.
People will be able to leave their homes to shop for basic goods, like food and medicine. The quarantine will be enforced by security officials, Fernandez said.



“It is time for us to understand that we are caring for the health of Argentines. We have now dictated this measure trying to make the effects on the economy as least harmful as possible.
Argentina confirmed 31 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total cases to 128, and three deaths, according to government data.
The country had already closed its borders for a total of 15 days to non-residents and suspended flights from highly affected countries for 30 days.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-argentina/argentina-announces-mandatory-quarantine-to-curb-coronavirus-idUSKBN216446?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&utm_ source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Fee d%3A+Reuters%2FworldNews+%28Reuters+World+News%29& &rpc=401

[NamPikToot]

The UK news is suggesting Spain could be much worse than Italy in a few weeks.

For the UK there is talk of most social distancing measures being in place for 6 months, that includes work. What a year this could be.

[harrybarracuda]

Anxiety rose in Africa’s richest nation Friday as South Africa said coronavirus cases jumped to 202, the most in the sub-Saharan region, while the continent’s busiest airport said foreigners cannot disembark. State-owned South African Airways suspended all international flights until June.

And in a serious risk of local transmission, South Africa said five of its new cases had attended a church gathering of more than 200 people in central Free State province. All had travelled abroad. Authorities were rushing to find other attendees.

Another new South Africa case was a health worker who had been in a number of private hospitals.
Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport said aircraft with foreigners “will be contained at an isolated bay with all officials ensuring the utmost care is taken,” following up on travel restrictions announced days ago when South Africa declared a national disaster. “We are working with the airline to ensure that foreign nationals return to the country of origin.”

Foreigners across the continent of more than 1.3 billion people face the growing chance of being stranded as countries close borders and block flights.

The financially troubled South African Airways said the immediate suspension of all international flights through May 31 was because of coronavirus-related travel restrictions and the “substantial decline in demand” for air travel.

“It is all our responsibility, not just government, to curb further transmission of the virus,” CEO Zuks Ramasia said in a statement. “In addition, the increasing risks to our crew of contracting the virus, including the possibility of being trapped in foreign destinations as a consequence of increasing travel bans, cannot be ignored.”
SAA flies to New York, London, Frankfurt, Munich and Washington – all in what South Africa now considers high-risk countries.

Also Friday, another African nation announced its first case, Cape Verde. Thirty-seven countries on the continent now have cases, with a total now well above 800.

So far most of the cases in Africa have been linked to overseas travel. But overnight Niger in announcing its first case highlighted possible regional spread inside the continent. Its citizen had travelled via the West African capitals of Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso.

Deaths across Africa from the virus neared 20. No one has died in South Africa, where the health minister said no patient was in intensive care.

“The virus is going to be with us for quite a while,” the minister, Zweli Mkhize, told reporters. “In fact, it’s going to be one of those viruses that our bodies have to build new immunity to be able to deal with and defeat.”
This is a reality people must face, he said, “but it’s not a reality that says we are facing an apocalypse.”

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-africas-busiest-airport-says-foreigners-wont-be-allowed-to-disembark/

[lom]

Germany has been vaccinating the over 60's against viral pneumonia.

I got the first shot in June last year and will get the final one this June, it was my doctors recommendation when I was in for a flue vaccine shot.
Here, in Thailand.

[harrybarracuda]

I would like to think this might get the message across to these feeble-minded cretins that are buying up everything, but I fear they are just too fucking stupid.

[jabir]

If the virus doesn't like heat why is it so prevalent in hot countries?

Fair question that someone asked a 'specialist' who answered that the infections in hot countries could have been imported from cooler climes. Problem is, 'could have been ' means you don't fcuking know, so say so!

[harrybarracuda]

New York (CNN Business)Americans are starting to lose their jobs in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and economists expect it's only going to get worse from here. And quickly, too.

Early Thursday, a government report showed 281,000 Americans filed for their first week of unemployment benefits last week. It was a sudden 33% jump over the week before and the biggest percentage increase since 1992.

But next week's report is likely to be far worse, according to Goldman Sachs economists.

They predict the report will show 2.25 million Americans filed for their first week of unemployment benefits this week — eight times the number of people who filed last week and the highest level on record.

That estimate is based on news reports of an unprecedented surge in layoffs early in the week. Airlines, restaurants, hotels, sports events and retailers are all struggling to cope with a sudden drop in revenue, as people stay home to prevent the spread of the virus.

State employment agencies have been grappling with a sudden spike in calls, inquiring about unemployment benefits. Florida's Department of Economic Opportunity received 76,000 calls between just Monday and Wednesday, up from about 28,000 calls for the entire week before. The agency told CNN it plans to hire more than 100 individuals statewide to help answer calls and process unemployment claims.

And on Thursday, New York State's Department of Labor had received 159,000 calls, all before noon. Usually the agency gets about 10,000 calls a day.

The Goldman Sachs economists noted that although it's possible unemployment claims slowed down later in the week, even a conservative estimate suggests more than 1 million people filed initial jobless claims this week — more than the highest level on record of 695,000 in the week ending October 2, 1982.

Goldman Sachs predicts 2.25 million Americans filed initial unemployment claims this week — the highest level on record - CNN

[harrybarracuda]

Pubs, restaurants, gyms, leisure centres and cinemas across London will be told to close in a massive ramping up of measures to slow the coronavirus surge, reports The Evening Standard.

The drastic measures are set to be announced by Boris Johnson later this afternoon at his daily news conference.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock this morning dramatically ramped up the national appeal for people to “stay at home.”

“If you stay at home, you are saving lives,” he told TalkRadio. “I know, of course, this is a more dangerous disease for older people but not exclusively, some young people get it too.”

The capital has, so far, been hardest hit by the Covid-19 outbreak and the move is a massive ramping up of social distancing measures. Until now, Mr Johnson had only advised Britons to avoid pubs and other social gatherings.

It is believed 58 out of the 144 fatal cases have been in London as the city is several weeks ahead of the pandemic’s curve compared to the rest of the UK.

Coronavirus UK - Clampdown for London with restaurants, gyms and pubs 'to be told to shut'

[hallelujah]

Where's Lulu. He's good at these

Or is that your guesstimate of the true figure?
Because i would side with that over Betty's distorted figures

I read a piece on this the other day and the death rates were 0.6% in Korea. Much higher figures in Italy; one of the reasons being that most of those infected there were men and women seem to have more resilience to the virus.

As has been repeatedly said, you'll never really be able to get a true handle on the numbers because most people don't even know they've got it and shake it off within a few days, which is obviously part of the problem when it comes to being passed on to other people.

[harrybarracuda]

Germany and Spain over 2,000 new cases each today and Italy has yet to report in.