|OT| Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) news & discussion - No, it's not just a flu

NarohDethan

There was a fish in the percolator!
Apr 6, 2019
9,096
25,416
113
I’m not panicking. If I get it, there’s nothing I can do other than what I already do when I get the flu.
 

Wok

Wok
Oct 30, 2018
4,923
13,188
113
France
Damn. Everything is red.



With logarithmic scale, you can see that things are not going to stop in France, the growth of #cases is still exponential.



Same with #deaths.

 

kio

MetaMember
Apr 19, 2019
1,599
5,130
113
The reality is we only have ourselves to blame for the rapid spread of the disease in central and southern europe. We had countless red warnings from China and SEA and looked the other way, we even overlooked the italian disaster... now everything is fucked.
Sadly it will be the poorest and the ones with a more deficient social position that will suffer the most, the bastards that allowed this to happen will get away with a minor cold. They'll even make billions when the stock market eventually bounces back...
 
  • Like
Reactions: LEANIJA

Acidote

Omega Yul
Jun 16, 2019
321
625
93
So, I told my parents to test their temp to calm them down since my father in particular was a little bit nervous since he's part of an at-risk group. It was a great idea since they both were 36.5ºC.
Then I did it myself and I was 37ºC and now my father is more scared than he was before. Good job.

I'll just take my temp again tomorrow morning but it's probably (hopefully) just part of the recovery of my recent nose surgery.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Stevey and lashman

Acidote

Omega Yul
Jun 16, 2019
321
625
93
It really is. Specially since I still have some blood residue in my sinuses. He's still worried nonetheless.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NarohDethan

Anteater

Hentai Specialist
Sep 20, 2018
1,429
2,380
113
If anything, this just exposed how fucking nasty people are. Wash your damn hands.
yeah at the least this will get people to be more self aware and hopefully get their shit together with hygiene, people in our town here have become fucking nasty over the past years, you know shit is fucked when they had to put up signs telling people not to pee in public, like jesus, come the fuck on.
 
OP
texhnolyze

texhnolyze

Child at heart
Oct 19, 2018
3,620
8,654
113
Indonesia
"Europe has now become the epicentre of the pandemic," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a virtual press conference.

He said the continent had now "more reported cases and deaths than the rest of the world combined, apart from China.

"More cases are now being reported every day than were reported in China at the height of its epidemic," he said, referring to the global numbers.
 

LEANIJA

MetaMember
May 5, 2019
3,216
7,853
113
Austria
Kind of surprised, got a text from my french classes that they are still going to do them. Think I'm still going to stay home.
Good choice. My Slovene class has been cancelled, which is a good call.

I posted this earlier on Twitter:

To anyone who thinks the measures being taken in several European countries to combat the spread of the Coronavirus are bit exaggurated, I can recommend this video detailing how exponential growth works: Link

We are dealing with about 600 (confirmed) infections in Austria right now, however, if we didn't take any measures, the spread would go up and up and then some more up, until, like it happened in Italy.

What happened there, happens here, but with some delay. Their (very advanced) health system is under severe strain and cannot cope with all the critical cases anymore. Small numbers turned into bigger and bigger numbers until it was too much.

We're dealing with a virus that has proven to be deadly for a 3-6% of the confirmed cases, mostly the elderly and those frail of health. Does that mean we can ignore it? Quite on the contrary, every death is one too many. Think of your own parents, grandparents: Would you be okay with them dying?

80% of the infected have mild symptoms, some don't even notice it, which is why the number of infected will be higher than the confirmed cases. But most importantly, this means these people are spreading the virus further, without noticing.

Because it's new and none of us has any protection against it, it can easily infect anyone, and those infected then spread it further. That is why we need to contain it and that is why these (partially harsh) measures are necessary.

Of course, when they are succewsful, we can look back and some will still deem them overblown. That would be because they prevented a much more horrific pandemic, and kept numbers low.

Let's learn from history of overlooked and underestimated epidemics - and stop it from becoming a repeat of them. But let's not panic. Yes, it is serious and we need to be seriously about tackling it, but we can do this, together.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Le Pertti and ISee

ISee

Oh_no!
Mar 1, 2019
3,220
8,306
113
As said in the other thread, my city is closing down this Sunday.

-Most people are having problems to organize some kind of care for their children, as most of us have to keep working. It is not recommended for grandparents to help, as they are part of the vulnerable group.
-Some people are using the last two days of open clubs and bars to party hard, which is probably not helpful and contradicts the idea of slowing the infection down.
-Others are volunteering to do shopping and to keep an eye on people that will need to be quarantined in the future. Especially after elderly people without families around. Nobody told them to, it was a private person taking the initiative and other joined.
-Some started to horde groceries
-Some went and donated food to food banks because news started to circulate that they are running out of food sources. Not a long term solution though.

Nobody seems to be in panic mode, but many people started to think and prepare. Some are egoistic, some understand that we need to work together.

I think our government openly speaking about everything helps a lot to educate the public. The message since 7-9 days is very clear and on constant repeat:
It will not be harmful for most, but we need to protect the old and other vulnerable people. This is not just the flu. We need to prevent a "triage" like scenario at all cost.

Interestingly enough every political party seems to be working together. They are, for the first time ever, not trying to sabotage each other. Germany passed three "emergency" resolutions yesterday with ~100% votes and opened the states pockets deeply. For medical, research and economical support.
It also seems for the first time politicians are actively seeking help and advice from scientists on what to do.

Will it help? I don't know.

Take care meta, stay smart, think about others, don't panic.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LEANIJA and Arsene

Arsene

On a break
Apr 17, 2019
3,280
8,305
113
Canada
I went to walmart today to pick up a few things and sure enough, the toilet paper was wiped out. COVID-19 isnt even on my island yet and none of the provinces next to mine have any confirmed cases either. and other major viruses like H1N1 didn't make its way here until like 6 months after the rest of the country.

God the people here are fucking stupid, and bullshit fake news articles on Facebook definitely aren't helping.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LEANIJA and ISee

Swenhir

Spaceships!
Apr 18, 2019
3,534
7,621
113
What this pandemic is already revealing is that free health care, regardless of income, background or profession, and our welfare state are not costs or burdens but precious goods, indispensable assets when fate strikes. What this pandemic reveals is that there are goods and services that must be placed outside the laws of the market.

Delegating our food, our protection, our ability to look after our living environment to others is madness. We must regain control of it, build even more than we already do a France, a sovereign Europe, a France and a Europe that firmly hold their destiny in their hands. The coming weeks and months will require decisions to break with this. I will take them.

That's a stunning surprise, coming from him.
What a shithead. Sorry, but I've followed his actions and decisions and this redefines hypocrisy. A french researcher's post made the rounds telling how his research had been defunded which, as it happens, focused on exactly this family of viruses.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LEANIJA and Ruvon

Ruvon

Chaotic writer
May 15, 2019
707
1,642
93
France
cabinetdechaologie.wordpress.com
What a shithead. Sorry, but I've followed his actions and decisions and this redefines hypocrisy. A french researcher's post made the rounds telling how his research had been defunded which, as it happens, focused on exactly this family of viruses.
Don't apologize, but hey, that's what people wanted and voted for : someone telling them that too many people are getting social revenue and unemployment money, too many public servants (teachers, doctors, nurses, police, research...) that costs too much, less legal constraints to fire workers, etc...

They call that democracy, what can I say.

Oh, and we're officially in stage 3, meaning : no unessential business open to public (bars, restaurants, night clubs...) will stay open. Deadline ; midnight, tonight. Enjoy the view of millions of morons running in these places before they close for a "last night out'.
 

ISee

Oh_no!
Mar 1, 2019
3,220
8,306
113
Everything is red, except Germany.

Saw this being discussed in a RKI (german CDC) press conference a couple of days ago. Prof. Dr. Wieler said that Germany was lucky enough to start testing very soon and that they caught the infection early. Many cases are not in the tragic stadium yet and the number of unknown cases should be relatively low, though increasing as they found first positives in "blind" tests recently.
All that combined leads to a high number of reported cases, but a low reported death rate. The later will go up in the next weeks, they have no doubt about that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pommes

Swenhir

Spaceships!
Apr 18, 2019
3,534
7,621
113
Don't apologize, but hey, that's what people wanted and voted for : someone telling them that too many people are getting social revenue and unemployment money, too many public servants (teachers, doctors, nurses, police, research...) that costs too much, less legal constraints to fire workers, etc...

They call that democracy, what can I say.

Oh, and we're officially in stage 3, meaning : no unessential business open to public (bars, restaurants, night clubs...) will stay open. Deadline ; midnight, tonight. Enjoy the view of millions of morons running in these places before they close for a "last night out'.
If I recall correctly, this was a Trump situation. Either vote for the ex-banker or the literal racist-fascist. Still... Woudn't it be nice to have an actual choice at an election's second round? :p
 
  • Like
Reactions: LEANIJA
Dec 5, 2018
1,742
4,308
113
Spain has officially declared "state of emergency" restricting movement and restricting which stores can be opened and centralizing the control of healthcare (among other things) for 15 days (that can be extended with a vote in parliament).
 
  • Like
Reactions: LEANIJA and ISee

Wok

Wok
Oct 30, 2018
4,923
13,188
113
France
In France, only supermarkets, drugstores, banks, and places where one can buy tobacco or oil (for the car).

I cannot go eat to MacDonald's and eat a hamburger anymore. I don't know if I will be able to buy some bread at the baker's next week. If I go outside with some money, that is for purchasing food or medicine. That is it.

Life consists in staying home as much as we can, so that hospitals can try to deal with the surge of patients. Sadly, they will be overwhelmed.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LEANIJA and ISee

Kvik

Crossbell City Councillor
Dec 6, 2018
4,295
10,675
113
Downunder.
They've finally released the patients from the cruise ship, so there's a little bit of spike. No increase in confirmed death so far, though.

 
  • Like
Reactions: ISee
OP
texhnolyze

texhnolyze

Child at heart
Oct 19, 2018
3,620
8,654
113
Indonesia
It's finally here in my city, and the mayor immediately releases a public statement regarding lockdown and restrictions. It's not really a lockdown, people are just encouraged to stay home, but public vacation spots and events are closed. Schools are closed too starting Monday. Businesses can continue as usual but they have to put necessary measures for hygiene.

Now, the hardest part is to explain to my parents and relatives the gravity of this situation. They mostly still don't care about all this and live their lives as if nothing is happening out there.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LEANIJA and ISee

Wok

Wok
Oct 30, 2018
4,923
13,188
113
France
I forgot to post that Twitch clip here yesterday. Do not be that guy: wash your hands and stop picking your face, the video game can wait.

:thinking:

Apparently, he is one of the dudes who would have been in Warsaw for Gwent's tournament, if it had not been cancelled due to COVID-19.

 

ISee

Oh_no!
Mar 1, 2019
3,220
8,306
113
A conflict between Germany and the United States erupted over a german pharma concern that is working on a corona-virus vaccine. The company is making promising progress. The U.S. president is using high financial donations to lure German scientists to America or to secure the drug exclusively for his country, according to the german government.
Trump is doing everything possible to get a vaccine for the United States. "But just for the USA" or at least first and in hope to make a nice profit out of it.

For your information, the current corona virus test that is being recommended by the WHO was, apparently, also developed by Germany and is openly available for production everywhere. The U.S. refused to use it though, because it's not a domestic product. Which lead to less testing than necessary.

Promising progress doesn't mean that we are weeks away from a vaccine btw. It won't be ready before next year, probably.

It's shocking to me how the U.S. has started to actively work against instead of with allies in this time of crisis.


One of many sources:
 
Last edited:

ISee

Oh_no!
Mar 1, 2019
3,220
8,306
113
Ayyy lmao.


Jakarta attractions are closed, so people are visiting neighboring towns in drove. :suicide-blob:
Some Soccer Fans over here protested in front of stadiums recently because matches were canceled. Soccer is life, after all.
Some people just underestimate the situation and do not understand why those drastic measures have been taken.
It's the same mentality everywhere.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LEANIJA and Ruvon

Copons

MetaMember
Nov 12, 2018
477
1,179
93
Brighton, UK
copons.wordpress.com
Seems its reached where I live.
Situation here:

There are 9 cases in Brighton and Hove, out of a local population of 290,395
Amazed* it's only 9, considering it kinda started here in Europe, with that one Brightonian who got it in Singapore, then did a ski week in France with the family before coming back home, infecting everybody on his way. 😅

*: by "amazed" I mean: baffled by the absence of proper tests.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Stevey and ISee

Hektor

Autobahnraser
Nov 1, 2018
5,951
16,495
113
The amount of confirmed cases in germany jumped by 600 since yesterday, 500 of those in my state :h02itsfine:
 

beep boop

MetaMember
Dec 6, 2018
2,170
4,558
113
I'll have to adjust my grocery shopping schedule and diet a little, I think. I tend to go shopping every 3-4 days to get fresh food but I'm guessing it's a better idea to have enough for a last me a week. I'm not exactly in a risk group, but if I can avoid catching it that'd be nice. Especially since I'm a long-time smoker, it's not gonna go by asymptomatically I would imagine. Never had pneumonia or even any illnesses with a serious dry cough though. So maybe that's a good sign.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LEANIJA and ISee