Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[viper37]

Cave full of bats identified as source of virus almost identical to the one killing hundreds today

Fifteen years ago, scientists discovered a cave in southern China that held viruses almost identical to the one that has killed nearly 500 people today and the ones that caused the SARS and MERS outbreaks decades ago.

The cave, whose exact location is being kept secret, is inhabited by wild bats that have been found to carry a  "rich gene pool of SARS-related coronaviruses," said Peter Daszak, the president of EcoHealth Alliance, a U.S. nonprofit organization that monitors wildlife diseases that could pose a pandemic risk.

Daszak said that one of the 500 or so virus strains discovered in 2004 is 96 per cent similar to the novel coronavirus that has infected 28,000 people and killed 560 since the outbreak began in December. 

"What we're saying is that this cluster of viruses is a high risk," Daszak said.

The cave was discovered as part of the team's efforts to track viruses similar to SARS in 2003, after the epidemic had struck, Daszak explained. At the time, people believed civets had caused the outbreak, but Daszak's team disputed that notion.

[Legbiter]

JAMA has a new study on the clinical outcome of hospitalized patients in Wuhan. The medical journals are a goldmine on updated info on the virus.

Key Points
Question What are the clinical characteristics of hospitalized patients with 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)–infected pneumonia (NCIP) in Wuhan, China?

Findings In this single-center case series involving 138 patients with NCIP, 26% of patients required admission to the intensive care unit and 4.3% died. Presumed human-to-human hospital-associated transmission of 2019-nCoV was suspected in 41% of patients.

Meaning  In this case series in Wuhan, China, NCIP was frequently associated with presumed hospital-related transmission, 26% of patients required intensive care unit treatment, and mortality was 4.3%.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2761044

Looks like a hospital is one of the last places you'd want to go to, to get checked out.  Also there's a distinct possibility that even countries with good health care systems would get (computationally) overwhelmed by the sheer numbers requiring ICU care.

[Syt]

Cave full of bats identified as source of virus almost identical to the one killing hundreds today

Funny, I just recently finished a book where most of humanity was wiped out by a disease that came from bats in a cave.

(though it was more like a parasitic fungus in that case, and the contagious incubation time was about 2 months)

[celedhring]

Several major companies are dropping out of Barcelona's mobile trade show (MWC). There's only been one confirmed case in Spain so far (a German tourist who was infected abroad), but a large contingent of Chinese nationals are expected to attend. Must be fun being Chinese these days. I've spotted several Asian people in the streets/buildings wearing face masks.

The dripping of companies abandoning the show got so bad that the organizers have ended up banning anybody that has spent the last 2 weeks in China from coming (every year around 5000 to 6000 Chinese attend this trade show). They'll even have temperature checks at the doors (!!!) to screen out people with fever.

Again, this is Barcelona, not downtown Wuhan.

[Grey Fox]

That's how you control it. In Wuhan, in Barcelona or in Trois-Rivières.

[Josquius]

I've read of a significant surge in racism against east Asian people in the UK 😔

[viper37]

China adopts radical measures

It's not as effective as nuking it from orbit, but I can see some added value in not incinerating everyone and everything.   

The text is in French, but it's mostly irrelevent, watch the videos.  The text only says China is spreading chemical products in the city with trucks, people and drones to disinfect the place.

[Eddie Teach]

So now they think it was snakes?

[celedhring]

There was a bit of rucus yesterday in Valladolid when people came to check on a Chinese national that was vomiting on the street. Ambulances in hazmat suits, evacuations, sealing of nearby buildings, the lot.

The woman was just massively drunk.

[Liep]

There was a bit of rucus yesterday in Valladolid when people came to check on a Chinese national that was vomiting on the street. Ambulances in hazmat suits, evacuations, sealing of nearby buildings, the lot.

The woman was just massively drunk.

Same here, they closed off half the airport in Copenhagen because a Chinese woman had the cold. Better safe than sorry I guess.

[crazy canuck]

One of my colleagues of Chinese decent is thinking about cancelling her trip to Europe in May because of reports she is hearing from friends about the shunning they have experienced there.

We were at gathering last night with lots of people milling about. As a test I coughed - nobody reacted.  After a while I asked her to cough— some people around us moved away.

I told her she might as well go to Europe as it is not much better here.

[viper37]

Several major companies are dropping out of Barcelona's mobile trade show (MWC). There's only been one confirmed case in Spain so far (a German tourist who was infected abroad), but a large contingent of Chinese nationals are expected to attend. Must be fun being Chinese these days. I've spotted several Asian people in the streets/buildings wearing face masks.

I hear this thing is cancelled now?

[celedhring]

Yep, they just did. So many companies were dropping out that the organizers threw in the towel.

That thing brought in a lot of business to the city.

[Monoriu]

There is a huge surge in the number of confirmed cases today.  Almost 15,000 new cases in one day, and 240+ deaths.  That's in Hubei province alone.  In recent days, the daily increase is usually three or four thousand. 

[mongers]

There is a huge surge in the number of confirmed cases today.  Almost 15,000 new cases in one day, and 240+ deaths.  That's in Hubei province alone.  In recent days, the daily increase is usually three or four thousand.

Worrisome.

More details here:
http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/Reuters/worldNews/~3/iDANNGbE26E/chinas-hubei-province-reports-242-new-coronavirus-deaths-on-february-12-new-cases-rise-14840-idUSKBN207010

China's Hubei province reports 242 new coronavirus deaths on February 12, new cases rise 14,840

BEIJING (Reuters) - The number of deaths in China's central Hubei province from a coronavirus outbreak rose by 242 to 1,310 as of Wednesday, the province's health commission said on its website on Thursday.

A further 14,840 cases had been detected in Hubei, the epicentre of the outbreak, taking the total in the province to 48,206.

The commission said that it had begun including cases diagnosed through new clinical methods from Thursday.