Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[grumbler]

Ex-pats are people living in other countries with no intention of becoming part of that country.  I've normally seen the term applied to retired people living in other countries to save money, but have also seen it applied to execs from multinationals stationed outside their own country.  I've not seen the term used for temporary workers or military stationed overseas, though I suppose the term would apply.

[Legbiter]

Iran's deputy health minister and an MP have both tested positive for the new coronavirus disease, as it struggles to contain an outbreak that has killed 15.

The senior health official, Iraj Harirchi, said in a video that he was self-isolating and starting medication.

He was seen mopping his brow repeatedly at a news conference on Monday, when he denied the authorities were lying about the scale of the Covid-19 outbreak.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51628484

[Legbiter]

First case in peninsular Spain.  Woman from Barcelona that had traveled to northern Italy.

Honestly I'm not too scared of getting it myself, but I absolutely don't want to pass this shit to my parents.

Yeah, same. It's only a matter of time before it's here as well.

[Duque de Bragança]

Iran's deputy health minister and an MP have both tested positive for the new coronavirus disease, as it struggles to contain an outbreak that has killed 15.

The senior health official, Iraj Harirchi, said in a video that he was self-isolating and starting medication.

He was seen mopping his brow repeatedly at a news conference on Monday, when he denied the authorities were lying about the scale of the Covid-19 outbreak.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51628484

This part is hardly reassuring:

Unlike in Italy, Iranian officials are refusing to impose quarantines in areas affected by the outbreak. They say quarantines are old-fashioned and that they do not believe in them. The Shia shrines in the cities of Qom and Mashhad are still open, despite Qom being a hotbed of the virus.

[crazy canuck]

Disease control centres have changed their messaging. In Canada and the US we are now being warned to prepare for an outbreak.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/25/world/asia/coronavirus-news.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

https://www.cbc.ca/news/thenational/health-officials-prepare-for-coronavirus-pandemic-1.5474899

[celedhring]

Disease control centres have changed their messaging. In Canada and the US we are now being warned to prepare for an outbreak.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/25/world/asia/coronavirus-news.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

https://www.cbc.ca/news/thenational/health-officials-prepare-for-coronavirus-pandemic-1.5474899

1 cube in Tokyo, zero cubes in Madrid and London. It will still take a bit imho.

I need to run a game of Pandemic with my friends this weekend.

[crazy canuck]

The nervousness level has increased here - we get a lot of traffic through our international airport from both China and Iran.  A lot of Americans visit Vancouver - and they visited two friends and so on and so on.

[Habbaku]

Animated graph comparing Corona to SARs and others:

https://twitter.com/WelshGasDoc/status/1232208118899257344

[The Larch]

Animated graph comparing Corona to SARs and others:

https://twitter.com/WelshGasDoc/status/1232208118899257344

Damn the fatality rate of Ebola, still gives one the creeps.

[Josquius]

Yeah, I see a huge distinction between expats and immigrants. There's a big mindset difference and feeling of permenance.
Expats usually do tend to come from richer countries and the negative connotations of immigrant amongst some lead many immigrants to claim they are expats. But there is a difference.

[Legbiter]

I've laid down 3 weeks of extra staples. Dried codfish, butter, rice, beans, canned meats, etc. Mono will be pleased to hear I'm good on TP as well.  All these things I keep anyway but I can sit tight if there's a temporary run on the shops. Worst case scenario, I've a bit more extra foodstuffs to rotate through before shopping again.

[viper37]

An expat is someone working in a country while always keeping his own nationality.  I don't see it as racist.

Plenty of Mexicans work here without ever intending to become US Citizens, they send money home and will eventually go back home. I have never heard them described as expats before, to be fair to Tamas

"illegal expats"

Even legal ones are often called "guest workers" or something not expats. You have to be special to get called an expat. I am sure there is an expat Mexican community but they are elites and educated types.

Well, from Mexico's point of view, they are possibly expats?

Tamas quoted the Guardian's text, refering to that British woman as an expat.  A british newspaper describing a British citizen working abroad as an expat does not seem problematic to me.

I'm not so sure anymore...  It's true I've only ever heard the term "expat" for Americans or British living abroad.

[celedhring]

[FunkMonk]

Will this thing come every year during Fall-Winter? Are we gonna have to take vaccinations for COVID every year like we do the flu?

The survivors, I mean. All 1% of humanity still alive.

[Iormlund]

Yeah, same. I'd guess I have reasonable survival chances even if I get it, but as I mentioned, I am rather worried about unknowingly carrying it home to my 1.5 years niece or my my near-100 grandma.

Kids seem to be highly resistant. Grandmas, OTOH ...