Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[Barrister]

Alberta is closing all non-essential businesses.  Hairdressers, nail technicians, dentists, must close.  All dine-in restaurants must close (though can offer take out or delivery).

[The Larch]

Btw Maladict, you should know that the Netherlands have featured heavily in our coronavirus-related news cycle today. 

Why?

Yeah, why?

edit: blocking the EU emergency aid fund of course. So much for unity 

Sorry, computer issues.

One was blocking the EU emergency aid fund, yes, but not just because of it (the Netherlands were not alone, AFAIK at least also Germany and Austria blocked it too) but because of the way in which it was done which, at least int he way in which I've seen it reported appeared to be quite snotty and rehashing the morality play of good frugal countries of the North vs. bad lazy southerners that appeared during the previous crisis. Let's just say that your finance minister should not look at Mediterranean holidays in the future. I mean, the Portuguese PM actualy came out and called his remarks repugnant and disgusting.

The other thing was a report/interview with some doctor of Leiden's university medical center, in which he basically blamed Spain and Italy's ICU saturation on the "cultural position" that the elderly have in our societies, saying that there's no point in bringing the elderly into hospitals (as is apparently being done in Spain and Italy) and basically implying that it's better to leave them die at home or in care facilities.

Let's just say that your national reputation might have been better right after the 2010 WC final. 

[crazy canuck]

Alberta is closing all non-essential businesses.  Hairdressers, nail technicians, dentists, must close.  All dine-in restaurants must close (though can offer take out or delivery).

Bit late to the party.

[mongers]

Alberta is closing all non-essential businesses.  Hairdressers, nail technicians, dentists, must close.  All dine-in restaurants must close (though can offer take out or delivery).

Bit late to the party.

Yes a full week behind the UK, which is no beacon of hope.

[DGuller]

There is a fire alarm going off in my apartment building now, and the robotic PA system is instructing everyone to go down the stairs and exit the building.  Something makes me think that these overly conservative fire safety measures for a building with 500 apartments did not foresee the concept of social distancing.   

[mongers]

There is a fire alarm going off in my apartment building now, and the robotic PA system is instructing everyone to go down the stairs and exit the building.  Something makes me think that these overly conservative fire safety measures for a building with 500 apartments did not foresee the concept of social distancing. 

One advantage is hardly anyone will pick up the virus if the flames get a good hold on the building.

[mongers]

Funny old world when the President of Zimbabwe talks more sense than quite few other national leaders:

"Pandemics of this kind have a scientific explanation and knows no boundary, and like any other natural phenomenon cannot be blamed on anyone," President Mnangagwa said, effectively rebuking his defence minister for trying to politicise the global health crisis.

[Monoriu]

Princess María Teresa of Bourbon-Parma has become the first royal to die of coronavirus. The Princess, who is King Felipe of Spain's cousin, passed away at age 86 on Thursday, March 26, in Paris. The royal's death was announced by her younger brother, Prince Sixtus Henry of Bourbon-Parma. Alongside a vintage photo of Prince Sixtus Henry with his sister, a message on the royal's official social media page read: "HRH Don Sixto Enrique de Borbón communicates that on the afternoon of this Thursday, March 26, 2020, his sister María Teresa de Borbón Parma and Borbón Busset, victim of the coronavirus COVID-19, died in Paris at the age of eighty-six."

https://us.hola.com/royals/20200327flybk77kbu/first-royal-death-coronavirus

[Zoupa]

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/489957-teen-who-may-have-died-of-coronavirus-was-turned-away-from-urgent-care-due

Teen who may have died of coronavirus was turned away from urgent care due to lack of insurance

A California teenager who died last week, possibly from coronavirus, was turned away from an urgent care because he lacked health insurance.

Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris said in a video that the 17-year-old had no previous health conditions and was healthy Friday, socializing with friends, before he passed away Wednesday.

"Wednesday, he had gone to an urgent care," he said. "He didn't have insurance, so they did not treat him."

Parris said the teen was sent to the hospital but went into cardiac arrest on the way and died. He was briefly revived, but ultimately passed away.

"We've learned that once you go into respiratory issues, you have trouble breathing, you're short of breath and you have a fever, that is the time to get medical treatment without delay," Parris said.



The teen's death was reported Tuesday. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health initially said the cause was COVID-19, but later walked the comment back, saying further analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was needed to confirm the cause of death.

"Though early tests indicated a positive result for COVID-19, the case is complex and there may be an alternate explanation for this fatality," the statement said. "Patient privacy prevents our offering further details at this time."

Health care has been at the center of debate as the 2020 presidential election drags on with some progressive Democratic candidates campaigning for Medicare for All. However, the topic has drawn even more attention as Americans now fear how they will pay for potential coronavirus treatment when scientific estimates predict a massive number of people will be diagnosed during the pandemic.

The Kaiser Family Foundation recently released a study predicting the average cost of coronavirus treatment for someone with insurance and without health complications would total around $9,763, and treatment for someone with complications could top $20,000. The amount someone with insurance would pay out-of-pocket varies depending on their plan, but the study estimates it could exceed $1,300.

A bill signed by President Trump last week offers free diagnostics testing for coronavirus, and on Friday he signed a third coronavirus relief bill that gives stimulus checks to Americans to help those who are out of work or have medical costs associated with the pandemic.

USA! USA! USA!

[HisMajestyBOB]

If we had universal health care, we would look like Italy! Fortunately, our for-profit healthcare system keeps cases down by discouraging testing and hospital visits.

[crazy canuck]

If we had universal health care, we would look like Italy! Fortunately, our for-profit healthcare system keeps cases down by discouraging testing and hospital visits.

[Barrister]

Alberta is closing all non-essential businesses.  Hairdressers, nail technicians, dentists, must close.  All dine-in restaurants must close (though can offer take out or delivery).

Bit late to the party.

We'll see.  We're not like Mississippi where the Governor was disallowing local government restrictions.  It's not exactly been business as normal out here.

For example, restaurants.  A lot were closed already.  Those open had to abide by restrictions of >50 patrons or half capacity, whichever was lower.

[crazy canuck]

Alberta is closing all non-essential businesses.  Hairdressers, nail technicians, dentists, must close.  All dine-in restaurants must close (though can offer take out or delivery).

Bit late to the party.

We'll see.  We're not like Mississippi where the Governor was disallowing local government restrictions.  It's not exactly been business as normal out here.

For example, restaurants.  A lot were closed already.  Those open had to abide by restrictions of >50 patrons or half capacity, whichever was lower.

Also more than a week later than pretty much everyone else.

[jimmy olsen]

 
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-27/rhode-island-police-to-hunt-down-new-yorkers-seeking-refuge

Rhode Island police began stopping cars with New York plates Friday. On Saturday, the National Guard will help them conduct house-to-house searches to find people who traveled from New York and demand 14 days of self-quarantine.

"Right now we have a pinpointed risk," Governor Gina Raimondo said. "That risk is called New York City."

[Richard Hakluyt]

Drug shortages are beginning to bite; partly due to hopes for a silver bullet but also due to economic nationalism and the breakdown of supply chains :

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/27/vital-drug-people-lupus-coronavirus-covid-19-link-hydroxychloroquine

Not a good time to have lupus, not that it ever is.

I hope our leaders are devoting much thought to the supply chain issues; both of drugs and more generally; if they are not then the results will be catastrophic.