Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[Fate]

From the Wall Street Journal:
Italy's Coronavirus Death Toll Is Far Higher Than Reported

".... In the wider Bergamo province, which comprises the city and more than 240 small towns and has a total population of 1.1 million, 2,060 people died in March from the virus. But some 4,500 more people died in the province in March than a year earlier, according to a new joint study by the local Eco di Bergamo newspaper and research firm InTwig that took data from 91 towns in the province."

Italy might really have ~40k total dead to date if Bergamo excess mortality data applies to other other northern provinces.

Interesting.

Is this more evidence against the notion that 'when the pandemic is over, a huge number of mild undiagnosed cases will have been postulated and so the overall death rate will be 1% or less' ?

Potentially, or the two may cancel each other out and we still end up near that number. We don't have the testing capacity to do real time estimations of the true prevalence of mild cases or asymptomatics. That will have to wait for serological surveys after everything has calmed down.

[Admiral Yi]

Nobody elected the cops.

Nobody elected the CDC either.

[DGuller]

twice as likely to kill someone in an accident if you're going at 30mph than 20mph..

If you can't avoid pedestrians at 30 mph, you shouldn't be behind the wheel.

That depends on how much warning they give you before presenting themselves in front of your car, doesn't it?

[Eddie Teach]

Perhaps an exception can be made for city driving.

[Threviel]

What's this obsession with testing about? If you are sick in any way, you stay at home. If you are very sick you go to a hospital and hope to live. What is testing supposed to achieve in all this?

I see that you might test staff and the very sick, but what is the point of spending lots of resources to test the general populace?

[merithyn]

What's this obsession with testing about? If you are sick in any way, you stay at home. If you are very sick you go to a hospital and hope to live. What is testing supposed to achieve in all this?

I see that you might test staff and the very sick, but what is the point of spending lots of resources to test the general populace?

In the US, at least, a lot of support is only available if you've tested positive.

[Threviel]

That sounds like an artificial constraint. Are you talking about unemployment support or medical support?

[Tamas]

Perhaps an exception can be made for city driving.

You have never driven a car have you? If I am doijng 30mph and a pedestrian suddenly steps onto the road in front of me, closer to the car than the braking distance for 30mph then I cannot stop the car before hitting them. I can try and sverve but that's it.

[Tamas]

On the lack of UK testing: maybe that was part of the behavioral scientist advice. Hard to let it slowly spread when people are aware of the scale of it :p

[garbon]

On the lack of UK testing: maybe that was part of the behavioral scientist advice. Hard to let it slowly spread when people are aware of the scale of it :p

I'm not sure why those advisors heads aren't on pikes. I guess too soon?

[Eddie Teach]

Perhaps an exception can be made for city driving.

You have never driven a car have you? If I am doijng 30mph and a pedestrian suddenly steps onto the road in front of me, closer to the car than the braking distance for 30mph then I cannot stop the car before hitting them. I can try and sverve but that's it.

If you're not driving in areas with heavy foot traffic, you should have taken note of the pedestrian well before he was in range of your car. Unless he's purposely trying to get hit, you'll be able to avoid him.

[garbon]

Now there will be a 'clap for carers' in the UK.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/second-clap-carers-tribute-planned-21794022

Second 'Clap For Our Carers' tribute planned to show appreciation for all key workers

Following the success of last week's 'Clap For Our Carers' campaign, the UK will once again applaud key workers this Thursday.

People are being urged to take to their windows, balconies or doorways to show their appreciation for all the key workers who are keeping the country running throughout the coronavirus crisis.

Last week, millions of people across the UK applauded from their homes in a moving tribute to the country's NHS workers.

This week's applause will honour teachers, cleaners, supermarket workers and delivery drivers - as well as the NHS staff who are working around the clock.

[Richard Hakluyt]

It always sounds more like a curse to me 

[celedhring]

834,000 jobs lost in Spain in March. Worst drop in history.

[Josquius]

Yeah, I don't watch TV so had no idea what it was all about when it happened. After my initial reaction of this is the second part of the plague, these zombies clap, I thought it was some kind of massed protest against the police or so.