Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[Syt]

Colleague shared a social media screenshot of someone claiming to know someone in the interior ministry, and supposedly the following will come into effect:
- all shops except supermarkets and pharmacies will be closed from Monday
- food deliveries stay available
- only a limited amount of people is permitted into any store
- from Wednesday on a curfew between 7 pm and 7 am
- People will not be allowed to leave Vienna

Whether that's true we will know at 2 pm when the government gives its daily press conference.

At any rate, it seems the UN in Vienna are shutting down. People can stock up in their on site shop, but then will have to go home.

[Tamas]

Oh, and I don't care what Sheilbh says, the UK IS on the "take it on the chin" policy.

[Sheilbh]

Oh, and I don't care what Sheilbh says, the UK IS on the "take it on the chin" policy.

Really liked the advice from an epidemiologist on the news last night. He was asked what one thing he would like everyone to change and said that people will be worried about catching it and they shouldn't focus on that. Rather, everyone should behave as if they have already caught it and take the sort of precautions they would to not pass it on to other people - especially their loved ones.

Edit: Also I mentioned earlier I was wondering what the NHS is doing about ICU capacity if they're trying to delay the peak. And then I saw a thread by the deputy editory of the Health Service Journal. Apparently they're doing a lot - purchasing new equipment, identifying staff and space, reorganising hospitals - and apparently this sort of "flex" is stuff the NHS does often depending on need. But there's concerns that once that's done we'll really be at the "max". But current plans are to increase ICU seven-fold.

Edit: Video of the interview with the epidemiologist who is on that Influenza Pandemic Strategy group:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blkDulsgh3Q&feature=youtu.be

Also it's clear (thank God) that the epidemiologists and not the behaviourists are in charge on this. Chief Science Advisor, Sir Patric Vallance this morning:

If you suppress something very hard, when you release those measures it bounces back at the wrong time so our aim is to try and reduce the peak, broaden the peak, not to suppress it completely. So because most people get a mild illness, to build up some degree of herd immunity as well, so that more people are immune to this disease and we reduce the transmission, at the same we protect those who are most vulnerable.

Basically the UK science advisors view which is linked to the stuff I posted about lack of immunity in Wuhan and the up-tick in Singapore and Hong Kong, is that coronavirus is going to carry on being around (https://twitter.com/AdamJKucharski/status/1238152492178976769). So it's going to pop up again next winter as one of the general infections that does the rounds. And as we don't have immunity, we'll have to deal with it again.

So the UK advisors basically think that FT chart has far longer axes - and it goes into decline now but it will shoot up again as it continues to circulate, because it's pandemic, and it will shoot-up more and keep happening worse if you take the severe isolate and suppress approach. I understand it, I'm not sure it's a bad idea, I'm not sure it's right - but I get this more having seen the experts speak about it. But Tamas is right and I'm wrong - we are doing something different than most other countries (not sure about Germany, possibly because health is run by the Lander from my understanding?).

[celedhring]

Plans being drawn up to place Catalonia on lockdown (separatists finally will get their border!) although "not planned as of now".

Now, I'd have to chose. Either I isolate myself, or I preventively travel to my parents' place and stay with them through an eventual lockdown. They would need help given their age (and my mother is still recovering from a broken rib). Also their house is on a more defensible position.

[Tamas]

Plans being drawn up to place Catalonia on lockdown (separatists finally will get their border!) although "not planned as of now".

Now, I'd have to chose. Either I isolate myself, or I preventively travel to my parents' place and stay with them on an eventual lockdown. They would need help given their age (and my mother is still recovering from a broken rib). Also their house is on a more defensible position 

I would move to them ASAP before you end up catching it and infecting them. They'll need your help.

[Maladict]

People in Siena singing from their homes 

https://twitter.com/valemercurii/status/1238234518508777473

[Maladict]

Closing schools but not restaurants seems very odd to me.

Schools won't go bankrupt. And in restaurants you can create more distance between people.

[grumbler]

This period of history is going to be a very a very good case study of social media driven mass hysteria

Are you 100% as confident as you sound, or is this your best guess given what we know so far?

In any case, the problem with evaluating the validity of hysteria about pandemics is that there are no control group alternate realities to test on.  It may well be that pandemics are extinguished because hysteria occurred early enough in the process for people to collectively take actions, and nudge the diseases parameters outside of the envelope needed for disastrous and uncontained spread.

The head of the BC CDC said again tried to calm by pointing out our medical system is reacting well, is not being overwhelmed and that it is not inevitable that it will be.

Rather than listening to over reactions by politicians and most of social media I prefer to listen to the experts.  I know that is really out of fashion these days and I am very much out of step for paying attention to that sort of thing.

That's bullshit and totally disingenuous to say. We've all provided multiple other experts who disagree with yours. Nice try to paint us as reactionary and hysterical, though. Well done. 

This period of history is going to be a very a very good case study of social media driven virtue signalling

[alfred russel]

What's good survivalist food besides Spam?  I need to buy food tomorrow too.

If it is like here, you waited too long, are fucked, and will now die of starvation. Sorry Yi.

I have not been reacting, but my girlfriend (who lives with me) is freaking out, and spent 3 hours grocery shopping yesterday - mostly waiting in lines. She sent me pictures of shelves that were totally empty and absurdly long lines.

My best friend (an immigrant from Taiwan) called wanting to know my perspective if social unrest is likely and if he should get a gun.

I've heard rumors that the national guard is getting ready to be called up in South Carolina.

Really--I wonder if rationing would be a better way to deal with this.

My office is shutting down Monday for at least a month and I have to work from home - which is a personal disaster for me because I love going ot the office (we have a good cafeteria and gym, while I hate staying at home). My boss is a big skier and he is trying to convince his wife to spend the month in Vail where he can work remotely and ski in the downtime. I think that is an amazing idea and want to do the same (but with climbing), but I am going to struggle to get my girlfriend on board because of the panic.

[Syt]

Interior ministry says any rumors about a lockdown are "fake news". Also, the foreign ministry has clarified that it did not issue a travel warning for the entire world, just that people should avoid traveling abroad.

[Admiral Yi]

Really liked the advice from an epidemiologist on the news last night. He was asked what one thing he would like everyone to change and said that people will be worried about catching it and they shouldn't focus on that. Rather, everyone should behave as if they have already caught it and take the sort of precautions they would to not pass it on to other people - especially their loved ones.

The way I like to think of it is the die is already cast, either I go down or I don't, but the more precautions I take the easier it will be for the poor doctors, nurses, EMTs and cops that have to deal with it.  Flatten the curve.

[Duque de Bragança]

This is the time where I wished I had a somewhat isolated house/Festung not too far from Bragança, ™just in case™. Some people in my family have one though.

Schools, secondary schools and universities closed till April 9th in Portugal. 78 cases yet, no death yet. To give an idea, Paris city centre already had 80 cases yesterday. France is at 2800 cases and 61 deaths already.
Maybe time to embrace your inner nerd and stay at home.  An interesting B-movie night last week already got the presentation by the italian director, Luigi Cozzi, cancelled. That's for Starcrash (Caroline Munro Christopher Plummer David Hasselhof Marjoe Gortner) and Hercules, the Cannon version.

All schools will be closed in France too, as announced by Jupiter yesterday (where is Asclepius ?!) as well. Local elections next Sunday will be held though.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

China sends medical aid to Spain and Italy

A consignment of medical supplies sent by China to help Italy and Spain contain the coronavirus has arrived in Europe, the Chinese embassy in Madrid said on Thursday.

Nice to see.

wait until you see the strings attached...

[The Larch]

Wait, the UK still has football games going, with full stadiums?

AFAIK the Premier League was the only big league in Europe that still had no restrictions in place, and games were expected to be played this weekend without limitations. After yesterday's positive at Arsenal and their subsequent quarantine it'll most probably be suspended today.

Scotland was going to restrict mass gathering and sporting events starting on monday. On sunday it's Rangers Vs. Celtic...

Edit: And it has just been announced that the Premier League as well as other competitions will be suspended until april.

[Tamas]

Wait, the UK still has football games going, with full stadiums?

AFAIK the Premier League was the only big league in Europe that still had no restrictions in place, and games were expected to be played this weekend without limitations. After yesterday's positive at Arsenal and their subsequent quarantine it'll most probably be suspended today.

Scotland was going to restrict mass gathering and sporting events starting on monday. On sunday it's Rangers Vs. Celtic...

Taking. It. On. The. Chin.