Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[Sheilbh]

German media report that Trump has offered $ 1 billion to German researchers who work on a vaccine so that they develop it exclusively for the USA (instead of, you know, everyone).

German government confirms the report and are in negotiations with the researchers themselves.

Christ

Meanwhile in Brazil, Bolsonaro apparently tested negative but was advised to stay in self-isolation by doctors as four of his close aides have tested positive and he is due a re-test next week. Instead he decided to attend and press the flesh at a pro-Bolsonaro, anti-democracy rally of his supporters.

[Fate]

NYC is 2 weeks behind Italy and it can take 1-2 weeks for those in the ICU to die. Don't be suprised by NY/NJ headlines of 200 dead in a day come April 1.

Today was another grim record. 368 deaths in Italy and 3,590 new positive cases in the past 24 hours. Now up to a total of 24,747 cases and 1,809 dead. Things aren't slowing down yet.

[Zanza]

Italy looks really grim... 
Hope the rest of Europe can avert the very worst with the measures being enacted everywhere.

[Iormlund]

I don't know. A lot of people haven't taken this quarantine seriously. Which is no surprise after the media and political clusterfuck of the last month.

[Syt]

I don't know. A lot of people haven't taken this quarantine seriously. Which is no surprise after the media and political clusterfuck of the last month.

There's plenty of videos of people ignoring the calls for self isolation and hanging out in droves in the sunny spring weather. I expect a clamp down on that soon, esp. as the police will ask groups of 5+ persons to disperse starting tomorrow.

[Syt]

An anesthesiologist in a Salzburg hospital has tested positive for Covid19. He likely contracted while skiing in Tyrol. About 100 people who had contact with him will have to go into quarantine, including many doctors and nurses.

[Maladict]

17:30 hrs: government announces closure of all schools, cafés and restaurants, effective from 18:00 hours.
17:35 hrs: This includes coffeeshops (weed shops)
17:45 hrs:

[Admiral Yi]

 

[Maladict]

An anesthesiologist in a Salzburg hospital has tested positive for Covid19. He likely contracted while skiing in Tyrol. About 100 people who had contact with him will have to go into quarantine, including many doctors and nurses.

Oh shit 

[Syt]

An anesthesiologist in a Salzburg hospital has tested positive for Covid19. He likely contracted while skiing in Tyrol. About 100 people who had contact with him will have to go into quarantine, including many doctors and nurses.

Oh shit 

Breakdown is: 33 doctors, 53 nurses, 18 patients, a pilot, and 3 flying doctors. It affects other anesthesiologists, face/jaw surgeons, and ear/nose/throat specialists.

[Syt]

Germany largely closes borders with Austria, France, Switzerland (excepting commuters and freight).

[Sheilbh]

LVMH is converting its cosmetics units to produce sanitary gel for delivery, free of charge, to the French state (Interesting side note is the language of crisis in different countries - there are little strains of Churchill/blitz style rhetoric in the UK, France is going full civic nationalist "we need to be a shield to the nation")

Someone did the sums and it's more than 100 million Europeans now on lockdown

Edit: And I see the President is tweeting about....pardoning Michael Flynn and Schumer's "threats to our cherished Supreme Court"

Edit: On the US there's some terrifying polling about how seriously Democrats and Republicans are taking this (In the UK, despite Brexit, concern seems equal across all parties, Remain/Leave divide - so at least we know we're not so polarised that some people are ignoring a public health crisis)

[Barrister]

My wife is kind of freaked out that, unlike Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba, they have not closed schools down here.  The government has said realistically if they close schools now they'll be closed until next September.

[Syt]

I'm seeing those viral videos from Italy where people make music and sing together from their balconies and windows, and I'm thinking, "If anyone was trying to do that in Vienna, someone would call the cops within five minutes, tops."

People agreed to sing/make music at the open window at 6 pm today. In some cases people were appreciative, but in half of the cases, or more, the reactions was STFU

And that's why Vienna was voted one of the unfriendliest cities in the world

[celedhring]

Over here they have been clapping from balconies to thank health professionals two evenings in a row. Easier and fortunately less potentially annoying that a bunch of randoms singing