Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[Iormlund]

Surgical masks don't impede contagion anyway. From what I understand, you need a closed ffp2 or better.

[Sheilbh]

In the latest UK media really not dealing well with this, we have had this morning a doctor arguing with former model Caprice about what's the appropriate response to this

[Tamas]

In the latest UK media really not dealing well with this, we have had this morning a doctor arguing with former model Caprice about what's the appropriate response to this

I find myself be on the same opinion as Pierce Morgan, which does give me pause.

[Syt]

In the latest UK media really not dealing well with this, we have had this morning a doctor arguing with former model Caprice about what's the appropriate response to this

From Austria reddit:

[Fate]

Surgical masks don't impede contagion anyway. From what I understand, you need a closed ffp2 or better.

Surgical masks do work (but you also want faceshield protection). This disease is spread by large droplets and isn't techically "airborne" by the infectious disease sense of the word like the measles virus or tuberculosis. N95 works better than surgical masks and is necessary for those who work in extremely close contact with known or suspected positive cases. The exception is that COVID-19 does become airborne during high-risk aerosol generating procedures like intubation or when we have a patient on BIPAP, which is how we treat all ICU level COVID-19 cases.

[Josquius]

Photo from the Guardian of a Tube train during rush hour


Meanwhile I've finally found a group of protesters even I get annoyed at. A group in fake hazmat suits and facemasks were protesting outside Downing Street, they're called "Pause the System" and want:
"- the Govt to halt all non-essential business so people can stay at home
- things like surgical masks& hand sanitiser provided free for all
- animal trade ended "to prevent future deadly pathogens developing."

I feel like it'd be easier to ensure supply of surgical masks if people weren't buying it to dick about outside Downing Street

Some newspapers are changing how they're reporting (following recommendations/criticism from academics) to focus on "growth rate" rather than just numbers, this seems sensible.

Encouraging. Business as normal in Newcastle

[Iormlund]

Surgical masks don't impede contagion anyway. From what I understand, you need a closed ffp2 or better.

Surgical masks do work. This disease is spread by large droplets and isn't techically "airborne" by the infectious disease sense of the word like the measles virus or tuberculosis. N95 works better than surgical masks and is necessary for those who work in extremely close contact with known or suspected positive cases. The exception is that COVID-19 does become airborne during high-risk aerosol generating procedures like intubation or when we have a patient on BIPAP, which is how we treat all ICU level COVID-19 cases.

That's interesting. The current guidelines set up by our doctors is not to use surgical masks (as prevention for patients). Is that because the risk of touching your face offsets the given protection?

Ffp2 are recommended for hospital and Ffp3 for laboratory staff.


By the way where are you getting the Italian numbers for ICU utilization, and do you know some similar resource for Spain?

[celedhring]

The uni that provides me 50% of my income has already cancelled all my projects and is already signalling they'll have difficulty paying the stuff I already invoiced. Fan-fucking-tastic.

[Tamas]

Slightly fewer cars than usual for Monday morning. Decided to risk being late by driving my wife to work on the A4 towards London. That's normally a stuff of nightmares, but was going at a steady pace even if busy. Still managed to reach my office in time.


Looks like earliest WFH start for us is Wednesday. One guy has a terrible cough he did not have on Friday, luckily quite far from me. Person sitting next to me has a friend's family member as a confirmed case. Going to be a close call to GTFO before I catch it.

[Tamas]

The uni that provides me 50% of my income has already cancelled all my projects and is already signalling they'll have difficulty paying the stuff I already invoiced. Fan-fucking-tastic.

[alfred russel]

In the latest UK media really not dealing well with this, we have had this morning a doctor arguing with former model Caprice about what's the appropriate response to this

From Austria reddit:

Explain why the British response is too soft...

Assuming we aren't going to lock down all of humanity to such a degree that the cases go to absolutely zero and disappears from the globe (not feasible), we are either going to permanently live like this (also not feasible) or the disease is going to work its way through society until enough people have immunity. The best way to get people immunity is for lower risk people to get infected at a rate that doesn't completely overwhelm medical systems. With the exception of Italy, we definitely aren't overwhelming medical systems, and the cases in the US in particular are trivial as a percent of the population.

[Sheilbh]

So my mum's still going to work, but expecting to WFH soon.

However my dad's particularly vulnerable - in his late 70s and has already had pneumonia in the last few months. Apparently she's making him take his temperature every day and log it so the second it goes over normal they can call 111/for medical assistance

They're not locking down or self-isolating yet, but to be honest my dad doesn't do much socialising anyway so it's business as usual for now but close monitoring. And my mum actually works with her company's doctor on the business continuity plans so she's been speaking to him and has built a stockpile of the things he's recommending, got print-outs of his advice for if they have quarantine.

[Tamas]

Assuming we aren't going to lock down all of humanity to such a degree that the cases go to absolutely zero and disappears from the globe (not feasible), we are either going to permanently live like this (also not feasible) or the disease is going to work its way through society until enough people have immunity. The best way to get people immunity is for lower risk people to get infected at a rate that doesn't completely overwhelm medical systems. With the exception of Italy, we definitely aren't overwhelming medical systems, and the cases in the US in particular are trivial as a percent of the population.

AFAIK we have so far had zero examples of countries were the virus have expanded to an even remotely substantial part of the population without putting major strains on their healthcare system.

The European measure are to avoid this from developing to those levels or if they have already, to deteriorate further.

The British plan seems to be to perfectly time a concentrated measure of restrictions to move the curve JUST below the critical line, thereby optimising the amount of social and NHS disturbance, thanks to a finely-tuned Excel sheet that has told them exactly when the virus will peak.

In the US you will have a lighter load as poor people will just die in their homes. But there is still a danger I think that the middle class will still manage to overwhelm hospitals.

[grumbler]

The story was originally broken German paper Welt am Sonntag quoting German government circles as source. WaS is usually reliable when it comes to facts which is why it gained some traction.

It's good that this has since been cleared up.

So there is a genuine German government source that claims that this actually happened?  If so, why doesn't anyone report this except Welt am Sonntag?  Every report I have seen just quotes people saying that they heard this from other people.  Which German government source states that it absolutely happened?

I wouldn't put it past Trump to ask this kind of thing (or to demand a gorilla channel), but "someone told me that he heard..." reports are not worth publishing.

[Tamas]

So my mum's still going to work, but expecting to WFH soon.

However my dad's particularly vulnerable - in his late 70s and has already had pneumonia in the last few months. Apparently she's making him take his temperature every day and log it so the second it goes over normal they can call 111/for medical assistance

They're not locking down or self-isolating yet, but to be honest my dad doesn't do much socialising anyway so it's business as usual for now but close monitoring. And my mum actually works with her company's doctor on the business continuity plans so she's been speaking to him and has built a stockpile of the things he's recommending, got print-outs of his advice for if they have quarantine.

Sounds like they have a good handle on it. Still, hopefully your mum will be able to WFH soon. Your dad does sound like this could be rough for him.