Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[Sheilbh]

Interesting - the author of that terrifying Imperial College study is giving evidence to the Commons Science Committee. He says that experts are "reasonably confident" that the combination of the NHS surge and lockdown means ICU capacity "won't be breached at national levels".

Hope they're right and presumably it means there may be local issues but as long as we can transport it might be okay.

Edit: And at the minute London is tracking Lombardia/Wuhan so I eexpect regional capacity to be breached soon here. NY still looks concerning:


And, yeah, Louisiana is worrying - carrying on with mardi gras may have been a mistake.

[garbon]

Fair, but it's the principle and the theory behind policing in the UK - which I think we should be trying to expand to all communities.

Yeah it just rings in my ears as a rather hollow phrase given its unequal application across communities.

But that's sort of my fear is you've got police with a new power and a new thing to enforce - and I don't trust them to not abuse that, because I think unless they're on a pretty tight leash, the police abuse all of their powers. I don't want to see them roaming around the streets looking to enforce this against people - luckily there seems to be a bit of reluctance and a lack of resource to do that, yet.

Edit: Fast forward three months when the Tories decide Johnson's not got a grip of this and we're being addressed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and a group of generals

True, in one fell swoop, everyone has agreed to give up the right to peaceably demonstrate.

[Monoriu]

The news is reporting that Prince Charles has been infected

Oh no.  Oh no.  Oh no. 

[Richard Hakluyt]

I'm very unsure about the wisdom of the 21-day lockdown in India, at least without arrangements to feed the masses. Put simply there may be too many incredibly poor people for it to be possible.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-52002734

What I wonder about in Germany and even more so in India is what the exit strategy is. How do we go from full on lock down to something sustainable that keeps the economy alive? I don't see such a plan here and I doubt that India has such a plan. Without such a plan, the current drastic measures may be for naught though if we cannot use the won time to create ways to fight the virus short of full economic meltdown.

The two exits that seem to be available are herd immunity or a vaccine capable of cheap mass production. I did read somewhere, unfortunately I can't remember where, that alternating periods of strict and laxer restrictions could be the way forward; that way you would get several manageable peaks as the populace slowly gains herd immunity.

I do believe that food security should be a top priority; hopefully it is and they are not talking about it much in public to avoid panic.

[Maladict]

The news is reporting that Prince Charles has been infected

Oh no.  Oh no.  Oh no.

The Queen might still croak before he does. He could go the day after, Blackadder style.

[Richard Hakluyt]

He is self-isolating in Balmoral; just him, Camilla and 50 staff 

[Sheilbh]

Apparently he's been "working from home". So walking round the house asking pictures what they do?

The two exits that seem to be available are herd immunity or a vaccine capable of cheap mass production. I did read somewhere, unfortunately I can't remember where, that alternating periods of strict and laxer restrictions could be the way forward; that way you would get several manageable peaks as the populace slowly gains herd immunity.

Yeah that's the adaptive suppression in the Imperial paper - we're arguably starting to see it already in Singapore and Hong Kong which have re-imposed stricter control measures. But this depends on their being a base level of control measures which I'm not sure what are.

[Zanza]

The two exits that seem to be available are herd immunity or a vaccine capable of cheap mass production. I did read somewhere, unfortunately I can't remember where, that alternating periods of strict and laxer restrictions could be the way forward; that way you would get several manageable peaks as the populace slowly gains herd immunity.

I think neither of these two options is realistic and sustainable. Herd immunity and vaccine creation take like one or two years. Our societies will break down before that.

[Richard Hakluyt]

If we have to relax restrictions in order not to destroy the economy (and thus society), and I agree this will probably be necessary, then there will be many deaths.

[celedhring]

+738 dead (+27%). Man, I need to take my eyes out of the news, this is really affecting me psychologically.

[Monoriu]

Did the Queen have any contact with the Prince of Wales 

[Sheilbh]

+738 dead (+27%). Man, I need to take my eyes out of the news, this is really affecting me psychologically.

Yeah, I know what you mean. It's really difficult because the news just takes a toll but your whole situation stuck in a flat is because of the news and normal releases (for me) involve leaving the flat.

I weirdly find work mostly helpful as a distraction and am trying to read more, maybe catch up on some films/TV a bit. But it feels a bit aimless to be honest. I feel like I possibly need a project that I can focus on when I'm not working so I don't drift back to Twitter or the news.

[Sheilbh]

Did the Queen have any contact with the Prince of Wales 

No doubt they'll each be locked down in separate castles "working from home"?

[celedhring]

+738 dead (+27%). Man, I need to take my eyes out of the news, this is really affecting me psychologically.

Yeah, I know what you mean. It's really difficult because the news just takes a toll but your whole situation stuck in a flat is because of the news and normal releases (for me) involve leaving the flat.

I weirdly find work mostly helpful as a distraction and am trying to read more, maybe catch up on some films/TV a bit. But it feels a bit aimless to be honest. I feel like I possibly need a project that I can focus on when I'm not working so I don't drift back to Twitter or the news.

Yeah, I wanted to work on a spec script given the forced unemployment, but I just can't focus.

Also you feel kinda powerless because you really can't help - besides remaining stuck in your flat.

[Duque de Bragança]

More deaths in Spain now than in China.
As for Portugal, 2362 cases and 33 deaths. Including 15 cases in the Bragança city area, (27 cases for the whole district).