Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[The Larch]

I don't think that WFH will become the new normal, so to speak, but this pandemic has served to remove the taboo on it from places where it was not common or even considered. I don't expect, at least over here, for it to become common, but hopefully it will make it enter the discussion, and maybe enter the routine at least partially, like people being able to work one or two days per week from home, or a few people in each office being allowed to work remotely according to their personal situations, or being allowed for a certain period of time, or something like that. It's just a way to increase flexibility in the workplace.

[Berkut]

Well, it certainly looks like the crazy fucking right is moving the discussion towards re-opening regardless of what the science says, and why not?

They've pretty much destroyed the basic idea that science actually matters in the last couple of decades. Scientists are known liars. They lied about creation and evolution, they lied about climate change, they are almost certainly lying about this as well.

[The Brain]

Working from home maybe one or two days a week has been normal for office people with a long commute for years in companies I've worked in.

[Sheilbh]

Well, it certainly looks like the crazy fucking right is moving the discussion towards re-opening regardless of what the science says, and why not?

They've pretty much destroyed the basic idea that science actually matters in the last couple of decades. Scientists are known liars. They lied about creation and evolution, they lied about climate change, they are almost certainly lying about this as well.

Also there's a Professor in the UK who's been fairly critical of the government who keeps making the point that lockdown isn't a solution in itself and has huge social costs. What it does is buy you time to prepare and implement a solution. Here it looks like that's going to be massively ramped up testing, contact tracing and a track-and-trace app.

I'm not sure - and it doesn't seem clear from here what the US is planning to replace lockdown with. What is the actual solution? It feels like it's just lockdown or not.

I think WFH will become more normalised and I get the point about middle management - but actually from a top-line perspective if you can cut rent costs and middle management costs..... 

[The Larch]

Working from home maybe one or two days a week has been normal for office people with a long commute for years in companies I've worked in.

Not over here, for the most part. Spanish office culture has been until quite recently very old fashioned, with presentism being quite a common feature. Hopefully this is evolving and in the last few years this is changing, and possibly these measures taken for the pandemic will help speed it up.

[alfred russel]

The problem with the herd immunity strat is we don't even know if it'll work. In either case we need more data. And to have more data we need better leaders. So we're back to square one.

The corona viruses that cause the common cold don't confer long lasting immunity, it's why you can get a cold every year. Definitely not guaranteed that this will confer long term immunity, which could mean we're screwed without a vaccine.

Definitely don't like the looks of all these crowds I'm seeing on the news. May is going to be worse than April.

Tim, how feasible do you really think developing an effective vaccine is, if having the disease doesn't provide long term immunity?

[Legbiter]

I'm not sure - and it doesn't seem clear from here what the US is planning to replace lockdown with. What is the actual solution? It feels like it's just lockdown or not.

Yeah it's the same issue everywhere. OK you lock down but that's only to buy the health service time to ramp up and after some weeks you relax the lockdown and start from there. Also I think the anti-lockdown people are going to be disappointed when they find out many people will continue to hunker down and not immediately rush out to go shopping and socializing. For instance in the US, Georgia is trying to claw it's way back to some semblance of normality but then this happened to one business.

The first of 40 U.S. Bad Axe Throwing venues to reopen since widespread shelter-in-place orders were issued across the country was in Atlanta on Friday. Bad Axe CEO Mario Zelaya expected business to be bad, maybe 10% of the hundreds of customers he would expect to see throw axes and drink beer on a typical weekend. "That was the worst-case scenario, especially with all the marketing we did," Zelaya said. "The reopening weekend was a disaster. We had two customers all weekend."

https://www.bisnow.com/atlanta/news/retail/for-georgia-restaurants-and-retailers-its-not-landlords-that-cause-the-pressure-104166?utm_source=CopyShare&utm_medium=Browser

[Legbiter]

Interesting interview with Neil Ferguson, his model was used as justification for the UK lockdown. He's going to recommend the South Korean approach in a few days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=6cYjjEB3Ev8&feature=emb_logo

[Sheilbh]

Yeah - being a single person, who lives alone and has been socially isolated since late January I will be RUNNING to the nearest pub as soon as lockdown is lifted. But I am aware I am not the norm on this.

[Iormlund]

Tim, how feasible do you really think developing an effective vaccine is, if having the disease doesn't provide long term immunity?

We develop vaccines for the flu every year.

[alfred russel]

Well, it certainly looks like the crazy fucking right is moving the discussion towards re-opening regardless of what the science says, and why not?

They've pretty much destroyed the basic idea that science actually matters in the last couple of decades. Scientists are known liars. They lied about creation and evolution, they lied about climate change, they are almost certainly lying about this as well.

Berkut, what does the science say?

You can read in this thread that a number of European countries are opening up right now...in those locations has the crazy fucking right also destroyed the confidence in science with attacks on evolution and climate change?

[alfred russel]

Tim, how feasible do you really think developing an effective vaccine is, if having the disease doesn't provide long term immunity?

We develop vaccines for the flu every year.

Yes, but getting the flu provides better immunity than the vaccine (the reason for the need for annual vaccines is the influenza virus is different each season).

https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/10/28/does-the-flu-provide-better-immunity-than-a-flu-shot/

[Tamas]

Well, it certainly looks like the crazy fucking right is moving the discussion towards re-opening regardless of what the science says, and why not?

They've pretty much destroyed the basic idea that science actually matters in the last couple of decades. Scientists are known liars. They lied about creation and evolution, they lied about climate change, they are almost certainly lying about this as well.

Berkut, what does the science say?

You can read in this thread that a number of European countries are opening up right now...in those locations has the crazy fucking right also destroyed the confidence in science with attacks on evolution and climate change?

And China has already opened up so OMG USA should have opened up yesterday! GOGOGOGO!

[Sheilbh]

The one thing those European countries have in common is that cases and deaths are on a very clear downward trend - in the US, from what I've seen, they're still plateauing.

[Maladict]

Possibly not even plateauing.