COVID-19

Discussions about serious topics, for serious people
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FlammableFlower
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Re: Wuhan Coronavirus

Post by FlammableFlower » Wed Jan 29, 2020 1:28 pm

That's weird as wiki states about Unani medicine:
Practicing Unani medicine and similar forms of rural alternative medicine in India was banned in the Travancore-Cochin Medical Practitioners' Act of 1953,[33] then reinforced in 2018 by the Supreme Court of India which stated that "A number of unqualified, untrained quacks are posing a great risk to the entire society and playing with the lives of people."[5] The Act requires that qualified medical practitioners be trained at a recognized institution, and be registered and displayed on a list of valid physician practitioners, as published annually in The Gazette of India.[5][33] The Gazette list does not recognize practitioners of Unani medicine because they are not trained, qualified or registered as valid physicians.[5][7]

nefibach
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Re: Wuhan Coronavirus

Post by nefibach » Wed Jan 29, 2020 1:45 pm

Why R0 it not a great measure to use in public reporting of a pandemic: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/arc ... ad/605632/

tl;dr - it's very hard to calculate accurately and most of the public and press can't properly interpret it.

I have seen a lot of people freaking out about R0, because they don't understand either what it means, or that it changes as more data comes to light. Case fatality rate isn't particularly scary either, and will probably fall as more people are officially diagnosed, especially as there have been reports that a lot of people showing symptoms have not been properly tested for 2019-nCoV so there are probably a lot of undiagnosed cases out there.

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Gfamily
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Re: Wuhan Coronavirus

Post by Gfamily » Wed Jan 29, 2020 2:10 pm

I see they're going to quarantine the Brits who are brought home from Wuhan, possibly at a military base.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51292590
They are doing pre-flight checks for symptoms, and I assume that any that raise concern won't be allowed to fly.
Will they quarantine the aircrew and the plane too?
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mikeh
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Re: Wuhan Coronavirus

Post by mikeh » Wed Jan 29, 2020 2:24 pm

Gfamily wrote:
Wed Jan 29, 2020 2:10 pm
I see they're going to quarantine the Brits who are brought home from Wuhan, possibly at a military base.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51292590
They are doing pre-flight checks for symptoms, and I assume that any that raise concern won't be allowed to fly.
Will they quarantine the aircrew and the plane too?
Anecdotal comments from Brits in Wuhan suggests they will be quarantined in China.
And re the aircrew, very good question. Cant immediately find any offical or reliably-reported answer to that. Be interested to see if anyone digs that info out.

Suspected cases in Sudan now. Tis one of the usually more popular routes (table 6) from China to Africa.

mikeh
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Re: Wuhan Coronavirus

Post by mikeh » Wed Jan 29, 2020 2:48 pm

130 Brits now tested, all negative, so says a new Dept of Health email.

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Re: Wuhan Coronavirus

Post by mikeh » Wed Jan 29, 2020 3:00 pm

Re the aircrew, dept of health peep replied with this

"Thanks for your question about the airline crew – we’ve also had this question from some journalists and we’re currently making queries to find out the correct response. I’ll let you know as soon as I’m aware."

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sTeamTraen
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Re: Wuhan Coronavirus

Post by sTeamTraen » Wed Jan 29, 2020 4:39 pm

FlammableFlower wrote:
Wed Jan 29, 2020 1:28 pm
That's weird as wiki states about Unani medicine
If you treat someone with MSG is that Umami medicine? <runs away>
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Herainestold
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Re: Wuhan Coronavirus

Post by Herainestold » Wed Jan 29, 2020 9:11 pm

What about wearing masks when out in public? Chinese embassy in Canada recommends it, but it seems most authorities do not.Probably not needed yet, but should you try and stock up, just in case?
Masking forever
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Gfamily
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Re: Wuhan Coronavirus

Post by Gfamily » Wed Jan 29, 2020 10:05 pm

Herainestold wrote:
Wed Jan 29, 2020 9:11 pm
What about wearing masks when out in public? Chinese embassy in Canada recommends it, but it seems most authorities do not.Probably not needed yet, but should you try and stock up, just in case?
It protects others by catching some of any aerosol containing the virus.
It can protect you by keeping your hands (which may have picked up the virus from door handles etc) away from your airway entrances.
My avatar was a scientific result that was later found to be 'mistaken' - I rarely claim to be 100% correct
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Re: Wuhan Coronavirus

Post by bmforre » Wed Jan 29, 2020 10:51 pm

Gfamily wrote:
Wed Jan 29, 2020 10:05 pm
Herainestold wrote:
Wed Jan 29, 2020 9:11 pm
What about wearing masks when out in public? Chinese embassy in Canada recommends it, but it seems most authorities do not.Probably not needed yet, but should you try and stock up, just in case?
It protects others by catching some of any aerosol containing the virus.
It can protect you by keeping your hands (which may have picked up the virus from door handles etc) away from your airway entrances.
Might Traditional protective equipment be useful again?
The clothing worn by plague doctors was intended to protect them from airborne diseases. The costume, used in France and Italy in the 17th century, consisted of an ankle length overcoat and a bird-like beak mask, often filled with sweet or strong smelling substances (commonly lavender), along with gloves, boots, a wide-brimmed hat, and an outer over-clothing garment.

The mask had glass openings in the eyes and a curved beak shaped like a bird's beak with straps that held the beak in front of the doctor's nose.[3] The mask had two small nose holes and was a type of respirator which contained aromatic items.[4] The beak could hold dried flowers (including roses and carnations), herbs (including mint), spices, camphor, or a vinegar sponge.[5][6] The purpose of the mask was to keep away bad smells, known as miasma ...

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Re: Wuhan Coronavirus

Post by Herainestold » Wed Jan 29, 2020 11:12 pm

Gfamily wrote:
Wed Jan 29, 2020 10:05 pm
Herainestold wrote:
Wed Jan 29, 2020 9:11 pm
What about wearing masks when out in public? Chinese embassy in Canada recommends it, but it seems most authorities do not.Probably not needed yet, but should you try and stock up, just in case?
It protects others by catching some of any aerosol containing the virus.
It can protect you by keeping your hands (which may have picked up the virus from door handles etc) away from your airway entrances.
I understand the reasoning, but most authorities, other than the Chinese, are not recommending masks for the general populace, only for caregivers.
At this point, we need to be concerned, not alarmed, but should be thinking of the possibilities. should we stock up on masks? In what situations should we wear them?
Masking forever
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Russian socialism will rise again

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jimbob
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Re: Wuhan Coronavirus

Post by jimbob » Thu Jan 30, 2020 5:39 am

bmforre wrote:
Wed Jan 29, 2020 10:51 pm
Gfamily wrote:
Wed Jan 29, 2020 10:05 pm
Herainestold wrote:
Wed Jan 29, 2020 9:11 pm
What about wearing masks when out in public? Chinese embassy in Canada recommends it, but it seems most authorities do not.Probably not needed yet, but should you try and stock up, just in case?
It protects others by catching some of any aerosol containing the virus.
It can protect you by keeping your hands (which may have picked up the virus from door handles etc) away from your airway entrances.
Might Traditional protective equipment be useful again?
The clothing worn by plague doctors was intended to protect them from airborne diseases. The costume, used in France and Italy in the 17th century, consisted of an ankle length overcoat and a bird-like beak mask, often filled with sweet or strong smelling substances (commonly lavender), along with gloves, boots, a wide-brimmed hat, and an outer over-clothing garment.

The mask had glass openings in the eyes and a curved beak shaped like a bird's beak with straps that held the beak in front of the doctor's nose.[3] The mask had two small nose holes and was a type of respirator which contained aromatic items.[4] The beak could hold dried flowers (including roses and carnations), herbs (including mint), spices, camphor, or a vinegar sponge.[5][6] The purpose of the mask was to keep away bad smells, known as miasma ...
Yes, I was thinking along the same lines, that such an outfit might help against pneumatic plague, or even be better against the fleas of bubonic plague.
Have you considered stupidity as an explanation

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Gentleman Jim
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Re: Wuhan Coronavirus

Post by Gentleman Jim » Thu Jan 30, 2020 8:43 am

Just to get this "killer virus" thing into perspective:
How many have died from this corona virus so far? (estimated)
How many will have died of 'flu in the same time period?
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snoozeofreason
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Re: Wuhan Coronavirus

Post by snoozeofreason » Thu Jan 30, 2020 8:47 am

According to WHO figures, China normally experiences about 250,000 road fatalities per year. Lots of pictures of empty roads are appearing on the news, so the death toll might have significantly declined in recent weeks, particularly in the most affected places. Maybe the outbreak is saving more lives than it takes, at least for the time being.
Last edited by snoozeofreason on Thu Jan 30, 2020 8:50 am, edited 2 times in total.
In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them. The human body was knocked up pretty late on the Friday afternoon, with a deadline looming. How well do you expect it to work?

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snoozeofreason
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Re: Wuhan Coronavirus

Post by snoozeofreason » Thu Jan 30, 2020 8:47 am

Hit quote instead of edit (again)
In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them. The human body was knocked up pretty late on the Friday afternoon, with a deadline looming. How well do you expect it to work?

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Re: Wuhan Coronavirus

Post by mikeh » Thu Jan 30, 2020 8:51 am

Gentleman Jim wrote:
Thu Jan 30, 2020 8:43 am
Just to get this "killer virus" thing into perspective:
How many have died from this corona virus so far? (estimated)
How many will have died of 'flu in the same time period?
About 130 coronavirus deaths so far
70 flu deaths in the UK alone this season, weekly reports on that are here https://www.gov.uk/government/statistic ... 020-season

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El Pollo Diablo
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Re: Wuhan Coronavirus

Post by El Pollo Diablo » Thu Jan 30, 2020 8:55 am

tbf, more will have died from strokes or heart attacks or cancer or whatever in that time. Making comparisons is fun.
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lpm
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Re: Wuhan Coronavirus

Post by lpm » Thu Jan 30, 2020 9:01 am

Flu will kill about 500,000 people a year. Some years lower - but could also be 20 million to 50 million as in 1918-19.

1 million people will be killed by cars, 400,000 by malaria, 1 million by suicide.

If this has a 0.5% fatality rate and a third of the global population gets it (as per estimates of 1918-19) then that's 0.5% x 7.8 billion x 1/3 = 13 million.

Or 1% of the population catches it, 400,000 fatalities.
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Ladysavage
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Re: Wuhan Coronavirus

Post by Ladysavage » Thu Jan 30, 2020 9:01 am

A Facebook friend of mine who I've not seen in 20 years is now posting all-sorts of stuff about not ordering from Wish because of the virus. I can think of many reasons not to order from that site but getting coronavirus isn't one of them

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lpm
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Re: Wuhan Coronavirus

Post by lpm » Thu Jan 30, 2020 9:06 am

El Pollo Diablo wrote:
Thu Jan 30, 2020 8:55 am
tbf, more will have died from strokes or heart attacks or cancer or whatever in that time. Making comparisons is fun.
That death rate must go up a lot when a city is in lockdown and hospitals are swamped - by far exceeding fatality savings from fewer cars. The suicide rate would be interesting if figures ever emerge. Would also be interesting to see any impact on smoking rates - "all gonna die anyway" mentality vs "lungs are quite important" realisations.

Plus the economic impact on China will keep people a bit poorer, and poverty is a major killer.
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sTeamTraen
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Re: Wuhan Coronavirus

Post by sTeamTraen » Thu Jan 30, 2020 9:09 am

Ladysavage wrote:
Thu Jan 30, 2020 9:01 am
A Facebook friend of mine who I've not seen in 20 years is now posting all-sorts of stuff
We need psychiatric research into age-related crankery. In my experience it mostly seems to affect the obvious group (men over about 45, c.f. Gannon etc), but also a small number of women, possibly from a slightly younger age. I've seen a couple of women with various New Age things in their profiles and photos in the mid-30s range (yes, I know) making weird claims about this outbreak, including that it's a plot by the US government to conceal the fact that they went bankrupt on Monday of last week.
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OneOffDave
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Re: Wuhan Coronavirus

Post by OneOffDave » Thu Jan 30, 2020 9:21 am

The reason the DHSC spokesperson may not know the detail about the flight from Wuhan will probably be that those flight type operations are run by FCO and higher levels of the other government departments aren't involved. Cross government involvement will be at a lower more operational level

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Gentleman Jim
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Re: Wuhan Coronavirus

Post by Gentleman Jim » Thu Jan 30, 2020 9:39 am

El Pollo Diablo wrote:
Thu Jan 30, 2020 8:55 am
tbf, more will have died from strokes or heart attacks or cancer or whatever in that time. Making comparisons is fun.
True. It was more the "hysterical" nature of the tabloid headlines "KILLER VIRUS"
A f.ck load of viruses are and possibly kill more than this Corona virus - HIV, Dengue; Rotavirus to name but three
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Re: Wuhan Coronavirus

Post by Chris Preston » Thu Jan 30, 2020 9:44 am

mikeh wrote:
Thu Jan 30, 2020 8:51 am
Gentleman Jim wrote:
Thu Jan 30, 2020 8:43 am
Just to get this "killer virus" thing into perspective:
How many have died from this corona virus so far? (estimated)
How many will have died of 'flu in the same time period?
About 130 coronavirus deaths so far
70 flu deaths in the UK alone this season, weekly reports on that are here https://www.gov.uk/government/statistic ... 020-season
170 deaths from 7,900 cases to date.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

Earlier reports of the deaths in China stated they were more likely to be over 65, male and have a pre-existing respiratory condition (probably related to cigarette smoking). Fatality rate of about 2.4% is greater than influenza, but lower than SARS.
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Gfamily
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Re: Wuhan Coronavirus

Post by Gfamily » Thu Jan 30, 2020 9:44 am

Gentleman Jim wrote:
Thu Jan 30, 2020 9:39 am
El Pollo Diablo wrote:
Thu Jan 30, 2020 8:55 am
tbf, more will have died from strokes or heart attacks or cancer or whatever in that time. Making comparisons is fun.
True. It was more the "hysterical" nature of the tabloid headlines "KILLER VIRUS"
A f.ck load of viruses are and possibly kill more than this Corona virus - HIV, Dengue; Rotavirus to name but three
One difference is that this seems to be relatively easily transmissible by casual human contact, so does not depend on a specific vector or behaviour - so like the 1919 Flu epidemic it could well have a global scale impact.
My avatar was a scientific result that was later found to be 'mistaken' - I rarely claim to be 100% correct
ETA 5/8/20: I've been advised that the result was correct, it was the initial interpretation that needed to be withdrawn
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