Is the situation about the Coronavirus worrying?

[daveb]

Apparently there was a case of coronavirus found in my city and now there are reports that some stores have run out of things like toilet paper and bottled water. 

[Zagadka]

Yeesh. Don't panic.

 

I've heard that some cities are running out of face masks for medical professionals. This shit is weird.

[daveb]

6 minutes ago, Zagadka said:

Don't panic.

And be sure you know where your towel is.

 

42

[Zagadka]

Just now, daveb said:

And be sure you know where your towel is.

 

42

I was thinking of that book as I wrote it.  It is hard not to.

[south paw]

/

 

[Gloomy]

I’m personally not worried. Even if I do end up getting it, the mortality rate is what, 3%? Maybe if I had a weak immune system and a bunch of other health problems I’d be worried.

[Skycaptain]

That mortality rate is only amongst those who've been tested. There are people who have not experienced sufficiently severe symptoms to seek medical attention. 

[uhtred]

On 3/1/2020 at 3:41 AM, Skycaptain said:

More to the point, during previous pandemics the media weren't whipping everyone into a hysterical frenzy, and politicians weren't threatening to impose Orwellian restrictions on the population. 

Is the media creating an unreasonable frenzy? This is far more dangerous that terrorism or hand guns.   This has a real potential to kill hundreds of thousands in the US and millions around the world if not contained. 

[Skycaptain]

Do we hear of international sporting events being postponed because of flu? Do we hear of people effectively placed under house arrest because of flu? Do we hear of allegedly democratic countries banning travel, putting cities under lock down etc because of flu? 

 

Nay, nay and thrice nay

 

Do people panic buy, hoard and stockpile household essentials because of flu? Nope. 

 

We need a sense of perspective here. Yes, regrettably it is fatal to some people. Some need hospital treatment, most would write their symptoms off as a cough, less severe than flu, often less severe than a common cold 

[Guest]

17 hours ago, daveb said:

Apparently there was a case of coronavirus found in my city and now there are reports that some stores have run out of things like toilet paper and bottled water. 

When I was in Hong Kong weeks ago, the paper towels and toilet paper were the go items to rapidly sell out. 

The confusing one, was seeing condom boxes and aisles sold out. 

 

Got to point where face masks were being sold in markets at 5 times the MRSP. 

 

Literally even some foreigners got in on the frenzy, selling them on the street.

 

People panic for no reason, and create a bigger issue. 

 

I had to go to the ER in my city, to find face masks due to the panic. 

 

Ridiculous, considering medical staff need them more than anyone else I'd you want a fighting chance should you get it. 

 

I felt bad taking two masks, but they had offered me the entire box when I told their receptionist where I was headed the next business day.

[Guest]

I get sick explaining to people how meticulous of precautions I took when going to China. 

 

Just the panic people have they will die because of me. 

 

The lack of education in how these types of illness spread, makes me want to slap some. 

 

Common sense is your best weapon. 

[timewarp]

There's a strong upside to the whole thing. Air quality in China has massively improved since the outbreak, which means there is some argument to be made that for the majority of the population the Corona virus is actually quite healthy.

[Pidge_Holt]

A Harvard researcher has studied this virus, and says that it could effect up to 70% of the population, as well as that, companies in Japan, and where my dad works, are being either being stopped until the virus goes away, or are being slowed down.

[Ms. Carolynne]

On 3/1/2020 at 9:54 PM, Gloomy said:

I’m personally not worried. Even if I do end up getting it, the mortality rate is what, 3%? Maybe if I had a weak immune system and a bunch of other health problems I’d be worried.

Most of that is the elderly, those with compromised immune systems, and people with cardiovascular issues.

 

Of course, I think it's also worth mentioning how infectious the disease is, as well as it not being as well studied. It has the potential to be very damaging in general, even if 3 % doesn't seem like a lot. The fact that it could infect a lot more people means it can kill more people too. That's what makes it dangerous, from what I understand.

 

I think in some respects it's over hyped and not something to panic about, but it should still be taken seriously, especially around vulnerable populations.

[SithLord]

2 hours ago, Pidge_Holt said:

A Harvard researcher has studied this virus, and says that it could effect up to 70% of the population, as well as that, companies in Japan, and where my dad works, are being either being stopped until the virus goes away, or are being slowed down.

Yeah, it's quite frustrating here. No theme parks, no sporting events, no students to teach. Some flights to Japan are even being cancelled and tourism is dicouraged. 

[Myssterry]

My main worry is the threat of schools being shut for weeks on end which would have a disastrous effect on my income (hourly paid contract).  I hope things work out with a balance between curbing the spread of the illness to protect vulnerable groups, and panic which will break society and people's livelihoods.

[Skycaptain]

@Mz Terry, second you on the above point. 

[Homer]

Yesterday a passenger tried to escape a fine by claiming that they had Cortana  this got a huge machinery going and the resulting bill is likely to be so much worse than the original fine.

 

Edit: Cortana has reached the charts. Now all that's missing is a Harry Potter book on the matter.

[Gatto]

[daveb]

She wasn't talking about Covid-19. 

[Gatto]

Indeed not. However, she had meant to effect good through panic. However tempting it is, I advise against this. It's a bit like trying to do good with Sauron's ring.

 

I don't expect to convince anyone else of this. I certainly cannot force grace upon anyone. Humans will continue to rely on fear, hatred and lies as means to theoretically noble ends. And I don't mean that it can't work, insofar as good can come from evil (even by accident); that doesn't mean we should prescribe it.

[Gatto]

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/03/trump-playbook-coronavirus/607342/

[timewarp]

I wish people panicked a little more about climate change and a little less about COVID-19. On the long term the former is the far bigger threat. To be fair, the panic about COVID-19 will probably be quite effective at reducing CO2 emissions for a few weeks or months.

[Homer]

Panic is never a good advisor.

[Gatto]

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/mar/03/a-coronavirus-recession-could-be-supply-side-with-a-1970s-flavour

[Tanwen]

Has anyone tried buying hand sanitiser? Shelves have been cleared around here.

[Zagadka]

Originally, i was smarmily pissed at China for fudging their reporting numbers for tests, infected, etc... now, the US has stopped reporting testing numbers - for the few people who can afford testing - altogether. I'm still not afraid, but damn this is sad.

[Skycaptain]

At least someone has spoken out publicly in Britain (can't remember whether on Radio 2, 6 music or Absolute) and pointed out that most people will only experience similar symptoms to the common cold 

Politicians listening to our hysterical media will cause more harm than the virus the way they're scaremongering. 

 

As has been said, a lot of people dare not take time off sick if they have a cough, whose going to compensate them? In Britain they talk about giving the self employed universal credit if they cannot work, but often people need to take £300+ per week to cover static costs of their work 

[iff]

1 hour ago, Tanwen said:

Has anyone tried buying hand sanitiser? Shelves have been cleared around here.

The shelves of hand-wash were bare today. I got four of the 2 euro bottles for work and that left 2 of the 2 euro left on the shelf. 

 

There were some more expensive ones though. 

 

I don't get it. Wouldn't people just be buying hand-wash on a regular basis (I have 3 open ones at homes and 5 unopened ones, basically I buy them at regular intervals. Actually thinking of selling 3 of the 5 unopened ones at a big markup  not really) 

 

Ireland has so far carried out 397 tests for coronavirus. 2 positive tests. 0.5% rate. 

 

[Skycaptain]

Well, I have never used sanitiser. To me low-level exposure to pathogens stimulates the immune system, which is why I rarely get more than a sniffles