Coronavirus thread

[Florestan]

I go by the rule that if a person spends a lot of money to get elected, then that person is not someone I want in office. 

Agreed wholeheartedly.

[Daverz]

It's just starting to sink in here how long this thing may last

https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/3/17/21181694/coronavirus-covid-19-lockdowns-end-how-long-months-years

And I'm running out of beer.   

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Yeesh!

I never open the door to people I don't know. Period. You can ask questions through the door if necessary. When was the last time a stranger came to your door and it was really important that you hear it (and the person was not in a fire or police uniform)? Exactly....

Silly me!  I had at first thought that it was someone from a utility company or maybe census bureau on official (necessary) business.  And yes, next time I'll answer through the door's crack...at least 'til things have calmed down.   

I did let the police know and the officer who answered the non-emergency number agreed that it was not a smart thing for the guy to be doing at this point in time and would talk to their supervisor about that; and, hopefully,  if they found him would suggest that to him.  I tried calling the company first, but I must have gotten the name of it incorrectly as they said that they would never send people around like that.  Anyhoo....

[Pohjolas Daughter]

You should have started coughing and complaining about your runny nose....

I live in a townhouse, and am usually upstairs,  So when the (now relatively rare) solicitor comes around,  I open up the front bedroom window and talk to them from there.

A few months ago, the man running against the incumbent mayor of my city came around, going door to door in anticipation of the election (which is today).  First time a politician has come to my door in a while.  I ended up voting for him.  Both as a courtesy for the door to door campaign, and because the incumbent is doing a huge number of mailings, most negative.  I go by the rule that if a person spends a lot of money to get elected, then that person is not someone I want in office.  He (or she) wants it to badly.

Oh, that would have been way way too cruel!

[Florestan]

I'm running out of beer.   

I'm beginning to run out of my next-to-last barrel of home-made wine.

I promised myself --- and I will keep my promise, so help me my wife! --- not to open the last barrel before Easter (April 19, that is). So if I run out of wine I'll go the beer route --- I don't know about USA but here in Romanai there's never going to be any shortage of beer.

Really. folks --- in the last few weeks I realized that Romania may look like an Eastern Europe backward country to foreigners but to myself, accustomed as I am to Romania inside out, it looks like one of the best countries to be in right now. I mean, 184 infections, 18 people cured and not a single death in 3 weeks doesn't look that bad, eh?

[JBS]

Silly me!  I had at first thought that it was someone from a utility company or maybe census bureau on official (necessary) business.  And yes, next time I'll answer through the door's crack...at least 'til things have calmed down.   

I did let the police know and the officer who answered the non-emergency number agreed that it was not a smart thing for the guy to be doing at this point in time and would talk to their supervisor about that; and, hopefully,  if they found him would suggest that to him.  I tried calling the company first, but I must have gotten the name of it incorrectly as they said that they would never send people around like that.  Anyhoo....

If they denied knowing about it, he may have been a scam artist.  In which case the police really do need to find him!

[JBS]

It's just starting to sink in here how long this thing may last

https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/3/17/21181694/coronavirus-covid-19-lockdowns-end-how-long-months-years

And I'm running out of beer.   

The article includes a picture of Fort Lauderdale Beach.  My original plans for today (I was scheduled off from work) included a nice walk there.  The weather here is perfect--no rain, lows aboug 70F, highs in the mid80s--for the beach.

Sigh.....

[Florestan]

a nice walk there.  The weather here is perfect-

Talk about *I want it all and I want it now!*   

[JBS]

Talk about *I want it all and I want it now!*   

Yes, but I hardly ever go to the beach.  Either it's raining, or it's the middle of snowbird season, or it's summer and it's too dang hot out to enjoy being outside.  Even if the outside is the ocean surf.

[Karl Henning]

I'm beginning to run out of my next-to-last barrel of home-made wine.

I promised myself --- and I will keep my promise, so help me my wife! --- not to open the last barrel before Easter (April 19, that is). So if I run out of wine I'll go the beer route --- I don't know about USA but here in Romanai there's never going to be any shortage of beer.

Really. folks --- in the last few weeks I realized that Romania may look like an Eastern Europe backward country to foreigners but to myself, accustomed as I am to Romania inside out, it looks like one of the best countries to be in right now. I mean, 184 infections, 18 people cured and not a single death in 3 weeks doesn't look that bad, eh?

May the mildness continue!

[Florestan]

May the mildness continue!

Thanks, to USA as well!

[Florestan]

I hardly ever go to the beach.  Either it's raining, or it's the middle of snowbird season, or it's summer and it's too dang hot out to enjoy being outside.  Even if the outside is the ocean surf.

Then it's really a trifle for you staying home. Listening all day long to music --- must be heaven, aint'it it?

Really now...

If you had asked most of the very same people who are now forced to work from home, they'd have told you they unfortunately had no time to spend with their children due to their job consumming most of their time. Now that they are forced to work from home, they complain about not being able to work normally. But, for God's sake, now they are forced to spend most of their time at home, with their chidlren -- so what are they complaining about?

[Karl Henning]

It's just starting to sink in here how long this thing may last

https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/3/17/21181694/coronavirus-covid-19-lockdowns-end-how-long-months-years

And I'm running out of beer.   

Aye.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

If they denied knowing about it, he may have been a scam artist.  In which case the police really do need to find him!

Could be, or could be I just got the energy company's name wrong too!

The article includes a picture of Fort Lauderdale Beach.  My original plans for today (I was scheduled off from work) included a nice walk there.  The weather here is perfect--no rain, lows aboug 70F, highs in the mid80s--for the beach.

Sigh.....

Sorry, it sounds like it would have been a lovely walk!  I hope to go out for one myself--though not on a beach.  So, go stretch your legs...any parks nearby?   

[geralmar]

We Americans know how to protect ourselves during the Trump virus pandemic:

https://time.com/5804562/coronavirus-fears-gun-sales/

[Rinaldo]

Not much is known about the situation in Russia, as the government keeps mum on the subject. A CBC article says it's a time bomb.

The silence is worrying, to say the least, although I was wondering if geographical separation of large cities might play a positive role over there?

Went emergency shopping (read: we ran out of wine) today. My mask was in the washing machine so a scarf had to do.



Felt a strong urge to shout "everybody be cool, this is a robbery!" when entering the supermarket.

[Florestan]

I am not a doctor or biologist or virologist. I'm an engineer, so take all my comments cum grano salis.

The global impact of COVID-19 has been profound, and the public health threat it represents  is the most serious seen in a respiratory virus since the 1918 H1N1 influenza pandemic.

1918, really? How about 1968 Hong Kong flu? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_flu_pandemic

Here we present the results of epidemiological modelling which has informed policymaking in the UK and other countries in recent weeks

Recent weeks, that is 3 (three) weeks. In these three weeks Italy has witnessed a national tragedy. Epidemiological modelling with respect to Italy is completely irrelevant since during the same three weeks Romania has confirmed 184 cases and not a single death

[Florestan]

In the absence of a COVID-19 vaccine, we assess the potential role of a number of public  health  measures –so-called  non-pharmaceutical  interventions  (NPIs) –aimed  at  reducing contactrates in the population and thereby reducing transmission of the virus. In the results presented here, we apply a previously published microsimulation model to two countries: the UK (Great Britain specifically) and the US.

Let's see that.

[Florestan]

Two fundamental strategies are possible: (a) mitigation, which focuses on slowing but not necessarily stopping epidemic spread

"slowing but not necessarily stopping" --- what medical authority gets to decide?

[Florestan]

suppression, which aims to reverse epidemic growth, reducing case  numbers to low  levels  and  maintaining  that  situation  indefinitely

Who gets to decide it's indefinitedly?