Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) resources and discussion thread (Discussion guidelines in OP)

Nintenleo · Feb 24, 2020

So, people always show their worst when there is a situation of deep panic.
In the area of Turin, Italy some fake Red Cross volunteers are going around houses selling fake Coronavirus tests to elderly people.

Coronavirus: finti volontari Cri offrono controllo tampone - Notizie - Ansa.it

Nel Canavese scoperta truffa ai danni di anziani (ANSA)

www.ansa.it

DickGrayson · Feb 24, 2020

Lishi said:
I think people are overreacting, and honestly is quite shameful, what happen to they are heroes? now they are plague carriers?

They have gone in with protective gear and if there is no containment break i don't see why they should be tested. I don't think for example in Singapore they are testing health worker working with quarantine patients, unless needed.

And how the hell it should be executed?
One time test? if there was a risk they work daily with COVID patients probably you plan to test them each day?

Do you plan to test all the nurses and doctor that have contact with COVID patients?

Especially when there is no confirmed evidence of asymptomatic transfer as of yet, if any of the health workers get symptoms I'm sure they'll make a bee-line to the nearest testing place. There is no reason to suspect they are infected since there was no breach of their PPE procedure.

Save the testing time and kits for those who have a higher chance of being infected.

KtotheRoc · Feb 24, 2020

The coronavirus story will also become a health-insurance story in America. This guy went to China, caught the flu, came back, did the responsible thing and reported himself for possible coronavirus — but tested negative and now might have to pay $1,400+. https://t.co/GdDqyODPVw?amp=1

Linkura · Feb 24, 2020

KtotheRoc said:

How uniquely American.

Danielsan · Feb 24, 2020

Finally starting to worry about my Japan trip in two weeks. I don't care about the virus itself. It's non-factor. But, the fact that events are being closed as preventive measures might put a giant damper on our trip.This weekend they decided to close the Ghibli museum until mid March, and we had gotten tickets for the 11th of March... We're now worried they might close Disney Land/Sea as well, as well as other destinations on our itinerary.

I understand that Tokyo is doing whatever it can to nip any further spread of the virus in the bud in order to ensure that the Olympics won't be affected, but for purely selfish reasons I hope they won't take any further measures.

Linkura · Feb 24, 2020

Danielsan said:
Finally starting to worry about my Japan trip in two weeks. I don't care about the virus itself. It's non-factor. But, the fact that events are being closed as preventive measures might put a giant damper on our trip.This weekend they decided to close the Ghibli museum until mid March, and we had gotten tickets for the 11th of March... We're now worried they might close Disney Land/Sea as well, as well as other destinations on our itinerary.

I understand that Tokyo is doing whatever it can to nip any further spread of the virus in the bud in order to ensure that the Olympics won't be affected, but for purely selfish reasons I hope they won't take any further measures.

I'm not going for another 6 weeks but I would cancel in your situation. I don't see anything getting better in the next two weeks there. I am slightly hopeful things will improve in 6 weeks' time, but not optimistic. I am also going to Disneyland/Sea.

C.Mongler · Feb 24, 2020

KtotheRoc said:

This is my biggest concern with a pandemic of any kind breaking out in America. People will put off going to the doctor until they feel like they're at death's door because they don't want to foot a hospital bill. God forbid someone without insurance does have COVID-19; they'll end up thousands in debt after the ordeal, I'm sure.

The American health care system actively dissuades patients from seeking medical attention early; most Americans won't go to the doctor until their sickness is very developed and they've probably spread it to several other people to boot.

Deleted member 21709 · Feb 24, 2020

Danielsan said:
Finally starting to worry about my Japan trip in two weeks. I don't care about the virus itself. It's non-factor. But, the fact that events are being closed as preventive measures might put a giant damper on our trip.This weekend they decided to close the Ghibli museum until mid March, and we had gotten tickets for the 11th of March... We're now worried they might close Disney Land/Sea as well, as well as other destinations on our itinerary.

I understand that Tokyo is doing whatever it can to nip any further spread of the virus in the bud in order to ensure that the Olympics won't be affected, but for purely selfish reasons I hope they won't take any further measures.

Please don't consider it a non-factor.

C.Mongler said:
This is my biggest concern with a pandemic of any kind breaking out in America. People will put off going to the doctor until they feel like they're at death's door because they don't want to foot a hospital bill. God forbid someone without insurance does have COVID-19; they'll end up thousands in debt after the ordeal, I'm sure.

The American health care system actively dissuades patients from seeking medical attention early; most Americans won't go to the doctor until their sickness is very developed and they've probably spread it to several other to boot.

You are on point with this.

Chikor · Feb 24, 2020

KtotheRoc said:

One note here since the article talk about junk insurance plans - pretty much every plan anyone buy on the exchanges will have you pay out of pocket for a hospital visit like that.

Deleted member 42472 · Feb 24, 2020

Danielsan said:
Finally starting to worry about my Japan trip in two weeks. I don't care about the virus itself. It's non-factor. But, the fact that events are being closed as preventive measures might put a giant damper on our trip.This weekend they decided to close the Ghibli museum until mid March, and we had gotten tickets for the 11th of March... We're now worried they might close Disney Land/Sea as well, as well as other destinations on our itinerary.

I understand that Tokyo is doing whatever it can to nip any further spread of the virus in the bud in order to ensure that the Olympics won't be affected, but for purely selfish reasons I hope they won't take any further measures.

As much as it sucks, I would say to cancel if at all feasible

The odds of getting hassled on your way in or your way out are increasingly drastically. The likelihood of the already kind of xenophobic Japanese culture having more "no foreigners" establishments increases. And if shit happens at one of the more crowded places in the hemisphere you could potentially end up in a quarantine for weeks or even months.

charmeleon · Feb 24, 2020

DickGrayson said:
Especially when there is no confirmed evidence of asymptomatic transfer as of yet, if any of the health workers get symptoms I'm sure they'll make a bee-line to the nearest testing place. There is no reason to suspect they are infected since there was no breach of their PPE procedure.

Save the testing time and kits for those who have a higher chance of being infected.

We already know some health officials got infected, and we know the quarantine failed horribly.

Kentaro Iwata, an infectious diseases expert at Kobe University, was brought onto the cruise ship Tuesday, just one day before authorities began allowing passengers to exit the quarantined cruise ship that has been docked in Yokohama since Feb. 3 with more than 3,000 people onboard.

Iwata posted a video to YouTube criticizing the Japanese government's response.
"The cruise ship was completely inadequate in terms of infection control," Iwata said in the video uploaded Tuesday. "There was no distinction between the green zone, which is free of infection, and the red zone, which is potentially contaminated by the virus."

Iwata said the health of passengers, crew and health care professionals working inside are at risk of infection, and the practice is worse than what he saw in Africa during the Ebola crisis.

Iwata said he saw people eating lunch with their medical gloves on, and handling their smartphones while wearing protective suits, "so it was completely chaotic."

Doctor says cruise ship coronavirus situation is ‘completely chaotic’

A Japanese infectious diseases expert from Kobe University posted a video to YouTube detailing lapses in infection control on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

thehill.com

In a possible sign of lax quarantine protocols, three Japanese health officials who helped in the quarantine checks on the ship were also infected.

Experts ponder why cruise ship quarantine failed in Japan

As an extraordinary two-week quarantine of a cruise ship ends Wednesday in Japan, many scientists say it was a failed experiment: The ship seemed to serve as an incubator for the new virus from China instead of an isolation facility meant to prevent the worsening of an outbreak.

medicalxpress.com

Not testing everyone involved on that ship is a horrible idea.

iamaustrian · Feb 24, 2020

Linkura said:
The medical workers are heroes. The people deciding not to test them are in the wrong.

The Diamond Princess has a VERY HIGH rate of infection. They should be tested. Yes, they should test nurses and doctors who have contact with COVID patients on a semi-regular basis. Not daily, but at least once every 1-2 weeks or if they show symptoms.

You read my post and decided to bring it to the highest level of hyperbole you could in bad faith.

IMO it was a great mistake to keep the healthy and infected people isolated on a fucking boat which shares a giant AC system.

Linkura · Feb 24, 2020

iamaustrian said:
IMO it was a great mistake to keep the healthy and infected people isolated on a fucking boat which shares a giant AC system.

Yup, they should not have been quarantined on the boat in the first place. I know it may have been a big problem finding beds but leaving them all there was not the solution.

Lishi · Feb 24, 2020

Linkura said:
The medical workers are heroes. The people deciding not to test them are in the wrong.

The Diamond Princess has a VERY HIGH rate of infection. They should be tested. Yes, they should test nurses and doctors who have contact with COVID patients on a semi-regular basis. Not daily, but at least once every 1-2 weeks or if they show symptoms.

You read my post and decided to bring it to the highest level of hyperbole you could in bad faith.

There is not proof that they are at risk. If they feel they should be tested because they fear they broke the containment no one is likely to deny them. (unless it's a limited resources in that case they will be send in quarantine i guess)

On the other thing, if they show symptoms they will be tested, if you do each 1-2 weeks probably,
this is the current average.

Mean incubation period observed:
3.0 days (0 - 24 days range, study based on 1,324 cases)
5.2 days (4.1 - 7.0 days range, based on 425 cases).

So it will not be as useful as you think.
To add this:

Test for COVID-19 often carried out alongside others to determine illness

In Singapore, a woman who was first admitted to hospital for dengue fever before she was found to have COVID-19, has been confirmed to be infected with both....

www.youtube.com

The test is quite invasive (10 cm swap inserted inside the nose) and can result in negative at start of the symptomatic phase.
Plus even in a relative rich country as Singapore they only test people who have symptom, people who have close contact with known patient are quarantined.

JaseC64 · Feb 24, 2020

KtotheRoc said:

They should drop the cost of the visit. This person made the right choice. Else he would have done more damage than a fricking doctor visit would be. FFS this is so insane.

KtotheRoc · Feb 24, 2020

JaseC64 said:
They should drop the cost of the visit. This person made the right choice. Else he would have done more damage than a fricking doctor visit would be. FFS this is so insane.

America's healthcare system is straight-up not built for a pandemic.

feline fury · Feb 24, 2020

Coronavirus patients at Travis AFB have nowhere to go

Coronavirus patients at Travis Air Force Base must go. Diamond Cruise ship evacuees who...

sfgate.com

Diamond Cruise ship evacuees who tested positive for the pneumonia-like virus need to leave the base in Fairfield, Calif., even if they don't have symptoms, according to federal authorities.

The California Health and Human Services Agency said in a statement Saturday they must be sent either to the hospital or, if they're not sick enough, isolated until the infection has cleared.

Due to a lack of beds in specialized hospitals in Northern California, one place under consideration is the state-owned Fairview Development Center in Costa Mesa. The center for people with mental disabilities is currently unoccupied, according to the Sacramento Bee.

But the move has been stalled as Costa Mesa officials argue that the plan lacks details about how the community would be protected from the outbreak.

A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order late Friday to halt the transportation of anyone who has tested positive for the new coronavirus to Costa Mesa, a city of 110,000 in the heart of Orange County. U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Stanton scheduled a hearing on the issue Monday.

City officials quickly sought court intervention after learning from the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services that U.S. officials planned to start moving patients to a state-owned facility in Costa Mesa as early as Sunday.

Pretty sure local hospitals in Solano are at capacity for isolation rooms if the feds are going this route. I think the latest reports said Travis AFB still had over 100 cruise ship passengers in quarantine and they've been trying to transfer dozens of positive ones. If this drags out in court, the ones who aren't positive yet may turn positive soon.

Plum · Feb 24, 2020

I'm being 'forced' (family related) to go on a trip to Italy in April and, fuck, this whole thing is sky-rocketing my anxiety. Things could get so much worse by then but I feel that if I raise my concerns I'll be written off as a 'worry-wart' by my family.

Can anyone who's a bit less prone to freaking out explain how risky that trip is going to be? :(

Chikor · Feb 24, 2020

JaseC64 said:
They should drop the cost of the visit. This person made the right choice. Else he would have done more damage than a fricking doctor visit would be. FFS this is so insane.

Nonsense, this is a business, a pandemic means there is more demand, time to raise the price and get that money!

Nivash · Feb 24, 2020

JaseC64 said:
They should drop the cost of the visit. This person made the right choice. Else he would have done more damage than a fricking doctor visit would be. FFS this is so insane.

Definitely. It's seriously important to actually incentivize people to get tested during an outbreak. I work in Sweden. Our universal healthcare system has some copays but all of that is waived if you're being treated for an infection classified as a threat to society, which currently includes COVID-19. If you're ordered to isolate you're also getting a sick leave with full pay for as long as deemed necessary.

The entire point of all of that is to make sure that people don't walk around and spread disease because they can't afford not to.

DickGrayson · Feb 24, 2020

Chikor said:
Nonsense, this is a business, a pandemic means there is more demand, time to raise the price and get that money!

Perhaps we can offer incentives to get people to test at our hospital, a buy 2 tests get 1 free discount... *strokes chin capitalistically*

Alastor3 · Feb 24, 2020

Linkura said:
Yup, they should not have been quarantined on the boat in the first place. I know it may have been a big problem finding beds but leaving them all there was not the solution.

Isn't it because japan dont have much ground to have a containment area?

Sign My Guestbook! · Feb 24, 2020

Plum said:
I'm being 'forced' (family related) to go on a trip to Italy in April and, fuck, this whole thing is sky-rocketing my anxiety. Things could get so much worse by then but I feel that if I raise my concerns I'll be written off as a 'worry-wart' by my family.

Wish I had some useful advice for you. My father's side of the family is similar. They get vaccinated, but they also think flus are for "powering through" instead of for getting better. One of them has died almost twice from trying to work through major infections, and they still keep going on the same way.

Fatoy · Feb 24, 2020

I'm supposed to be speaking at a conference in Florence in the middle of next week, but a few other speakers and sponsors - mostly Italian, but some international - have already pulled out. I'm going to give it another couple of days to see how the situation over there develops, but let's just say I've got my travel insurance policy open in another tab.

wandering · Feb 24, 2020

Plum said:
I'm being 'forced' (family related) to go on a trip to Italy in April and, fuck, this whole thing is sky-rocketing my anxiety. Things could get so much worse by then but I feel that if I raise my concerns I'll be written off as a 'worry-wart' by my family.

Can anyone who's a bit less prone to freaking out explain how risky that trip is going to be? :(

Currently the CDC has a level 1 travel advisory out for Italy, meaning that it should generally be safe to travel there as long as you practice basic health precautions. The outbreak in Italy is confined to the northwestern region of Lombardy, so you're advised to avoid travel there, but most public health officials aren't recommending that people cancel their trips to Italy wholesale just yet. If you're not elderly and don't have other serious health conditions there's little risk. The situation could change in the coming weeks, but that's what we know for now.

Psychotext · Feb 24, 2020

Plum said:
Can anyone who's a bit less prone to freaking out explain how risky that trip is going to be? :(

Statistically, travelling to get there is far, far more risky (especially the bits you do on the road).;

Linkura · Feb 24, 2020

wandering said:
Currently the CDC has a level 1 travel advisory out for Italy, meaning that it should generally be safe to travel there as long as you practice basic health precautions. The outbreak in Italy is confined to the northwestern region of Lombardy, so you're advised to avoid travel there, but most public health officials aren't recommending that people cancel their trips to Italy wholesale just yet. If you're not elderly and don't have other serious health conditions there's little risk. The situation could change in the coming weeks, but that's what we know for now.

Level 1 was also issued for Iran yesterday:

COVID-19 and Travel

CDC travel recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

wwwnc.cdc.gov

Sheepinator · Feb 24, 2020

Annatar86 said:
No, not even mad cow in the early '90s (not sure how it's called WW). This is the power of the internet and national newspapers (from all political agendas) getting away with more fearmongering than 30 years ago.

This reaction in Italy is 100% caused by the media and people making other people panic on social media.

For mad cow we had what was the EU then banning some form of beef meat, including the famous fiorentina (t-bone) and people and butchers fought really hard against that fearmongering and eventually prevailed, but I don't remember eating less meat, we just ate it more towards medium-well than medium-rare (which sucked, tbh).

For H1N1, SARS and all other viral outbreaks ever since, I can't remember any sort of QoL-impacting actions to prevent the viruses from spreading. It was always life as normal.

I remember bringing a girlfriend from North America to Britain during that mad cow disease scare (BSE is the proper name) in the mid 90's. Soon after arriving we were at a food court, she must have ordered for us, my chicken burger or whatever was ready almost immediately, then we watched as one after another after another got served, must have been about 15 people by then. Her food still hadn't arrived. I asked her what she had ordered. She said a burger. I said, "But why?" She went back and changed the order.

LunaSerena · Feb 24, 2020

Marshall said:
Not Corona related, but I overheard a colleague talking to another about 10 feet from me this morning. She says "I went to the Minute Clinic on Friday and tested positive for the flu. They gave me Tamiflu and I felt great the very next day!"

Stay home a few more days idiot.

God, I hate that kind of people. After you begin showing symptoms, you can be contagious for up to 7 days - that bitch can (and will) transmit the flu to others! Zero care that she might transmit it to those with compromised inmune systems... Agh, it seriously pisses me off.

Is it that hard to freaking isolate yourself for a week as to not harm others?

Fridaynightcatlady · Feb 24, 2020

Danielsan said:
Finally starting to worry about my Japan trip in two weeks. I don't care about the virus itself. It's non-factor. But, the fact that events are being closed as preventive measures might put a giant damper on our trip.This weekend they decided to close the Ghibli museum until mid March, and we had gotten tickets for the 11th of March... We're now worried they might close Disney Land/Sea as well, as well as other destinations on our itinerary.

I understand that Tokyo is doing whatever it can to nip any further spread of the virus in the bud in order to ensure that the Olympics won't be affected, but for purely selfish reasons I hope they won't take any further measures.

Is Japan currently at the CDC 2 level?

As for you trip, I totally understand how you feel and I'm sorry. It's definitely something that you can feel upset about, so don't worry about venting it out. As for security/health measures, I'm sure they'll probably close other facilities but who knows. When exactly are you traveling?

As someone who's traveled to Japan (recently, in fact), I can say that your trip won't be ruined by not going to those places. In fact, I didn't visit Disney nor Universal Studios or whatever. Trust me when I say that there's so much more to visit in Japan than those places. As for Ghibli Museum, you can always come back to Japan and know that there are things you still have to visit! If I were you, I'd look into other places to visit and start an alternative itinerary if things go south. If you'd like, I can send you mine.

Linkura · Feb 24, 2020

Annatar86 said:
For mad cow we had what was the EU then banning some form of beef meat, including the famous fiorentina (t-bone) and people and butchers fought really hard against that fearmongering and eventually prevailed, but I don't remember eating less meat, we just ate it more towards medium-well than medium-rare (which sucked, tbh).

And cooking beef to a higher temp level does nothing to prevent mad cow.

Superimposer · Feb 24, 2020

Linkura said:
I'm not going for another 6 weeks but I would cancel in your situation. I don't see anything getting better in the next two weeks there. I am slightly hopeful things will improve in 6 weeks' time, but not optimistic. I am also going to Disneyland/Sea.

I'm going in 4 weeks... do you have any information on any closures of public places/sights/travel restrictions across the country?

Nephtes · Feb 24, 2020

All these cases popping up in Italy have me concerned for my trip to France in May if it spreads past the borders... especially with how open travel in the EU is and the fact that we're staying close to the border with Italy.

Not so much that I'd fear getting the virus so much as I'd be concerned that many places might close or we'd get delayed coming home due to a quarantine.

I'm shook by the reaction of all these places in the US actively turning down victims from the Diamond Princess. These are American citizens who came into contact with the virus through no fault of their own and have already gone through one failed quarantine and are being forced to go through another... but apparently they're treated like they have no rights as citizens. We have a responsibility to care for these people and help ensure the virus doesn't spread.

I mean what are the laws concerning getting caught in a quarantine in another country? Can your employer terminate your job?

Linkura · Feb 24, 2020

Fridaynightcatlady said:
Is Japan currently at the CDC 2 level?

As for you trip, I totally understand how you feel and I'm sorry. It's definitely something that you can feel upset about, so don't worry about venting it out. As for security/health measures, I'm sure they'll probably close other facilities but who knows. When exactly are you traveling?

As someone who's traveled to Japan (recently, in fact), I can say that your trip won't be ruined by not going to those places. In fact, I didn't visit Disney nor Universal Studios or whatever. Trust me when I say that there's so much more to visit in Japan than those places. As for Ghibli Museum, you can always come back to Japan and know that there are things you still have to visit! If I were you, I'd look into other places to visit and start an alternative itinerary if things go south. If you'd like, I can send you mine.

Yes they're level 2.

My main reason for this trip is Tokyo Disneyland/Sea so if they're not open, I'm not going. Been twice before and saw tourist sites then (and will in the future but not alone, as this is my first solo trip).

Linkura · Feb 24, 2020

Superimposer said:
I'm going in 4 weeks... do you have any information on any closures of public places/sights/travel restrictions across the country?

Sanrio Puroland is closed until March 14th. Ghibli Museum is closed until March 18th. Not aware of any other touristy closures yet.

Plum · Feb 24, 2020

wandering said:
Currently the CDC has a level 1 travel advisory out for Italy, meaning that it should generally be safe to travel there as long as you practice basic health precautions. The outbreak in Italy is confined to the northwestern region of Lombardy, so you're advised to avoid travel there, but most public health officials aren't recommending that people cancel their trips to Italy wholesale just yet. If you're not elderly and don't have other serious health conditions there's little risk. The situation could change in the coming weeks, but that's what we know for now.

Thanks. I'm really hoping it doesn't get too much worse by the trip. I do love my family but there's no way in hell that they'd accept cancelling it (and me alone not going won't help either). At least I'm relatively healthy (I'm unhealthy af but I haven't had a proper full-on illness in years) but that's not really making things better.

Psychotext said:
Statistically, travelling to get there is far, far more risky (especially the bits you do on the road).;

That only makes it worse. When we're there we wom't be going to many populated areas but when travelling we'll be going through two major airports twice...

Fridaynightcatlady · Feb 24, 2020

Linkura said:
Yes they're level 2.

My main reason for this trip is Tokyo Disneyland/Sea so if they're not open, I'm not going. Been twice before and saw tourist sites then (and will in the future but not alone, as this is my first solo trip).

Sure. I mean, if I were traveling now, my biggest issue would be potentially getting quarentined. I think that's also what's making a lot of people cancel their flights.

Deleted member 21431 · Feb 24, 2020

MasterChumly said:
I mean countries clearly are NOT treating it like a pandemic so I don't know why the assumption is that the handling wouldn't change at all. People are too focused on China and we should be screening pneumonia patients worldwide.

bottom line we shouldn't be afraid of people being afraid. We should focus on education and preparing in case it continues to spread so people are not so shell shocked when it does come to an area

Totally agree. Most people I know aren't even paying attention. I still see people not washing their hands, sneezing whilst not covering their nose or using their hands instead of sneezing into the crease of their elbow etc.

kingslunk · Feb 24, 2020

The fiancé's business just blocked all travel to Japan and Italy. My trip in March is officially canceled. This sucks :(.

iamaustrian · Feb 24, 2020

I just read on the newspaper a quote from the director of the italian hospital which tests people Maria Gismondo.
Her statement goes like this: "we are at a point where an infection which is slightly worse than an influenza is mistaken with a deadly pandemy. This is crazy."

Well, tbh she is right. This is no ebola or marburg.
Most of the infected have mild or even no symptoms. Sadly it's part of our society that only the (relatively) few dead get the most attention in the news. Bad news are 'good' news.
Should we be alarmed and cautious? Absolutely but lets calm down a bit. Do not forget the thousands who got well again.

Plum said:
I'm being 'forced' (family related) to go on a trip to Italy in April and, fuck, this whole thing is sky-rocketing my anxiety. Things could get so much worse by then but I feel that if I raise my concerns I'll be written off as a 'worry-wart' by my family.

Can anyone who's a bit less prone to freaking out explain how risky that trip is going to be? :(

I will have to go to italy (padua) in two days. I have no choice but I'm not too worried.
Things will be fine (see my statement above) for me and especially for you given the fact that your trip is in april. Viruses hate warm weather and sunlight :)

Annatar86 · Feb 24, 2020

Linkura said:
And cooking beef to a higher temp level does nothing to prevent mad cow.

my family is paranoid, in fact they have stocked up on masks and detergent as soon as people started panicking

smileyforall220 · Feb 24, 2020

iamaustrian said:
I just read on the newspaper a quote from the director of the italian hospital which tests people Maria Gismondo.
Her statement goes like this: "we are at a point where an infection which is slightly worse than an influenza is mistaken with a deadly pandemy. This is crazy."

Well, tbh she is right. This is no ebola or marburg.
Most of the infected have mild or even no symptoms. Sadly it's part of our society that only the (relatively) few dead get the most attention in the news. Bad news are 'good' news.
Should we be alarmed and cautious? Absolutely but lets calm down a bit. Do not forget the thousands who got well again.

I will have to go to italy (padua) in two days. I have no choice but I'm not too worried.
Things will be fine (see my statement above) for me and especially for you given the fact that your trip is in april. Viruses hate warm weather and sunlight :)

Dismissing the fact that some people will die as irrelevent is pretty callous of you. This isnt the cold where people get it and it runs its course. At the rate its spreading, it could become entrenched everywhere as a new constant. A new constant that puts the elderly and people with secondary sickness' at extreme risk. Also there has been no evidence that warm weather and sunlight will affect it at all, so thats just you speculating.

Psychotext · Feb 24, 2020

Plum said:
Thanks. I'm really hoping it doesn't get too much worse by the trip. I do love my family but there's no way in hell that they'd accept cancelling it (and me alone not going won't help either). At least I'm relatively healthy (I'm unhealthy af but I haven't had a proper full-on illness in years) but that's not really making things better.

That only makes it worse. When we're there we wom't be going to many populated areas but when travelling we'll be going through two major airports twice...

You misunderstand, right now stepping out of your house is more dangerous. Flying definitely isn't the most dangerous bit.

People have a poor understanding of risk.

iamaustrian · Feb 24, 2020

smileyforall220 said:
Dismissing the fact that some people will die as irrelevent is pretty callous of you. This isnt the cold where people get it and it runs its course. At the rate its spreading, it could become entrenched everywhere as a new constant. A new constant that puts the elderly and people with secondary sickness' at extreme risk. Also there has been no evidence that warm weather and sunlight will affect it at all, so thats just you speculating.

I didn't dismiss anything. Stop putting words in my mouth. Irrelavent? Where did I said that?
I know that elderly and preconditioned people are at high risk but thats also the case with the yearly influenza strain.

I just wrote that we mostly get bad news but hardly any info about the 97% which are getting well again.

derFeef · Feb 24, 2020

I am all against panic but people dismissing the danger is just crazy.

DickGrayson · Feb 24, 2020

derFeef said:
I am all against panic but people dismissing the danger is just crazy.

There definitely is a place somewhere between abject panic and complete nonchalance where we understand the minimal risk for the vast majority of populations while also understanding the very real impacts on people and health infrastructure that a ~2% death rate pandemic brings. That's 20,000 people per 1,000,000 that get infected which would (and already is) put HUGE strains on local governments and bring so much tragedy to individual people and families.

Deleted member 4614 · Feb 24, 2020

KtotheRoc said:
America's healthcare system is straight-up not built for a pandemic.

American market pricing is not built for correlated events

Fiction · Feb 24, 2020

C.Mongler said:
This is my biggest concern with a pandemic of any kind breaking out in America. People will put off going to the doctor until they feel like they're at death's door because they don't want to foot a hospital bill. God forbid someone without insurance does have COVID-19; they'll end up thousands in debt after the ordeal, I'm sure.

The American health care system actively dissuades patients from seeking medical attention early; most Americans won't go to the doctor until their sickness is very developed and they've probably spread it to several other people to boot.

People will also work sick as fuck because there is no other option. So this is going to be devastating for America if it gets more of a foothold.

Tunichtgut · Feb 24, 2020

I'm certain, this is just gonna spread all over europe very soon. And i don't even know how to get ready for something like this...

Dogstar · Feb 24, 2020

derFeef said:
I am all against panic but people dismissing the danger is just crazy.

Which is why we, as a family, are slowly building a food reserve. NOT panic buying, but getting a little extra each time we shop. Should the worst happen, we can then avoid crowded supermarkets and towns and therefore help ourselves and others, by removing ourselves from likely infection routes, which works both ways. Living in rural Devon in the UK means the risk is very low, but why not take a few precautions 'just in case.'

Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) resources and discussion thread (Discussion guidelines in OP)

Alt Account

One Winged Slayer

User requested account closure

User requested account closure

Enlightened

One Winged Slayer

Alt Account

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account

flâneur

User requested account closure

Alt Account

Deleted member 4614

Fanthropologist