Coronavirus COVID-19 Thread

Aramsolari

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In scanning the headlines every morning, one thing keeps popping up, and that is we are seeing more and more spikes in infections in almost every town or city that reopens.

The majority of the new infections are in people below 40, so mortality rates are not that bad compared to the 70+ demographic.

Its looking more and more likely that this is not going to go away any time soon.

Remember when there were some hopes that the warm weather would slow it?

Not happening.
Did a trip to Penticton over the weekend. Drove by the beaches. Yeah...it's basically like Florida out there.
 
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Montoya

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Did a trip to Penticton over the weekend. Drove by the beaches. Yeah...it's basically like Florida out there.
Kelowna was the same, all the parks and beaches are full, everybody going on as if there is nothing out there.

Distancing outdoors is ok though, there were no large groups co-mingling, but I suspect the night scene is different with bars and clubs.
 

NaffNaffBobFace

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COVID Catharsis Corner - Reports from around the world from today Thursday 23rd of July:

- US: Passes 4 million cases, it took 98 days to reach the first million, only 16 to reach the latest million.

- UK: Figures released show just shy of 150,000 redundencies, but 9.3 million staff still on furlough.

- South Africa: 60% higher excess deaths over yearly average suggests COVID taking a heavy toll.

- US: Scientists from Columbia University NY create potent antibody mix which could be mass produced and infused into patients as a possible treatment.

- India: Study finds nearly 25% of people in Delhi have had COVID-19.

- Sweden: Despite not imposing a lockdown, unemployment climbs to highest level for 22 years, at just short of 10%

- US: Numbers from Wednesday reveal California, Missouri, North Dakota and West Virginia recorded record high daily cases and Alabama, Idaho and Texas recorded record high daily deaths.

- UK: Government releases full face covering information and guidence half a day before it is due to be enacted tomorrow.

- Belgium: Restrictions to be reintroduces as cases rise again.

- Australia: Biggest deficit recorded since the Second World War.
 

August

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One of the largest vectors here has been either people not getting tested immediately (I feel a bit sick, but it’s probably nothing), or getting tested and then going shopping for stuff (I might be locked down for a fortnight). And most of the current community spread can be linked back to the security guards at the hotels international travellers were isolated in.

So this is where we’re at here in Victoria. And I don’t think many of us are actually bothered or upset by enforced masks. It’s the sensible thing to do.

 

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First off, I want to say thanks to everyone that's been posting up the TLDR highlights. Trying to keep up with the news can be exhausting when the trend is to hide 5 seconds of info in 15 minutes of text or video. Just wanted to say I appreciate it.

For my $0.02, I ran into a potential future issue regarding the automotive market when I tried to expand my fleet at work. Remember the "cash for clunkers" thing? All tallied up, that was around 690,000 vehicles that got deleted from the economy. It wrecked the used car market. What you used to pay $500-$1,000 for previously is now around $3,000. At least that's been the case in the states I've lived in since. It really hurt the automotive economy.

So with that in mind, and looking at how badly 690k vehicles hurt the industry, it looks like prices are going to get even worse. With the Covid, everyone shut down for a couple months. That includes the domestic automotive manufacturers. Near as i can tell, that's about 400,000-500,000 cars that never got made. Plus, many of the major rental car agencies have cancelled their orders for this fiscal year. That's a further several hundred thousand cars that aren't going to be made this year. That's lead to a couple things currently happening. For instance, Kelly's Blue Book has already started increasing the assessed value of some vehicles. Buyers at the dealer only auctions are currently paying market value for used cars to replace their stock. Additional fees are being added to the cost of new vehicle "sticker price".

Ultimately, if you are looking to sell or purchase any vehicles in the near future, you may want to take a hard look at the vehicle value. There's already a growing distance between pre-covid vehicle pricing and now. It looks like it's just going to keep growing too. I also suspect that dealership sales staff will get extra shady over the next months and years.
 

stockish

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Governor of AZ did not outright say that he is not cancelling in person classes when they return, but has pushed them back along with keeping most bars and stuff still closed.

 

NaffNaffBobFace

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COVID Catharsis Corner - Reports from around the world from today Friday 24th of July:

- UK: Prime Minister states there are lessons to be learned from the countries early handling of the outbreak and they didn't understand the virus in the first few months. The statement has been described by some politicians as an "understatement"

- US: President Trump cancels Florida Republican convention citing a "flareup" of cases.

- India: Record high single day new infection rate of 49,310 cases.

- Pakistan: 103 year old recovers from the virus.

- Brazil: President Bolsonaro ignores distancing precautions despite being knowing carrier.

- France: with 1,130 new cases in the last 24 hours COVID-19 makes an unwelcome return with second day in a row cases have been over a thousand.

- US: From August 1st anyone entering a McDonalds in America will need to be wearing a face mask. They will also have procedures to serve those who are unable or whom do not wish to wear a mask.

- Zambia: Airline Mahogany Air criticized for claiming badges equipped to staff and passengers have air and virus purifying qualities.
 

Jolly_Green_Giant

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So my Uncle (Miami-Dade Fire Rescue) Just stopped by on his way back from a trip. Here's the info I gathered:


Jackson Memorial Hospital has an entire old hospital they are going to use as overflow if needed, which he doesnt expect to start anytime soon.

About 200 of a force of 2500 (MDFR) are out because of COVID.

Compared to Miami, he says being out around here (Polk County / Central Florida) he doesn't see anyone wearing masks, expects it to get real bad up here if it really starts spreading.

Everyone in Miami is taking it super serious.

He gets tested every 3 weeks.

The department has a 30% positivity rate.

One of his coworkers is having complications months later.

He's not too sure about where the capacity of the hospitals in the county stand atm, as private ambulances are the ones doing interfacility transfers.

His whole family thinks my grandma, grandpa and my aunt are insane (as do I) and even after hearing all this they don't care. That whole generation just doesn't give a fuck even though they're the ones getting it.

Neighbors were staring at us for wearing masks in the driveway as we sat and talked, because were not getting near each other.
 
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Jolly_Green_Giant

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This is the scary part.

The long term repercussions of getting it are scary!
Yeah he said the same thing. Said months later, still short of breath, spiking a fever, just general stuff like that. He told the whole family because of their age that it WILL kill them. If for some reason it doesn't these long term complications will destroy what quality of life they have.
 
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NaffNaffBobFace

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COVID Catharsis Corner - Reports from around the world from today Saturday 25th of July:

- Spain: As cases grow and restrictions are reimposed, so do concerns of a second wave in the country and Europe as a larger area. UK imposes 14 day mandatory quarantine on holiday makers returning from the country as of tomorrow.

- UK: Police turn 60 cars away from the Snowden National Park before 8am. Vehicles that were parked illegally were also towed.

- Scotland: No COVID deaths for 9th day in a row.

- US: New York COVID hospitalizations are at 646, reportedly the lowest level since beginning of pandemic in March.

- Brazil: President Bolsonaro tests negative for coronavirus having contracted and been symptomatic with the contageon.

- Vietnam: First locally transmitted case for three months detected, putting the country back on alert.

- UK: Government puts out appeal for public to join Vaccine Clinical Trials to speed up development and "end pandemic sooner".

- Ukraine: Country records highest number of cases in a month.
 

stockish

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Uh oh, the glorious democratic people's republic of Korea has entered lockdown as someone apparently with COVID entered the country.


This will be a very interesting story to watch unfold, given how secretive they are.
 
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NaffNaffBobFace

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Observation on face masks:

Now they are mandatory in shops in the UK I have seen many people wearing the below dust-mask style of mask which have unfiltered valves which allow exhalation breaths to exist the mask unimpeded:

1595752034186.png

(Images stolen from the interwebz)

To my uneducated mind this is a crappy kind of mask: If worn the right way around it leaks virus being breathed out via the unfiltered valves. If worn inside-out to allows air in unbaffled you have less reduction of incoming particles so it's less effective in either use case.

Bearing in mind the official advice is all we need is two layers of thin cotton to serve as a face mask, this valved masks seem to be inadequate - there is a clear point of unimpeded exit.

Perhaps the fact they are specifically built masks rather than home-made DIY makes them more effective even with the valves? Doesn't seem like it, but that's down to the scientists to prove one way or another.
 
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stockish

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This also goes for any of those construction masks, or any filtration mask really, they only protect the wearer. Like you said they do not filter or reduce expelling of contagions a wearer of those types of masks have, even the military masks you see with giant filters on them do not filter outwards unless fitted so.
 

NaffNaffBobFace

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This also goes for any of those construction masks, or any filtration mask really, they only protect the wearer. Like you said they do not filter or reduce expelling of contagions a wearer of those types of masks have, even the military masks you see with giant filters on them do not filter outwards unless fitted so.
Seems like a distinction the population of planet earth really should be made aware of considering the intention is for the masks to reduce transmission by containing it in those who already have it 😅
 

NaffNaffBobFace

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COVID Catharsis Corner - Reports from around the world from today Sunday 26th of July:

- World: Cases pass 16 million. We hit 15 million on Wednesday meaning it's taken 4/5 days to climb another million cases.

- US: Texas - The only Hospital in Starr County sets up a "Death Panel" to choose who is viable and can be admitted for treatment and who isn't and is to be sent home to die as cases continue to surge

- UK: following findings that obesity drastically cuts survival rates in COVID patients, Government launches new Cycling initiative to get the populations shedding weight, promising infrastructure will improve. That's good, you'll be hard pressed to find many rural areas which have paved surfaces between towns that don't have 60mph traffic on them, so I'll look forward to seeing that.

- Germany: 500 workers on a large farm are quarantined as 174 seasonal workers test positive.

- UK: Rush to change quarantine rules on people coming in from Spain draws criticism with some holiday makers discovering only once their aircraft had touched down in the country, casting question marks on the security of their jobs when they get home. People effected include the Transport Secretary who is currently holidaying in the country.

- Costa Rica: Country records record rise in one-day reported cases at 931.
 

Aramsolari

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Observation on face masks:

Now they are mandatory in shops in the UK I have seen many people wearing the below dust-mask style of mask which have unfiltered valves which allow exhalation breaths to exist the mask unimpeded:

View attachment 18204
(Images stolen from the interwebz)

To my uneducated mind this is a crappy kind of mask: If worn the right way around it leaks virus being breathed out via the unfiltered valves. If worn inside-out to allows air in unbaffled you have less reduction of incoming particles so it's less effective in either use case.

Bearing in mind the official advice is all we need is two layers of thin cotton to serve as a face mask, this valved masks seem to be inadequate - there is a clear point of unimpeded exit.

Perhaps the fact they are specifically built masks rather than home-made DIY makes them more effective even with the valves? Doesn't seem like it, but that's down to the scientists to prove one way or another.
Ohh I actually have one of those. I bought it as a joke cause I wanted to look like Bane. Turns out they work alright. The 'valves' actually have filters in them as well.
 
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