1. #COVID19: China's case total topped 70,000 — 70,548 to be precise. Deaths hit 1770.
New numbers for Feb. 16:
2048 new cases
105 new deaths
China's totals include clinically confirmed cases in Hubei province, not just people who tested positive. pic.twitter.com/YHBpHvLSuM— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) February 17, 2020
This is big: Due to Coronavirus, China is set to delay the National People’s Congress, the annual gathering of nearly 3,000 national legislators in Beijing, says Xinhua.
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) February 17, 2020
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Look for the helpers, Mr. Rogers would say…
Hero.
Wuhan's cat rescuer: the man saving pets abandoned during coronavirus outbreak – video https://t.co/Ih22EMf38Z
— JJ MacNab (@jjmacnab) February 15, 2020
The opposite of helpful: Would-be rising star of the GOP goes full ‘Filthy, scheming, dishonest Chinese’ conspiracy mode:
Sen. Tom Cotton fans the embers of a coronavirus conspiracy theory that has been repeatedly debunked by experts https://t.co/z0Mr4KmiOu
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) February 16, 2020
Just a reminder that this false narrative was heavily pushed by a site run by an exiled Chinese billionaire and tied to Steve Bannon https://t.co/OXttBmk8Ao https://t.co/lndz0yVbuH
— Jane Lytvynenko ????????????????????? (@JaneLytv) February 16, 2020
If Tom Cotton is just asking questions I’d like him to ask how many departments that we’ll need to deal with coronavirus has administration tried to take funding from? How many experts have departed government in reaction to the anti science agenda of the last three years?
— Schooley (@Rschooley) February 17, 2020
International experts participating in the @WHO-led joint mission with ?? have arrived in Beijing & have had their first meeting with Chinese counterparts today. We look forward to this vitally important collaboration contributing to global knowledge about the #COVID19 outbreak
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) February 16, 2020
When fighting an outbreak such as #COVID19, we must be guided by solidarity, not stigma. The greatest enemy we face is not the virus itself; it’s the stigma that turns us against each other. We must stop stigma & hate! #MSC2020
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) February 16, 2020
Fourteen Americans from the Diamond Princess who are on government charter flights back to the US have tested positive for coronavirus https://t.co/NKpwK0BoVi
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) February 17, 2020
New information. >8000 close contacts of reported cases tested for #COVIDｰ19. Most interesting/concerning/comforting result is 34% of close contacts were + for COVID. This is very large fraction of contacts infected- suggests much wider spread. But 1/n.https://t.co/XYSzL4Yo1h
— Michael Mina (@michaelmina_lab) February 15, 2020
So, despite a potentially larger fraction of close contacts than we might have currently known of (though the rate is not too surprising), the data reinforces that most will NOT have severe diseases and many will be very mild. Very nice work by the authors! 3/3
— Michael Mina (@michaelmina_lab) February 15, 2020
Mary G
Tom Cotton is evil.
BlueDWarrior
@Mary G: He is either evil for being stupid enough to believe the most extreme conspiracy theory or brazen enough to signal-boost an insane theory in order to ensure that right-wingers don’t see him as an apostate.
Amir Khalid
I do not dispute that Tom Cotton is ebil, but at least he’s shaved off that stupid beard.
CliosFanboy
And Cotton really, really wants to be president!!!!!
JPL
@Mary G: The Alex Jones of the Senate.
JPL
I hope that Qian posts an update about what’s happening in Wuhan.
Uncle Jeffy
I believe Charlie Pierce refers to Cotton as a “bobble-throated slapstick” – an insult to every slapdick who ever lived.
YY_Sima Qian
When I see the US slide into religio-Fascism, it is not with Trump at the fore, but Tom Cotton or Ted Cruz. Or Marco Rubio as figurehead and Tom Cotton behind the curtain pulling the strings.
YY_Sima Qian
Update from Wuhan:
There now have been 9 confirmed (including 1cured) and 9 suspect cases in my apartment complex, though all of them have been sent to medical facilities or under centralized quarantine for medical observation. The good news is that the suspect case in my building has been cleared of COVID-19, and his/her fever has broken.
Wuhan and Hubei are now for the second time in as many weeks embarking on a campaign to to try to find every infected case in the city and province. The first campaigned lasted from 2/6 to 2/9, supposedly went door to door to screen 98.6% of all households in Wuhan and 99% of all residents. I was very skeptical the first time, and my skepticism proved well founded. We and everyone we know around the city must have been in the “1%”, and it quickly became a joke on Chjneee social media. Beijing seemed to have finally had enough of the embarrassingly pathetic performance and replaced the Party Secretaries of both Hubei and Wuhan last week. The big jump in confirmed cases due to shift in definition last week also happened before the new teams took over. Probably to make sure as much of the bad news is placed on the shoulders of the disgraced bureaucrats as possible.
We shall see how the second campaign goes. There is no artificial deadline this time, just the goal of identify every inflected (presumably those that are symptomatic), make sure every patient has a hospital bed, and every patient is treated. There is also a massive effort in Wuhan to convert additional hospital wards into isolation wards, and convert every large indoor public space into temporary medical facilities to house the mild cases. Hotels and university dormitories are converted to quarantine suspect cases and those with close contact histories. The slogan is to have beds wait for patients, not patients waiting for bed. I heard an unverified goal of 8K beds in isolation wards, and 50K beds in temporary medical facilities. To think when this epidemic started there were 187 beds in isolation ICUs across all of Wuhan, and at least two thirds of which are typically occupied at any given time.
i have seen far fewer desperate plea for help on Chinese social media in the last few days. It could be that they are being censored (though I still see one pop up occasionally), or access to treatment has been significantly alleviated. Anecdotal data from people we know seem to suggest the latter.
Every community in Hubei went under lock down over the weekend. No one in or out of the apartment complexes unless with pass issued by work places deemed critical (public services, medical personnel, key enterprises, etc.) The supermarkets have been well stocked, but people have been strongly discouraged, and now prohibited, from visiting due to fears of transmission. Instead, each community will deal with supermarkets or directly with produce companies to offer standard packages of vegetables, fruits and meats for residence to purchase, and left at the doors for people to collect. Minimizes human contact. Other cities in China have implemented these measures at least a week ago.
I see in the news that cities in many cities in China are adding QR code’s to subway cars, buses, taxis and ride share vehicles for people to scan and to log on/off as they enter and exit. The idea is help the authorities with case tracing, and find people who might have come in close contact with confirmed or suspect cases. People are strongly encouraged to scan the codes, but not quite required to do so, yet.
YY_Sima Qian
One medium to long consequence of this crisis is that the CCP regime may decide to down on mass surveillance + AI to monitor the entire population, dial it to 200. The data is probably already all there already, it is not yet coordinated and centralized enough to allow for rapid analysis and response, but scattered across hundreds of databases that are not yet linked. On the plus side, streets just about everywhere in China have now become incredibly safe from violent crimes and petty crimes. Having lived in NYC in the 90s, dad lived in the City in the 80s, this can be quite liberating from a daily life perspective. However, If you are an opponent of the regime, or is deemed so by the regime, it will be increasing suffocating. Curiously, I don’t get the sense that the CCP regime engages in micro targeting to customize propaganda to each Chinese citizen individually, something it should be able to do.
phdesmond
@YY_Sima Qian: thank you for the continuing flow of information you provide.
Debbie(Aussie)
@YY_Sima Qian: Thank you so much for all this (daily) detailed, insider information. I hope all continues well for those close to you. Take care & be safe.
It never ceases to amaze me of the diverse and interesting and interested people that are a part of the balloon juice jackalatariat.
Yutsano
@Debbie(Aussie): I really shouldn’t be amazed there are jackals on the other side of the Great Firewall. But I’m with you in that I appreciate his insight. And may he and his family stay safe.
YY_Sima Qian
@Yutsano: Balloon Juice and other progressive sites are not blocked by the Great China Firewall. Too low profile in China, I guess…