Next week’s @NewYorker cover: an instant classic pic.twitter.com/ofQ9p6LiqM
— John McMurtrie (@McMurtrieSF) February 28, 2020
*We* were following COVID-19 before it was cool… (sigh)…
New coronavirus infections around the world surpassed those in mainland China, for the first time, where the disease first emerged two months ago https://t.co/UPaEsUkZuR pic.twitter.com/Oh5VdBvA4C
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 27, 2020
China's Feb. 27 #Covid19 numbers are up.
327 new confirmed cases. 44 new deaths.
China's official outbreak totals are now 78,824 cases and 2788 deaths. pic.twitter.com/QkseN6bd5D— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) February 28, 2020
JUST IN: An Italian citizen who traveled to Lagos, Nigeria's economic nerve center, is the first confirmed case of coronavirus in sub Saharan Africa, according to the country's Health Ministry. https://t.co/5JIjhsYopo
— CNN International (@cnni) February 28, 2020
Nigerian CDC confirms a case of #COVID19.
They did an incredible job containing Ebola virus in 2014 in Lagos – most impressive.
But the concern now is people with mild symptoms who below the detection of clinical care that may contribute to spread.https://t.co/wOv2VqGURB
— Isaac Bogoch (@BogochIsaac) February 28, 2020
My latest @SELFmagazine –I discuss what you can do to prepare for a potential #SARSCoV2 epidemic where you are. We also address N95 masks and "will warm weather make the coronavirus go away?" Thanks to @SaskiaPopescu @angie_rasmussen @KindrachukJason https://t.co/ZwTfrFm6sq
— Dr. Tara C. Smith (@aetiology) February 27, 2020
.@wellcometrust director @JeremyFarrar warns the #Covid19 crisis could rival the 2008 financial crash in terms of damage to economies & calls on the @WorldBank & IMF to step up to the tune of $10B — NOW. pic.twitter.com/ycKtGmYEur
— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) February 27, 2020
17,000 Americans died of H1N1 in 2009, but it barely registered on Wall Street because stocks already crashed 50% and we were talking about a new Depression.
COVID-19 hit with the market at record highs, 80% of S&P 500 stocks above their 200-day. Sellers needed a reason.
— Downtown Josh Brown (@ReformedBroker) February 26, 2020
World prepares for coronavirus pandemic as infections spread rapidly, countries start stockpiling medical equipment and investors take flight in expectation of a global recession https://t.co/0UwAFggfW8 Follow our live blog for #coronavirus updates: https://t.co/eDq7Uq1JLH pic.twitter.com/a4OmuG3vAx
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 28, 2020
A broad guess is that 25-70% of people in any infected country may catch the new coronavirus—governments must prepare for this https://t.co/CUpvemqlqY
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) February 28, 2020
This is an excellent summary of reasons why #SARSCoV2 likely won't be beaten by the transition to summer. https://t.co/FA3dphxJFc
— Dr. Tara C. Smith (@aetiology) February 27, 2020
"Do not mistake me: I am not downplaying the seriousness of the situation, or the potential for this to become a pandemic, because it has that potential. Every scenario is still on the table."#COVID19
https://t.co/mIOuHOPrQU via @smh— ɪᴀɴ ᴍ ᴍᴀᴄᴋᴀʏ, ᴘʜᴅ ????? (@MackayIM) February 27, 2020
This is the coronavirus. It was isolated from the first Australian case and captured in this colourised transmission electron micrograph image.
⠀@UQ_News has confirmed the creation of the vaccine candidate for coronavirus, achieved in just three weeks.
⠀ pic.twitter.com/C8TK2ka6Ea— CSIRO (@CSIRO) February 27, 2020
Moderna Therapeutics, a biotech company based in Cambridge, Mass., has shipped the first batches of its COVID-19 vaccine https://t.co/lQQGaF97WD
— TIME (@TIME) February 27, 2020
The US Navy has ordered all ships that have visited countries in the Pacific region to effectively self-quarantine and remain at sea for 14 days in order to monitor sailors for any coronavirus symptoms https://t.co/wbnTLYWswN pic.twitter.com/wHfzln4Rq4
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) February 28, 2020
Actually one day https://t.co/fVjH2DqxiC
— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) February 27, 2020
People have said for three years “Trump is lucky he hasn’t had to deal w a major crisis.”
His luck has run out.
Ours too.
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) February 27, 2020
"The decision to put Mr. Pence in charge was made on Wednesday after the president told some people that the vice president didn't 'have anything else to do', according to people familiar with the president’s comments." ?????? https://t.co/iZ1IshWbsS
— David Roberts (@drvox) February 27, 2020
So a guy who doesn't believe in science — who has denied that smoking can kill you, or that condoms can protect you; who does not believe in evolution, or in climate change — will now be vetting the statements of government scientists. Cool, cool. https://t.co/9dovvVfAKc
— Binyamin Appelbaum (@BCAppelbaum) February 27, 2020
Facebook bans coronavirus cure, prevention ads to stop those seeking to profit off fears https://t.co/kYH4vQGHAh
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) February 27, 2020
This is the guy standing between us and a nationwide outbreak. pic.twitter.com/xA0S2U1IKD
— Jay Kirell (@JasonKirell) February 28, 2020
WaterGirl
Can we put that photo of Pence touching the item that is explicitly labelled DO NOT TOUCH, with a hazard symbol… side-by-side with the photo of Trump looking directly into the sun without glasses on?
They are quite the pair. The first thing that came to mind after I typed that is “chickens coming home to roost”.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@WaterGirl: As I mentioned downstairs, my dad would have said, “These guys could fuck up a steel ball with a rubber band”.
WaterGirl
@?BillinGlendaleCA: That’s one I had never heard.
WaterGirl
I woke up in the night wondering whether it makes sense to pull some cash out of the bank to have on hand if the economy crashes. Am I being paranoid?
Then, of course, I thought about all the germs on money, so maybe cash isn’t the best option?
That’s what these incompetent power-hungry fuckers are making me think about in the wee hours of the morning.
OzarkHillbilly
If only they would do this in regard to politics.
J R in WV
I bought an SUV full of dog and cat kibble, didn’t do a search, but asked about N95 masks, no one admitted it if they had any. I have local Credit Union accounts for easy access to traveling money, might hit one of those up for cash. Am buying provisions with a CC. I have a full face respirator for working with dust and chemicals, perhaps I can get filters for it…
Up right now because I can’t stop thinking. Pandemic / election… election / pandemic !!!!! Dawn is breaking, I’m gonna try for 4 or 5 more hours.
debbie
The New Yorker cover is nowhere near orange enough. What are they afraid of?
debbie
satby
@J R in WV: from the self article: “N95 masks are more properly called respirators to distinguish them from the looser, less protective surgical masks, and they are often used by health care workers. The average person doesn’t need them to protect against this coronavirus, Saskia Popescu, Ph.D., MPH, senior infection prevention epidemiologist at a Phoenix-based health care system, tells SELF. N95 masks aren’t great for use by the general public because they “require fit-testing to form a good seal,” she explains. Most individuals buying and using N95 masks at home will not have a proper fit, decreasing the effectiveness of the respirators. ”
also, they don’t filter the smallest particle droplets (like from a sneeze) anyway. It’s absurd that people are hoarding these things. In fact, in the article I linked to last night, a lot of experts feel that the masks will have people touching their faces more to fiddle with them.
Barb 2
If there is a way to f*ck up the response to this coming pandemic – the Trump nuts have and are and will do it. I’ve been reading and listening to the fact that there is a lack of test kits. There is no damned excuse for this. Singapore is making 100,0000 test kits per day. The case in northern CA ? Seems like she lives close to the military base where The passengers from The cruise ship in Japan ended up. Coincidence?
The states are going to have to order test kits from Asia and decide what they need to do. The idiots (non scientist, political lackies) running the response are going to be guilty of any deaths. And the bodies will pull up. Lack of test kits, lack of training of responders. We do not have enough hospital beds and medical staff with the mishandling so far by the Trump sycophants.
The worst is that all information released must go through VP pissant. Just when we do not need misinformation – this is what we will get. Health professionals are pissed off at the lack of test kits. They cannot advise patients if they don’t know if you have the flu or who knows what.
Wash your hands, don’t shake hands, medical advice in 2020.
Watergirl — wash your money in hot water and soap. Launder the money.
JPL
@debbie: Good for him.
Zinsky
@WaterGirl: I don’t think it is imprudent to plan for a catastrophe, given the incompetent imbecile we have in the White House. I keep a few gold and silver bullion quality coins hidden in the house, as they will have value even in a MadMax world. I also keep some dried food (e.g. rice, oatmeal, etc.) and fresh water jugs downstairs, in the event we have to go a few weeks without running water or food in grocery stores. If we have to go beyond a few weeks, I fear we are all f*cked. Modern humans just aren’t equipped or trained to live off the land.
On a more positive note, it sounds like Israeli scientists are close to developing a vaccine:
https://www.jpost.com/HEALTH-SCIENCE/Israeli-scientists-In-three-weeks-we-will-have-coronavirus-vaccine-619101
kindness
It’s funny to see mainstream business outlets that support Trump leading with ‘OMG the Coronavirus might lose the election for Trump’. Clueless at best. Trump will cause Trump to lose the election and they better damn well realize that. We won’t be living in conservative OZ anymore come January 2021.
Butch
Is there any concern about transmission to pets? I thought I had heard about a dog in Hong Kong that tested positive; wondering if I need to do anything special to protect my guys.
evodevo
@WaterGirl: If yur not in CA, I would say get the cash NOW while the virus is still out there, and before there’s a run on the banks lol
Incitatus for Senate
Uncle Cosmo
Funny, for me it was “turkeys coming home to gobble.” Gobble, gobble, gobble up everything that ain’t superglued down & prepare to decamp for corona-free NeverExtraditionLand…
Cermet
@Incitatus for Senate: uh, first, down to 0.3 microns mean 5% of those size droplets go through the mask; it takes only two or three flu virus’s to start the common flu. Second, 5% of a large number of 0.3 micron droplets is a hell of a lot of viruses. So, the mask isn’t acceptable then since people produce large number of droplets in that size. Finally, that number assumes it is fitted and sealed correctly – not likely for most people without training (like one needs gloves to handle the mask after exposure; otherwise, one gets the viruses on the hands and all surfaces then after. Not as easy as one thinks since the Corona virus appears to last very long (days) on most surfaces.)
joel hanes
The comparison with H1N1 is not apropos.
That outbreak was expertly handled.
This outbreak …
joel hanes
@Cermet:
the Corona virus appears to last very long (days) on most surfaces
Thanks. That’s not what I thought I’d read, and I googled, and you are correct.
https://www.contagionlive.com/contributor/saskia-v-popescu/2020/02/the-persistence-of-sarscov2-on-inanimate-surfaces
To quote Allie Brosh: Clean all the things!
Repatriated
@Incitatus for Senate:
On the other hand, respirators only filter inhaled air (protects the wearer), but not exhaled air (doesn’t protect others if wearer is infected). But they should at least somewhat contain spatter from sneezes so maybe that’s better than nothing on the outgoing side…
opiejeanne
@debbie: My governor, I’m so proud.
Feathers
I found a bunch of good stuff here: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/series/coronavirus/ . The Harvard Gazette, which is their newspaper for faculty and staff (and the rest of the world), has created a coronovirus roundup page. I found it soothing because I knew it only had credible material, was written in a very straightforward style, and it filled my knowledge craving without freaking me out. Yeah, it’s plugging Harvard scientists, but they are doing so by sharing good information.
satby
@Cermet: thank you. I would have thought that 95% makes it obvious that 5% gets through, and that’s more than enough to infect. Plus all the other negatives of a poorly sealed mask, not to mention the false sense of security they’ll give.
Feathers
My parents, both in their early 80s, sold their house and moved into assisted living late last year. They kept the cabin. I wonder if they will just go there. It’s very isolated. Ugh. Bad timing. They moved because when my aunt had cancer, the whole experience was just so much easier than if she had been living at home.
Annamal
@WaterGirl: It’s sensible to keep some cash in case of a major disaster as electronic means of payment are liable to be out of action for a while (the same way it’s sensible to have food, water and non perishables for a few weeks ).
Incitatus for Senate
@satby: “I would have thought that 95% makes it obvious that 5% gets through, and that’s more than enough to infect”
Wrong again. .3 microns is the minimum size the CDC gives for droplets, which means the vast majority of them are larger than that, which means that N95 filters out far more than 95% of the virus in droplets. And how much of the virus you are exposed to affects both whether you get sick, and how sick you become, so reducing the amount of virus you are exposed to is actually a really good idea.