Still ahead of their time #YesMinister #Covid_19 pic.twitter.com/QY3balSOAU
— Christopher H. Logue (@thevirologist) March 12, 2020
Regards to our overseas readers — hope you are all doing well, or at least as well as can be expected…
Singapore is the model for how to handle the coronavirus (and the response in the US has essentially been the opposite). https://t.co/faX1h1a4Tj
— MIT Technology Review (@techreview) March 14, 2020
… Singapore was hit early, as one of China’s key trading partners. Within a few weeks of the first official notice of “Wuhan flu,” it had a dozen cases. But it very quickly realized that this was more than the seasonal flu, and took rapid action. Primed by experience with the SARS virus of 2002-3, Singapore began carefully tracking cases to find the commonalities that linked them. Within a day, sometimes two, of a new case being detected, the authorities were able to piece together the complex chain of transmission from one person to another, like Sherlock Holmes with a database. As of February, everyone entering a government or corporate building in Singapore had to provide contact details to expedite the process.
It’s not simply the ability to detect the cases and explain why they happened that makes Singapore such a role model in this epidemic; nucleic acid testing kits were rapidly developed and deployed to ports of entry. Within three hours, while individuals are quarantined on-site, officials can confirm whether or not they are infected with the virus before allowing them to enter.
The response in the US has essentially been the opposite. Early on, most people seemed to assume it was a “Chinese,” or perhaps an “Asian,” issue—pandemics don’t happen in the US! This arrogant complacency allowed the public health authorities to let down their guard. Dozens of infected people, perhaps more, were allowed into the US and allowed—even encouraged—to go to work sick, hastening the spread of the virus…
Leaving a pop-up coronavirus test center in Seoul. This building had an outbreak at a call center. Roughly 100 have tested positive here. Many area cafes, restaurants have closed. Catch the full story of S. Korea’s massive #coronavirus response measures @NewsHour later this week pic.twitter.com/OfSWuX62II
— Bruce Harrison (@brucesbeat) March 12, 2020
So far the story of Covid is an illiberal state doing a good response (China), a liberal state doing a good response (South Korea), an illiberal state doing a bad response (Iran), and two liberal states doing bad responses (US and Italy). Tell me which sweeping conclusion to draw
— L Ron Hubbard's Space Jazz (@MenshevikM) March 13, 2020
On Taiwan's exemplary response: On Jan. 20, Taiwan’s CDC activated Central Epidemic Command Center to coordinate efforts against new virus, three days before China put Wuhan on lockdown. It came before Taiwan had even recorded its first case. https://t.co/UDlqpfStf4
— Jeremy Goldkorn (@goldkorn) March 13, 2020
Got the message from Fulbright urging us to return to the US. Thankfully, our director made sure to emphasize that leaving is completely optional.
Taiwan's impeccable response to the virus has made it maybe the safest place in the world. I'm gonna stay.https://t.co/dtN3ngwC7J
— Lev Nachman (@lnachman32) March 13, 2020
Exceptional moment in Kuwait.
During the call to prayer, an emotional muazzin now says: "Pray at your homes" instead of "Come to prayer".
This is a big for Muslims, as it only happens in exceptional circumstances.
It shows how serious authorities take #covid19 threat.@akhbar pic.twitter.com/xI5j9SkbeY
— Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa) March 13, 2020
"Greece in virtual shut down as the government on Friday announced the closure of all shopping malls, cafes, restaurants, and bars, apart from takeaway shops to help control the spread of the coronavirus." https://t.co/wwOyB7lCTx
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) March 13, 2020
They're gonna have the Russian Orthodox Church come out saying Putin can heal with his holy touch. https://t.co/CHlYuIxqDH
— Social Democratic Party of Galar (@weedlewobble) March 13, 2020
Washington Post’s West Africa bureau chief ????
Senegal is testing people and giving results within 4 hours.
Senegal’s per capita income is less than $3,000. https://t.co/s0BGBEVyoH
— Eric Umansky (@ericuman) March 12, 2020
Speaking of the UK: If true, this seems… suboptimal:
EXCLUSIVE:
Ministers to unveil emergency Coronavirus powers:
* Police allowed to detain infected
* Care standards could be lowered for elderly
* Ministers allowed to close ports
* 'Trains, vessels & aircraft' can be halted
* Schools can be directed to close or remain open https://t.co/y4MIbxVC4m
— Steven Swinford (@Steven_Swinford) March 13, 2020
The emergency powers, which will be in place for two years, will enable police and immigration officers across UK to detain anyone with suspected Coronavirus
They will be able to detain them for a 'limited period' so they can be screened
— Steven Swinford (@Steven_Swinford) March 13, 2020
WereBear
Er, no. We had a stunningly incompetent federal government which had already dismantled our Pandemic Response Team and stocked the CDC with fanatical Christian culture warriors. Then Faux News told the most vulnerable population to move along, nothing to see here, it’s all a ploy to ruin Trump’s re-election.
THAT’S what happened. Let’s all be loud and clear about that.
OzarkHillbilly
Lapassionara
Thank you, AL, for this daily update. I don’t trust any of our statistics because we are still not testing enough.
Lapassionara
And good morning, everyone.
Cermet
The rube’s voted in a stupid, incompeted asshole and will likely be the ones to suffer the most; however, taking down others is a choice they normally make all the time (like crabs in a pot.) So no surprise they’ll stick to the orange fart cloud and say his ass smell’s like roses. The fake (aka fox) news backed by the asswipe putin and his bot army will be certain to encourage their level of self delusion.
We the innocent bystanders will suffer, of course. Like the similarly stupid anti-vaccer’s that endanger all we get caught in the same net.
Betty Cracker
So that thing Trump said yesterday about Google building a C-19 screening site? That was a big fat lie:
Unsurprising. The press conference was 100% aimed at Wall Street, and lying about Google fits with the parade of CEOs stagecraft.
Baud
@OzarkHillbilly: Fuck you.
Royston Vasey
A grand total of 6 cases in New Zealand, with the latest case picking it up from…New Jersey.
Surprisingly, still plenty of toilet paper on the shelves. Although you can’t buy face masks, hand sanitizer, or Dettol antiseptic.
mrmoshpotato
Yeah! We only have frequent mass murder by guns – no pandemics ya stoo-ped fernners!
WereBear
@Betty Cracker: I mentioned in the other thread that this is like a Bond Villain-level plot device, where a virus targets only certain segments of the population…
In this case, the combo of the most vulnerable portion of the population was told for weeks this was all the libs trying to ruin Trump’s glorious re-election.
Baud
@Lapassionara: Good morning.
NotMax
@OzarkHillbilly
Real ‘murkins are sitting in an overstuffed Herculon recliner, underneath a bare incandescent bulb, busily swabbing their guns – inside and out – with discount store brand hand gel.
//
Baud
@Cermet: I hope this ends the anti-vax movement once and for all.
Baud
@NotMax:
Fixed.
Baud
When this is over, I think I might invest in a bidet.
MagdaInBlack
@Baud:
?????
Thank you. I spewed my coffee ??
OzarkHillbilly
@Baud: Thanks. I needed that. Much better now. Fuck you.
OzarkHillbilly
@Baud: Not a chance. The corona virus is the inevitable result of over vaccinating our children at too young an age.
Geminid
All the talk of “social distancing” makes me realize that the term describes my normal lifestyle. I am fairly happy as a loner, but, paradoxically, I no longer feel so alone.
TriassicSands
@Baud:
COVID-19 will kill people — on all sides of all issues. Sadly, it won’t eliminate stupidity.
mrmoshpotato
@Baud: Saturday morning campaign slogan testing is….ummm….. interesting.
Sloane Ranger
@WereBear: Add in ignorance and racism, conscious and subconscious. I live in the UK and am a committee member of an organisation for retired and semi retired people. Only yesterday a member asked me whether a vaccine developed by China would work on Europeans or would we need to develop our own.
She’s quite liberal in her outlook. We went on a couple of anti-Brexit marches together. So if she’s asking this, it’s quite believable that others really didn’t think something that started in China could affect white people.
JPL
Earlier I had a power outage and fortunately GA power has workers that repaired it. If the virus spreads, I assume it will hit power company employees also.
JPL
@Sloane Ranger: How do you even respond to something like that?
mrmoshpotato
@WereBear: Voting for a racist, fascist manchild to own the libs.
Possibly dying because of a racist, fascist manchild to….own the libs?
mrmoshpotato
@Geminid: Some of us were just ahead of the game.
OzarkHillbilly
@mrmoshpotato: It’s like playing Russian Roulette with a semi auto.
mrmoshpotato
@Sloane Ranger: Wha?
MagdaInBlack
@JPL:
Scooby Doo look .
mrmoshpotato
@MagdaInBlack: Wearing a swordfish costume?
Jeffro
@WereBear:
Loud and clear and never stop, either.
I forget which post had a tweet in it that said (paraphrasing here) for a rich Western democracy, the U.S. sure acts like a failed state in many ways. And it’s true. And the track of that dismantling starts with a) the upward flow of almost all the economic gains of the past four decades to the top 10%, 1%, and especially .1%, and b) the downward trajectory of their tax rates.
We need to get back to highly progressive tax rates if we’re ever going to rebuild even a modest amount of civic and hard infrastructure in this country.
Jeffro
@OzarkHillbilly:
@Baud:
I’ve tried explaining this blog to other folks occasionally…no wonder they just look at me blankly…
MagdaInBlack
@mrmoshpotato:
…your brain scares me ??
prostratedragon
Several links deep off the Umansky tweet is news that a UK company is in collaboration with a research team in Senegal to test a handheld device that will give a result in a few minutes using some kind of sample taken on the spot. Should be available around June.
prostratedragon
Handwashing with Gloria Gaynor
debbie
@Betty Cracker:
You saw how Wall Street believed his address the other night. He’s rapidly losing even them.
OzarkHillbilly
@Jeffro: Some things can’t be explained, they have to be experienced.
Sloane Ranger
@JPL: Long pause to process the fact she’d actually asked what I thought she’d asked, followed by reminding myself that she’s in her 80’s and a product of the educational and social mores of her time, then a brief lecture on Human Genetics for Dummies.
OzarkHillbilly
@prostratedragon: sigh…. I’ll be dead by then. :-(
mrmoshpotato
@MagdaInBlack: Same here! Oh, wait! ?
It’s actually from an episode of Scooby Doo. There’s an episode where a guy in an old diving helmet is up to no good (started making trouble in my neighborhood) and Shaggy and Scooby get into shark and swordfish costumes respectively for some reason.
I wish I could find a screenshot because it’s hilarious.
mrmoshpotato
@debbie: “I have the bigliest, good brain!”
(Dow last seen with anglerfish in the Marianas)
MagdaInBlack
@mrmoshpotato:
Ya know…I have a vague recollection of that episode. I loved Scooby Doo ☺
WereBear
@Sloane Ranger: I’m taken aback and I didn’t think that was possible.
mrmoshpotato
@Jeffro:
We discuss politics, get Baud! 2020! slogans yelled at us, talk about pets and share recipes all in the same post!
And there are no nested comments!
(blank stare)
mrmoshpotato
@MagdaInBlack: It’s such a good show. Ridiculous as all hell, and tons of fun. I still don’t understand how beanpole Shaggy can run carrying a full-grown Great Dane.
burnspbesq
@debbie:
if you were watching the Dow, NASDAQ, or S&P yesterday you could see the vote of no confidence unfold in real time.
MagdaInBlack
@mrmoshpotato:
Because its “written that way.” ?
( Ty, Jessica Rabbit)
Ken
@Baud: What, you don’t have a shower?
OzarkHillbilly
@MagdaInBlack: One of my favorite lines of all time: “I’m not bad, I’m just written that way.”
lee
I’ve got a question for the jackals.
At work we are going to 50% of us work from home (long story why only 50%). We were told to ‘work it out ourselves’ on each team who works where and for how long.
My team get along really well and we’ve worked together for years. Our initial plan is 1 week home, then 1 week at work.
Now I think a better plan would be 2 week cycles. Because with 1 week cycles if one of us gets it potentially we’d be back to work before symptoms appear.
Thoughts?
Quinerly
@prostratedragon: ????❤️
Uncle Cosmo
@Baud: Dream the fuck on. After a vaccine is developed, tested & deployed, they’ll still be bitching about side effects. And they’ll double down once a high enough percentage of the population has seroconverted (via vaccine or actual exposure) to generate herd immunity – they’ll continue to refuse to have themselves or their families inoculated, & we’ll see the intermittent outbreak of COVID-19 in vulnerable populations for the foreseeable future.
Cretins. When I think back to how parents all across the USA fell to their knees & wept for joy when the polio vaccine was announced as safe & effective…
WereBear
I agree. Your plan fits medical reccs better.
debbie
@burnspbesq:
I had Marketwatch open on one of my. monitors all week. The panicking was palpable.
debbie
Wrong thread. Too many open tabs, dammit.
terry chay
@Baud: I assume you are joking as usual.
It’s obvious such things will not stop anti-Vaxxers but cause them to redouble efforts. The reality is vaccines are a public health defense, not an individual one. We should treat them as the equivalent of yelling “fire” in a public theatre and their actions equivalent to trying to actively spread the disease.
There are already clear limits on free speech that cover what they say. Liability laws should cover what they do. At the minimum everyone who gets sick from something preventable like measles should be able to sue every person in the community who was able to get a vaccine and didn’t have a specific prohibition in their religion or a medical reason not to, if they have a problem with that they can get an insurance policy against it and that company can pay for the damages they wreak.
It will not end their behavior entirely but that behavior will be correctly “priced in” in our society instead of damaging it like some ugly, toxic externality.