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COVID-19 Coronavirus: general discussion

Mark of Zorro

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4 Oct 2012
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It looks like the Wuhan corona virus hysteria has not made its way to this forum (yet).

Yes, I am not taking it seriously. Its a cold virus. Yes, it may be a worse than usual cold virus (always mutating) but the press is treating like the next plague, as they did with SARS, Zika, avian and swine flu.

To give an example, the Spanish Influenza epidemic of 1918. What killed most people infected with the flu? Well its was NOT the flu! It was secondary bacterial infections made possible by being weakened by the flu....as well as weakened by poor nutrition and even fatigue and other things resulting from 4 years of world war. Bacterial infections were caused by poor sanitation, hygiene and over-crowded hospitals...also largely the result of four years of world war.

So cut to today. Just what do you think the conditions are in PRC hospitals? Over-crowded? Poor sanitation, hygiene and nutrition? Yep. Plus you got old people in these hospitals who were sick before they ever got this new strain of cold virus. No deaths among those infected in other countries as yet. No surprise from me.

So why do I not see anyone talking it about yet here? Are you all that woke?
 
Thanks, I have been planning on starting a thread about the Corona outbreak and updating it as it turns into a pandemic.

Update: @Mark of Zorro, I hope you don't mind but I have moved your thread to "Hot Topics" to use it for updates on the Corona outbreak and for discussion.
 
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I think many of us here in Asia/Japan are more likely to be thinking of this virus at a higher level of awareness. Japan now has 3 cases. What bothers me is that the airlines from China may not have the proper screening and even if they do, the virus may not show up while they board the planes.
No matter what we think, the Embassies in China are now evacuating their Embassy employees. Over 1000 Americans live in WuHan and currently are stuck their. Don't understand that actually. I guess the only way out now if by chartered flights. The US Embassy had one the other day for its employees and a few seats for other Americans. Seats were not free either.
Chances are this will all blow over in about 6 months and things will get back to normal. Although since it is holiday time in China and thousands of Chinese have left the country, I would not really want to be eating at Chinese restaurants for the time being. Not showing any dislike here, just a precaution.
 
I think everyone who recalls the SARS outbreak will understand why people are concerned. Again, the Chinese government did too little, too late when the first cases were reported last December. It seems that many Chinese are more outraged than hysterical.

Meanwhile, we have the first domestic transmission in Japan:

 

All I can say is "wow".
Mrs Lothor is furious that the returning Japanese evacuees are not under lock and key for a few weeks. Seems to be a popular view on social media.
 
Mrs Lothor is furious that the returning Japanese evacuees are not under lock and key for a few weeks. Seems to be a popular view on social media.
So are people stocking up on food now in the large cities here in Japan?
Seems like it can get worse if goes into the subways at rush hour.
 
Just in.
Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus

Japan's health ministry says three evacuees from the Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for the new type of coronavirus.

The three individuals were among the more than 200 passengers who returned to Japan on a government-chartered flight on Wednesday.


If them 2 bus drivers caught it, now what about these 200 passengers, are they being held somewhere, like a military base?

I'd like to point out something about working conditions. Its true that at one time I needed to actually find a different line of work here. So I went out and found a part time job.
What I want to say is this: There are many Chinese now working (2 year contracts) in the vegetable processing plants. The ones that make packaged cabbage, lettuce , salad and yes, the konyaku stuff. These Chinese go home for the New Year holiday and now are returning to work here. I think the city where these plants are need to have a health inspector on the property checking the health of them. And I feel it is urgent. Do you folks agree?

Today, I'm going out and stock up on some can goods and flour. And I'm staying away from malls. (hopefully)
 
I am beginning to feel sorry I spoke.

This is a cold virus. Its not a new virus. Its a new strain of an old virus. It may be a mutation of SARS, but corona virus is a cold virus and that is what SARS and this Wuhan corona virus is.

That said, one thing that makes this special is that it causes pneumonia. That's usually flu viruses and not cold virus that do that. Pneumonia can be very bad and indeed quite a few people die from pneumonia every single year...but there isn't panic over it.

One thing about pneumonia is that it weakens your lungs making it easy to get bacterial infection, and that seems to be why so many died of the Spanish flu. I mentioned this in my first post but I confirmed after that that this Wuhan virus was causing pneumonia, so I say it clearly now...this virus *can* *may* give sufferers pneumonia. And that said I bet those dead in Wuhan died from that due to PRC hospitals being second rate and overcrowded as well as most being old and/or immuno-compromised.

To be honest, I am still trying get a handle on what was so bad about SARS. I have a feeling that even now, after all this time, no one is actually presenting the truth. So much I read just doesn't seem right.

But I will say it again...I am not sweating this Wuhan virus thing. The press has been totally irresponsible in its reporting and when I read between the lines it does not seem all that serious. Honestly, I think you should worry more about getting in the car. And worry more about influenza in general. I am positive a statistical analysis would support that sentiment.
 
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updating it as it turns into a pandemic.

How about as the situation continues? "Pandemic" is a word I find uncalled for at this time.


What bothers me is that the airlines from China may not have the proper screening

Without doing any sort of research, I am going to guess there is simply no such thing as screening that could truly be considered "proper". More like best guess and levels of caution that will prove to be VERY inconvenient for a large number of people.

Mrs Lothor is furious that the returning Japanese evacuees are not under lock and key for a few weeks. Seems to be a popular view on social media.

Social media is a great place to get unnecessarily hysterical.
 
Surely, the WHO doesn't act hysterically. Yesterday, they declared a global health emergency, "not because of what is happening in China but because of what is happening in other countries". And: "Our greatest concern is the potential for this virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems which are ill-prepared to deal with it."



Two Japanese evacuated from Wuhan on Wednesday refused to be tested and were allowed to "self-quarantine". Although they have meanwhile agreed to medical tests, I wonder why public health safety doesn't take precedence over personal concerns?

And lest we forget that there are humans behind statistics:

 
Very reasonable analysis, but even Beau admits that assuming a worst case scenario makes sense when facing health emergencies and natural disasters. It's the media that tend to distort facts and spread panic.

Meanwhile, here's a useful link to a stats page maintained by the Johns Hopkins University:

 
This was 1-31-20 news.

14 people have the virus
10 more Japanese are under observation
China says 213 have died so far
10,000 in China have now been exposed (numbers vary on what part of China reports are coming in from)
Some are saying its a new strain of virus (couldn't make out the Japanese what they meant by that)
US citizens are advised not to travel to China (I thought there was a total ban ), guess not
Philippines bans Chinese from entering
Singapore now bans Chinese from entering
Germany suspends flights to China till Feb. 8th
Japan Airlines till Feb. 8th , only to some cities. That really sucks, business talks and peoples health can walk to the morgue
Italy, the 2 suspects on the liner tested negative
Japanese are denied entry to China, I'm puzzled on that one
Get this ATS Members, WHO said there will be NO travel or trade restrictions regarding China. I'm quite sure I heard it right
Japanese are advised not to travel to China, but there are no restrictions, hmm, them poor salarymen, I hope they tell the companies to go fly a kite
PM Abe quote: the economy could be affected
Osaka city is now financially hurting. Businesses are way down from tourist related outlets
I found this weird, I think I heard this right. Chinese sell their ice cream to Japan? Ban on that. Like I said, I think I heard it right. I have never seen Chinese made ice cream here. We do have Bordens. Hmm. wonder if that is made in China?
China business news: 0.2% down
Japan business news: 0.1% down
note: if worse for the first 3 months it will be 0.4% down (personally, no one really knows yet, my opinion only on it may be a lot worse)
PM Abe: one Chinese plant closure WILL effect other plants
And can have a negative impact on the economy and sadly, tourism.

Hey folks, any of you think your business will have an impact on this?
Crude oil is projected to go down to about 48 $ a barrel. Airlines are canceling flights and China's people to drive cars now in many areas are being tightly controlled .
 
Thanks for the update! :)

Travel restrictions and lock-downs will always have some sort of economic impact. Here's an interesting piece comparing the Spanish flu outbreak and SARS with the current Corona outbreak:

 
Since a lot of us live here in Japan, I thought this thread would be a sticky by now an tons of people replying on it. I know there isn't much but I notice a lot more people wearing mask. And me too!
Haven't watched the news today so don't have an update here in Japan. Hope its settling down a bit.
 
Since a lot of us live here in Japan, I thought this thread would be a sticky by now an tons of people replying on it. I know there isn't much but I notice a lot more people wearing mask. And me too!
Haven't watched the news today so don't have an update here in Japan. Hope its settling down a bit.
No signs of stabilising yet, though the good news is that the number of cases is going up relatively steadily rather than exponentially, which suggests that isolating the people of the affected cities is having a major effect on containing the virus. Those people deserve a lot more sympathy than they are getting from some Japanese people.

Masks - most shops in Tokyo are experiencing shortages and those that haven't sold out have notices limiting the number buyable at one time. On the trains today, I reckon about 40% of women and 30% of men were wearing a mask.
 
On the morning news, mask at Trial and Costmos stores are out.
Any of you folks stocking up yet? Food , water, ect.
 
Any of you folks stocking up yet? Food , water, ect.

Absolutely not. And certainly not on masks which seem to be sold out everywhere. Here in Japan, the "common flu" is probably more of a concern than that new strain of the coronavirus haunting central China.

There's a lot of info floating around. For the latest news, stats and advisory I stick to the official sites:



 
Masks?? What is it with people and their never-ending desire for a magic bullet? Masks only work to protect the wearer in near laboratory conditions. Well the real world is FAR from lab conditions. The best use of those masks is to protect OTHERS from getting YOUR cold or flu.

Even vaccines are not very effective but again, magic bullet syndrome.

Want to protect yourself? Make sure you drink plenty of plain water. I recommend mineral water from a quality source. Try not to touch anything anyone else has touched, and if you can't, try using your elbows or the side of you hand rather than the finger tips and palm. Wash your hands frequently, in fact, I believe just rinsing your hands is plenty effective and I only use soap three or four times a day on a regular day. The problem with soap is that it strips your skin of oil, and oil is a line of defense against cold and flu viruses! Replace that oil with olive oil. I actually carry some in a small spray bottle, although I don't need it much. All I have to do is touch my hair! Its not dripping with it just a natural amount. But one spritz from a small spray bottle is enough for anyone, pat on rather than rub, and then pat with a tissue to remove excess.

Also, improve your diet. Fresh fruit and vegetables, uncooked if possible (salads for example) or very lightly cooked, especially spinach or mulukhiyah/moroheiya if you can get it.

And get plenty of sleep.
 
Just got this:

Health and Travel Alert – U.S. Embassy Tokyo, Japan (February 3, 2020)



Location: Tokyo, Japan

Event: Coronavirus Outbreak -- Travel Restrictions, Safety Measures



The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is closely monitoring the novel coronavirus that was first detected in Wuhan, China and subsequently declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization (WHO).

For current information and guidance regarding this disease outbreak, U.S. citizens in Japan are advised to consult the WHO and CDC websites.



U.S. Travel Restrictions and Presidential Proclamation

The U.S. Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services has declared that the coronavirus presents a Public Health Emergency in the United States. In accordance with the declaration, beginning 5 p.m. EST, February 2, 2020, the U.S. government started implementing temporary measures to increase its abilities to detect and contain the coronavirus proactively and aggressively. These measures include:

• All flights with travelers who have been in mainland China within the last 14 days will arrive at a select number of designated ports of entry.

• Any U.S. citizen returning to the U.S. who has been in Hubei province in the previous 14 days will be subject to up to 14 days of mandatory quarantine, to ensure they're provided proper medical care and health screening.

• Any U.S. citizen returning to the U.S. who has been in the rest of mainland China within the previous 14 days will undergo proactive entry health screening and self-quarantine to ensure they do not post a public health risk.

• Additionally, the President has signed a Presidential Proclamation using his authority pursuant to Section 212 (f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act suspending the entry into the United States of foreign nationals who pose a risk of transmitting the 2019 novel coronavirus.

• As a result, foreign nationals, other than immediate family of U.S. citizens and permanent residents, who have traveled in China within the last 14 days will be denied entry into the United States.

For additional information, please see the Presidential Proclamation.





Level 4 Travel Advisory for China – Do Not Travel

The United States advises U.S. citizens not to travel to China. If you do travel to China, you will be subject to additional screening and public health measures upon return the United States. The U.S. Department of State will continue to closely monitor the situation in China and will revise our travel advisory as conditions warrant. For additional information, refer to travel.state.gov.



Japanese Government Actions, Cabinet Order, Entry Restrictions

A Government of Japan (GOJ) Cabinet Order designating the novel coronavirus as a Designated Infectious Disease took effect February 1. The law allows local authorities to compulsorily test and quarantine individuals. Under the Order, Japan will impose an entry ban on people infected with the novel coronavirus. The Immigration Services Agency of Japan announced that effective February 1, 2020, foreigners who have travelled to Hubei Province in China within 14 days before arriving in Japan, and foreigners who have a Chinese passport issued by Hubei Province are not permitted to enter Japan. Residents who develop symptoms in Japan are advised to wear a mask and contact a medical institution as soon as possible, and to declare if they have stayed in Wuhan. The Japan National Tourism Organization offers a 24/7 multi-lingual (English, Chinese, Korean) call service that can provide coronavirus-related information and assist in case of emergencies (accident or sickness) at 050-3816-2787.

Other countries are also imposing travel restrictions to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. The U.S. Embassy advises checking with destination government officials in advance of commencing travel, particularly if you have recently been in China.



Actions to Take:

· Consult the CDC website, for the most up-to-date health information.

· Check with the airlines regarding any flight cancellations and/or restrictions on flying. Be aware that airline schedules are changing rapidly.

· • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.

· • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.

· • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

· • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing.

· • Seek medical care right away if you feel sick or were exposed to someone who has a fever, cough, or difficulty breathing
 
On the one hand, I can sympathize with the it's-no-that-bad angle--the flu has killed far more people this year than the wuflu has, and people often go without a flu shot, go to work when they have it (on public trans), and just think that wearing a mask will make things okay. Also, I'm not that worried about the returnees from wuhan not being quarantined--as long as they're not out and about (staying home and out of contact with others) I think that's reasonable. Also, there are people here who have it, have been diagnosed with it, who are not part of the returnee group. So it's already out there in the community.

On the other hand, I had pneumonia once, and it wasn't fun at all. Fever, very persistent, and it took lots of meds and patience to really shake it. (It wasn't a contagious kind.)

The wuflu seems to have a long incubation period (~two weeks) during which a person might be asymptomatic but contagious, shedding virus without fever, coughing, or any symptoms at all.

I just read on a reddit sub for vietnam that schools and training centers have been closed for an extra week:

Another oddity is that the chinese markets dropped 8-9% today, but the rest of asia didn't. And the US market futures are actually pointing up pretty strongly. Weird. But it took a while for people outside of japan to realize what the impact of 3/11 was--what had happened--and what the impact might be.

The Chinese have been more communicative and open about it this time (wuflu) vs SARS, when there was an attempt (attempts?) to cover it up. It's genome has been sequenced, which is far faster than with SARS, which took a few months. The true kill rate (CFR, case fatality rate) won't be known till it's done--it's quick and easy to see when someone's dead, but surviving it takes a while and always lags that other number.
 
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