Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/01/21/coronavirus-from-china-has-mad.html
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No fooling Friends of BB, this is a real mother of a virus. Southern California coast Health Departments are on the alert from 4weeks back. As a side note, the US has a real issue when dealing with Pandemics. I’m surprised it’s even hit the US news cycle so fast…
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Yeah, this is like a bad “SyFy” movie come to life. We’re kinda fucked with national attention [rightfully] concentrated elsewhere.
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If anyone is believing the official infection counts coming out of China, I have some discounted poultry products I’d like to sell you.
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There’s a plan for this right?
I’m sure trump’s team is on it. /XLs
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If the virus first hospitalized people at the end of December and they were only sure yesterday that it was human to human transferable because some health care workers came down with it, I’m guessing a 2 to 3 week incubation period before symptoms show. That means a lot of people are walking around with it and may be contagious and don’t know it. Other corona viruses are transferred in droplets and most likely this one does too. How long the virus can survive out of the body will tell us how fucked the rest of us are. I predict a lot of people will get sick, the majority will think they have a bad cold, but most will recover after feeling sick for most of month.
I think this one is going to suck and as usual, going to hit hardest the most vulnerable among us. Stock up on soup, tea, tissues, and avoid medical centers unless you absolutely have to go.
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About true. Have not heard about this on the east coast yet, not too surprising considering relative exposure to China direct flights. But the asymptomatic carrier state spells trouble in this day and age of rapid travel. Most will be nasty colds, but the morbidity and mortality is worrisome. Will have to see how this translates from China to US health care.
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In a way the draconian way the Chinese seem to be handling this is a good? thing, but I fear that it is already too late to contain. If this was a deadly, fast virus they would be following the best known playbook. As it seems this is slow burn and presents like a flu, what they are doing is probably more security theatre than preventative health care.
As to how the US health care system will handle this, with this administration it is going to be a clusterfuck. Many more than need to are going to be seriously ill and possibly die because they can’t miss work or afford to get help if it gets bad for them.
I am thankful everyday to live in Canada where I know they will bungle the handling of this, but at least I don’t have to worry about personal bankruptcy on top of everything else.
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This is absolutely key. We suck at keeping our illnesses to ourselves. And those of us in healthcare are the worst. We seem to think we are immune because of what we do.
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Despite official pledges of openness and rigorous control of the disease, it looks like the bad habits that helped SARS to spread are still in place:
And like I siad in my previous post- this is a really, really bad time for this to happen:
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Well, it looks pretty in that colorized photo anyway.
Might make a nice state flag.
Sounds silly, but here in London I’m taking a longer public transport journey to avoid spending time in the tube with travellers from the airports. Not want Sars II.
I work with people who have comprimised immune systems (homeless shelter). On the upside, they don’t tend to travel much, the downside is that there is very little thought to disinfection.
Alcohol wipes are my friend.
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That reminds me, I have left over chicken in the fridge from last night.
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Don’t I know it. Went on holiday vacation, during which I was paranoid about washing/sanitizing hands and not touching my face. I even, for the first time, wore antiviral facemasks on planes and buses, which felt weird and drew some stares. However, I was not sick for the entirety of my trip, nearly three weeks. Got back to the office, where one of my office mates was hacking away and loudly sneezing (into his hands, mostly, eugh). Didn’t think I needed a mask at work. No surprise I got sick within two days. Oh, well.
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Don’t spread fake news:
The virus do not transmit human to human
The virus as a very low rate transmission
The virus is not a virus
All is conspiration from the West to discredit nice China CCP.
(Our proud doctors are wearing hazmat suit and still got sick, but there is nothing to worry)
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My sister in law, a doctor, would say to never touch a surface, especially a button, in a hospital elevator. Doctors take the stairs.
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For what it is worth, the mask thing, regardless of intentions, protects others from your infectious emissions much more so than the other way around.
Which is still a good thing. Maybe we should all wear one when think we might be getting sick or are sick, but have to keep doing our jobs to survive.
Also, cough/sneeze into the crook of your elbow if possible (as you hinted at in your comment), the less microbes we put on our hands, the less that get spread around.
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