Been hearing about this for several months… "Hundreds of billions of locusts are swarming through parts of East Africa and South Asia in the worst infestation for a quarter of a century, threatening crops and livelihoods." Hundreds of billions. And they're on the move, and expanding the area they cover. Also, I just gotta say this, signs and portents. (Grokked from Xeni Jardin)
"The COVID-19 viral disease that has swept into at least 114 countries and killed more than 4,000 people is now officially a pandemic, the World Health Organization announced Wednesday." Woohoo! We made it.
There's an old phrase, "When America sneezes, China gets a cold." I think that needs a little updating.
A USA Today rundown on what happened yesterday surrounding the pandemic. It was a lot all at once.
Our well organized and thought out plans… "An airline worker at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York addressed a crowd with only guesses as to how passengers waiting to board a flight to Dublin would be handled moments after President Donald Trump announced restrictions on travel from Europe."
"On Wednesday, DeWine announced that a Stark County man tested positive for the virus, marking the state’s first case of 'community spread,' a term meaning that the infected person had not recently traveled to a country where there is a coronavirus outbreak or have contact with a confirmed case." And Ohio goes fucking bananas. the article is mostly about what is happening at Kent State University, which is transitioning to all online classes… before the IT was prepared for that. Also, there's a lot that really can't be taught online.
"Harvard University students were given just five days to pack up, leave the Cambridge, Massachusetts, campus and not come back until the end of the semester, in a move that drew outrage from students who say they have been left scrambling between making travel arrangements, school work and classes." So, uh, forced travel and dispersion. Supposedly it's worked well elsewhere, but this may be coming too late here. Also, there are a lot of students who don't have anywhere to go and were food insecure to begin with. Also, not everyone has access to quality internet connections to make online courses viable, unless they're on campus.
"Cancel Everything… Social distancing is the only way to stop the coronavirus. We must start immediately." Also I just want to point out that there's a lot of talk about countries with "highly developed medical systems" as compared to China. This is an outmoded thought. China has advanced medical practices. One of the problems of this outbreak is that US medical companies might have a hard time getting parts and supplies… from China. Add in India and there goes a lot of generic drugs and basic medical care items.
A twitter thread about SARS-CoV2 survivability on various materials and as aerosols. Also I'll note here that survivability/infectability is slightly different than the virus' ability to create enough copies to bring about what most normal people would call an infection (that's what a lot of the statistics talk is about). It's sort of like everybody has C-diff, it's a part of the "normal biome" in your intestines. And you're exposed to it all the time. But you don't encounter it in such a large quantity that it would overwhelm your "defenses" and cause "illness." So while you can still detect SARS-CoV2 on materials after 24 hours, most of the inoculation load has perished or is no longer active, so it might not cause you to become ill. But (and it's a big but here), we also don't know just how much SARS-CoV2 you need to be inoculated with to develop COVID-19 (this is the difference between sanitized and sterilized). It's splitting hairs, but it's an important hair to split. So at this time, it's better to be overly cautious. (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)
"A looming shortage in lab materials is threatening to delay coronavirus test results and cause officials to undercount the number of Americans with the virus… The slow pace of coronavirus testing has created a major gap in the U.S. public health response. The latest problem involves an inability to prepare samples for testing, creating uncertainties in how long it will take to get results." And this is why you want competent people in charge of the government. (Grokked from Laura J Mixon)
"These dramatic differences show that how governments respond to this virus matters, says Mike Ryan, the World Health Organization's head of emergencies… 'Hope is not a strategy,' says Ryan, who is an epidemiologist. 'We are still very much in the up cycle of this epidemic.'" Sure, hope isn't a strategy to combat disease, but what about "thoughts and prayers"?
"The Dow Jones Industrial average fell into bear market territory Wednesday, and some analysts see a decline of another 10% or more before the selling subsides." Oh there's that word. As of noon today the dow is down 2,059 pts, or 8.74% (21,493.74). Strongest economy ever. Basically the coronavirus scare is exposing all the fault lines our economy has developed since 2016.
"As the new coronavirus sweeps the US, federal regulators this week began cracking down on companies fraudulently claiming that their products prevent or treat COVID-19… The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent joint warning letters to seven companies making false claims." Don't be naughty. (Grokked from John)
"The patients initially went to their primary care physicians, where they were screened using the COVID-19 protocol, and sent to UH Cleveland Medical Center’s emergency room. There, they were met by infectious disease healthcare providers wearing eye protection, gowns, gloves and N95 masks, UH said… The patients were examined in negative pressure rooms, which ensures the virus does not escape the room. The air in negative pressure rooms vents to the outside, instead of inside the hospital." While not my hospital, I work in the UH system. (Grokked from Doug Piero Carey)
"The new U.S. ban on foreign citizens entering the country if they have traveled to Europe in recent weeks will heap more pressure on airlines already reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, hitting European carriers the hardest, analysts said." Well at least this time there is an actual travel ban, instead of this intense retconning the administration is trying to do with China.
"Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin confirmed in testimony Wednesday to the House Committee on Appropriations that he is considering 'providing substantial relief to certain taxpayers' and giving extensions on tax filings, a move Mnuchin said would inject the equivalent of $200 billion into the U.S. economy." Relief to "certain" taxpayers, is that what they're calling the rich people now?
"President Donald Trump set out to steady a rattled nation and a diving economy in a solemn Oval Office address, but instead sowed more confusion and doubts that he is up to handling the fast-worsening coronavirus crisis."
"The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 2,000 points Thursday morning after President Donald Trump’s long-awaited response to the coronavirus epidemic triggered a massive sell-off on Wall Street." Hellofa speech there, Sparky.
"Confessions of a call-centre scammer."
"A U.S. military spokesperson in Iraq confirmed three military coalition personnel died in the assault late Wednesday and that more than 15 small rockets hit Iraq's Camp Taji base. In a statement, Army Col. Myles Caggins did not provide further details but the Associated Press and other outlets reported that the attack killed a U.S. soldier, a U.S. contractor and a member of Britain's armed forces."
"Disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for rape and sexual assault." Sure, sure, confused by the whole #MeToo movement. Hate to tell you, but it was rape and abuse even before #MeToo. How's that ticker holding up, Harvey? I bet the next time he's in court his attorneys have him on a gurney. (Grokked from Xeni Jardin)
And it's back again. "The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday handed a win to President Donald Trump by leaving in effect a policy that requires thousands of people seeking asylum at the southern border to wait in Mexico while their claims are adjudicated."
If you've done nothing wrong, you've got nothing to worry about. Oh really? "It was from Google’s legal investigations support team, writing to let him know that local police had demanded information related to his Google account. The company said it would release the data unless he went to court and tried to block it. He had just seven days." (Grokked from Laura J Mixon)
"Donald Trump’s reelection campaign is launching a legal war against the free press. In the past two weeks, while Americans worried about the coronavirus, the Trump campaign has sued The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CNN. These suits are, legally speaking, frivolous. They pose no danger in court, where they’re all but certain to fizzle and fail. But don’t let that disguise their import. Outside of court, these lawsuits are a real danger to democracy. They abuse the American justice system to attack and intimidate America’s journalists." Intimidation is the name of the game. (Grokked from Laura J Mixon)
"Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) canceled a vote scheduled for Wednesday afternoon on a subpoena stemming from his months-long probe into Hunter Biden and Burisma Holdings."
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