Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19) (SARS-CoV-2) [2020]

zed said:
One thing Im curious about are all those countries, india,vietnam,cambodia etc that had a handful of cases early on, which are now cured and since then nothing. Sort of seems to good to be true
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Apparently cured. Could be a couple of infected running around not knowing it. Covid19 won't show until a case is serious. And then it needs to be identified and not treated as something else. Might have a couple of people in hospital now being treated for an unknown infection. You need perhaps a month of no infections to show an area is clear.
 
zed said:
One thing Im curious about are all those countries, india,vietnam,cambodia etc that had a handful of cases early on, which are now cured and since then nothing. Sort of seems to good to be true
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Hot weather may be the cause, one of the things my epidemologist friend :D mentioned is that they are still trying to figure out whether is a seasonal disease. With common flu. number of cases start to decrease during the summer (northern hemisphere).

IMO, things are going to get worse before they get better. CDC reported they are expecting to have thousands of kit test ready by the end of this week, I think we will probably see a surge in US cases by the end of the week. March is going to be tough month (hoping to be wrong).
 
Finally it reached Indonesia and people panicked and drained stock of paper mask despite it won't filter viruses
 
orangpelupa said:
Finally it reached Indonesia and people panicked and drained stock of paper mask despite it won't filter viruses
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It's not really that simple and while they are using them for wrong reasons, it's a good thing they are using them.
Based on what we know for sure, it transmits at least mostly by droplets like respiratory stuff usually does.
While it's true that the "surgical masks" (aka paper mask) don't filter the viruses, it still gives you some protection over wearing nothing, but more importantly, if you're infected it protects others around you actually surprisingly well.
(oh, and most of the time when you get infected by whatever respiratory stuff you happen to get, you get it from touching your nose or mouth rather than from breathing the viruses or bacteria)
 
Is it spreading to places with low humidity? (or lower occurrence)

Haven't checked the map lately :p
 
Kaotik said:
It's not really that simple and while they are using them for wrong reasons, it's a good thing they are using them.
Based on what we know for sure, it transmits at least mostly by droplets like respiratory stuff usually does.
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That's not how it's being presented here in the UK. The main suggestion is to wash your hands as it spreads from your hands - there's no mention of shielding yourself from inhaling particles. Though that might be because at this point, the number of people spreading it with coughs and sneezes is very few, but the virus is landing on surfaces and staying viable long enough to transfer. So you are unlikely to come face to face with a carrier, but 10x more likely to touch a surface they have left residue on.

While it's true that the "surgical masks" (aka paper mask) don't filter the viruses, it still gives you some protection over wearing nothing, but more importantly, if you're infected it protects others around you actually surprisingly well.
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But if it means no masks for the people that need it, it's counter-productive.

TheAlSpark said:
Is it spreading to places with low humidity? (or lower occurrence)

Haven't checked the map lately :p
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It's too low numbers to measure that. You could have someone returning from Iran or Italy to anywhere in the world and reporting as a case. Climate factor will only be measured when affecting the spread within a territory, and that'll also be affected by other factors like population mobility, quarantining efforts, etc. Environmental influence will only be obvious if numbers start to get really big.

Chap* on the radio today mentioned there's four coronavirus that people are infected by, most adults have probably already experienced a few, and one of them is known to do well in summer and causes 'Summer Flu'.

*Senior professor of microbiology something-or-other type chap, and not some random presenter or Concerned Public Member. ;)
 
Shifty Geezer said:
That's not how it's being presented here in the UK. The main suggestion is to wash your hands as it spreads from your hands - there's no mention of shielding yourself from inhaling particles. Though that might be because at this point, the number of people spreading it with coughs and sneezes is very few, but the virus is landing on surfaces and staying viable long enough to transfer. So you are unlikely to come face to face with a carrier, but 10x more likely to touch a surface they have left residue on.

But if it means no masks for the people that need it, it's counter-productive.
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Like I said later in the post, most stuff you get from touching your nose and mouth with your hand (which first got it from a surface where it landed as droplet from someone), but still there's the off chance someone sneezes or coughs towards you where the mask, while not filtering viruses, might stop the splash and possibly limit exposure to said viruses - and on the other hand, those who are infected are less likely to sneeze / cough towards others and surfaces​

Yes, it's bad if there's not enough masks for everyone, but it's still better that as many people as can get it, infected or not, than no-one getting one 'till they know they're infected, because most are infected days or even weeks before they're actually diagnosed (if they are diagnosed ever)
 
Shifty Geezer said:
That's not how it's being presented here in the UK. The main suggestion is to wash your hands as it spreads from your hands - there's no mention of shielding yourself from inhaling particles. Though that might be because at this point, the number of people spreading it with coughs and sneezes is very few, but the virus is landing on surfaces and staying viable long enough to transfer. So you are unlikely to come face to face with a carrier, but 10x more likely to touch a surface they have left residue on.
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Kaotik said:
those who are infected are less likely to sneeze / cough towards others and surfaces
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Both of these are absolutely correct and in no means contradictory in value.
The goal of the mask is to stop the spread, the defensive position in terms of respiratory protection is minor (unless you are in a room of it); we are talking about respirator territory at that point in time (which is several times more expensive than a mask)

The spread of the virus via surfaces is largest threat to everyone. Sadly _anyone_ infected or not infected can spread COVID when you think about it. All you need to do is touch a surface with COVID and touch another surface later on that did not have it previously. If you manage with proper sanitary procedure you are safe, but you still transmitted the virus to another surface in which another person could be infected by it.

This is why, coming home the first thing you should do is wash your hands and we should be cleaning door knobs after entry. Delay of doing so risks infecting other surfaces in your home if you want to be serious about it.

And of course _everyone is serious_ about it. But mistakes happen when we are tired, lazy, or we don't feel threatened enough to follow process.
 
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Whether you know you have Covid19 or not, if you're coughing/sneezing, you could wear a mask to protect the people around you. If you're not coughing or sneezing, you're not spreading aerosolised virus.

Wearing masks when you're not ill and when the people around you aren't ill is a silly waste. It diverts resources away from where they are actually needed.

https://www.who.int/emergencies/dis...9/advice-for-public/when-and-how-to-use-masks
  • If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with suspected 2019-nCoV infection.
  • Wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing.
  • Masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent hand-cleaning with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
  • If you wear a mask, then you must know how to use it and dispose of it properly.
 
iroboto said:
The spread of the virus via surfaces is largest threat to everyone. Sadly _anyone_ infected or not infected can spread COVID when you think about it. All you need to do is touch a surface with COVID and touch another surface later on that did not have it previously. If you manage with proper sanitary procedure you are safe, but you still transmitted the virus to another surface in which another person could be infected by it.
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That's very true as those videos of how germs spread illustrate. Hence the message at the moment to everyone is 'wash your hands' and for long enough to clean them properly.

As for door knobs, open them, press switches, etc. with your elbows. ;)
 
Shifty Geezer said:
That's not how it's being presented here in the UK. The main suggestion is to wash your hands as it spreads from your hands - there's no mention of shielding yourself from inhaling particles. Though that might be because at this point, the number of people spreading it with coughs and sneezes is very few, but the virus is landing on surfaces and staying viable long enough to transfer. So you are unlikely to come face to face with a carrier, but 10x more likely to touch a surface they have left residue on.;)
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According to my sources at Sony and MS ( :) ) that's correct. Early studies indicate the virus can live a little bit longer than previous coronavirues (+10 days) in cold weather (10º C or lower), but it doesn't survive for long in environment over 30ºC (seems like less than a day). However it is still too early to say.

By the way, I also been told to be careful with what I clean my hands with. I didn't know this but the skin is actually a good damn barrier against viruses, bacteria, etc. However most soaps damage the skin to the point of creating tiny holes that increase the risk of infection. Washing only with water good as it will wash away most things, leave the soap for moments like before eating, preparing food or after going to the toilet.
 
jayco said:
According to my sources at Sony and MS ( :) ) that's correct. Early studies indicate the virus can live a little bit longer than previous coronavirues (+10 days) in cold weather (10º C or lower), but it doesn't survive for long in environment over 30ºC (seems like less than a day). However it is still too early to say.

By the way, I also been told to be careful with what I clean my hands with. I didn't know this but the skin is actually a good damn barrier against viruses, bacteria, etc. However most soaps damage the skin to the point of creating tiny holes that increase the risk of infection. Washing only with water good as it will wash away most things, leave the soap for moments like before eating, preparing food or after going to the toilet.
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yea washing with hotter water should be able to do the trick without creating tiny holes in the skin.

oddly, we learned all of this during SARS, (my work building only ran hot water taps in bathrooms) but for some reason I don't see the same actions being taken as in 2008.
 
The reason good hand hygiene is promoted is because people have a bad habit of touching their mouth, nose and eyes. This creates a pathway to their respiratory tract.

What are you washing your hands with? Battery acid? LOL. Yes, some heavy duty soaps might dry out your hand enough to cause cracks. But the chances of being infected with Covid-19 in such fashion is about the same as coughing on your dick and transmitting it sexually.

The most common way of being infected is through breathing in aerosolized particles. As it ends up in your respiratory tract without all the hoop jumping.
 
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dobwal said:
The reason good hand hygiene is promoted is because people have a bad habit of touching their mouth, nose and eyes. This creates a pathway to their respiratory tract.

What are you washing your hands with? Battery acid? LOL. Yes, some heavy duty soaps might dry out your hand enough to cause cracks. But the chances of being infected with Covid-19 in such fashion is about the same as coughing on your dick and transmitting it sexually.

The most common way of being infected is through breathing in aerosolized particles. As it ends up in your respiratory tract without all the hoop jumping.
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I dunno about intercourse. Any flu or cold you can pass around with intercourse.
I wouldn’t risk doing it with a person with COVID.

The most common way is through your eyes and nose and mouth. We touch our faces 1000 times a day across the average population. If in that 1000x session you touch a surface with live COVID and you touch eyes, mouth, nose. Yea you’re likely to contract.

for someone to cough it on you; you really need to be somewhat to someone and in this situation you will have your guard up and move away naturally.
 
I feel so bad for my girlfried. She finally went on a Japan trip with her mom today. A trip she was super excited for and planned for damn near a year. And now almost every location and event she planned to visit has either been closed or cancelled there. No Ghibli museum, no Disney Sea, no Tokyo Digital Arts Musem, no big Cherry Blossom festival, no almost nothing.
 
So, how do you attempt to stop the spread when it's possible that more than half of the people infected by covid 19 won't show signs of the illness and thus would never get tested or know to self-quarantee?

From a news article I just read.

Japanese officials studying the outbreak on the Diamond Princess cruise ship said more than half of those infected — nealy 400 out of 705 people who tested positive — showed no symptoms, underscoring just how difficult the virus is to detect and how many people may have contracted it without knowing it. Some would never have been tested unless they had been onboard the ship, they said. While many people appear able to shrug off the virus, it clearly is devastating to the elderly and people with underlying health problems. At least seven of the cruise ship passengers died.
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The only reasons they could see this was that they tested everyone onboard the ship regardless of whether they were showing symptoms or not.

Outside of completely shutting down travel between countries, states and provicences, there is no way to prevent it from spreading.

Regards,
SB
 
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