Coronavirus:

[Rufus T. Firefly]

OK. I shouldn't have asked.

Well, maybe, maybe not, probably , yes or possibly no, but I'm not altogether sure,

[rogruth]

OK. I shouldn't have asked.

Well, maybe, maybe not, probably , yes or possibly no, but I'm not altogether sure,

I think I might or might not agree with you.

[robert.]

That cruise ship will get a name change. Leaving every new traveler in the dark about any quarantine. A small crew of ten will have half a gallon of bleach each. They will wipe down a few door knobs as a crew removes the old ships name. When the bleach evaporates and the paint dries on the name. This ship will sail under it's new name. CORONA OF THE SEA.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

That cruise ship will get a name change. Leaving every new traveler in the dark about any quarantine. A small crew of ten will have half a gallon of bleach each. They will wipe down a few door knobs as a crew removes the old ships name. When the bleach evaporates and the paint dries on the name. This ship will sail under it's new name. CORONA OF THE SEA.

[HONDO74]

The Most Dangerous Epidemics in U.S. History
A look back

https://www.healthline.com/health/worst ... -history#1

As medicine advances, there are fewer infectious disease outbreaks, or epidemics. An epidemic is when an infectious disease spreads within a community or area during a specific time period. Learn about the biggest outbreaks to spread across the United States, and where we are now.

[MYmoo]

I don't remember whether I saw this on mainsream media or a latenight talk show:

Someone asked a WHO* official if they could get the virus from drinking the namesake
Mexican beer...

*World Health Organization

[HONDO74]

From the BBC.
Coronavirus: Foreign Office in bid to rescue Britons stranded on cruise ship
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-51541352

There are 74 British passengers and crew on board the Diamond Princess ship - which was quarantined on 3 February.

The Foreign Office said it was "working to organise a flight back to the UK for British nationals on the Diamond Princess as soon as possible".

An evacuation is expected to take place within the next two to three days.

[healey36]

Another Brexit, lol...

[HONDO74]

UN chief: New virus outbreak is ‘a very dangerous situation’
https://www.ky3.com/content/news/Corona ... 64571.html

Quarantine on cruise ship in Japan comes under question

When the Diamond Princess cruise ship was quarantined in Yokohama earlier this month, Japanese health officials said the extraordinary measure was needed to stop the spread of a worrying new virus that emerged in China.

But since the quarantine was implemented, more than 540 cases of the virus have been identified among the more than 3,700 people isolated. The number is by far the largest outside China.

The Japanese government has repeatedly defended the effectiveness of the quarantine and bristled against criticism that the ship became a virus incubator instead of a quarantine facility.

However, scientists say it’s clear the quarantine did not work and that an investigation is needed to determine why it failed and if there’s another mode of transmission aboard the ship. One ethicist said the failure was “tragic” but that the quarantine was justified.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

However, scientists say it’s clear the quarantine did not work and that an investigation is needed to determine why it failed and if there’s another mode of transmission aboard the ship. One ethicist said the failure was “tragic” but that the quarantine was justified.

I'll continue to agree with Scott Gottlieb on this having been a terrible decision. There are times when ethicists need to get smacked upside the head with a reality stick.

Apparently, while Singapore appears to be holding the spread under control, there are apparently some signs that Japan might be beginning to lose control over its spread there. Seems there are a lot of odd things going on in Japan..........ok, more than the usual level.

[HONDO74]

As Fears of a Pandemic Mount, WHO Says World Is Not Ready
https://news.yahoo.com/fears-pandemic-m ... 39195.html

BEIJING — As new cases of the coronavirus spiked on two continents, the World Health Organization warned Monday that the world was not ready for a major outbreak, even as it praised China’s aggressive efforts to wrest the epidemic under control.

After two weeks on the ground in China, a team sent by the WHO concluded that the draconian measures China imposed a month ago may have saved hundreds of thousands of people from infection. Such measures — sealing off cities, shutting down businesses and schools, ordering people to remain indoors — have provoked anger in China and could be difficult to replicate in democratic countries with a greater emphasis on protecting civil liberties.

And the stock market went into PANIC mode today.

[Mitch]

Yeah, the market dropped 1000 pts. Administration pledged $2.5 billion for research, but, of course, Pelosi said it was too little too late. I remember as soon as the virus info surfaced a month ago, the Administration offered immediate help from CDC and China turned it down. WHO probably didn't want CDC to steal their thunder anyway. Curious though. Why is it that no matter how much money is proposed or freed up, for the 'Crats it's never enough? How could she possibly know how much would be needed when research has barely begun? (Or did she just need to take the obligatory dig at Trump)? How much did the rest of the world come up with? This virus is already loose all over the world.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

As Fears of a Pandemic Mount, WHO Says World Is Not Ready
https://news.yahoo.com/fears-pandemic-m ... 39195.html

BEIJING — As new cases of the coronavirus spiked on two continents, the World Health Organization warned Monday that the world was not ready for a major outbreak, even as it praised China’s aggressive efforts to wrest the epidemic under control.

The US is not close to ready and will be unable to contain it.

After two weeks on the ground in China, a team sent by the WHO concluded that the draconian measures China imposed a month ago may have saved hundreds of thousands of people from infection. Such measures — sealing off cities, shutting down businesses and schools, ordering people to remain indoors — have provoked anger in China and could be difficult to replicate in democratic countries with a greater emphasis on protecting civil liberties.

Try impossible to replicate. We can't get folks to accept immunization against measles. We barely were able to isolate folks exposed to Ebola.

And the stock market went into PANIC mode today.

They finally came to grips with the simple fact that the never ending pipe line of raw materials and finished products coming from China is rapidly going down to a trickle, and may be headed to zero shortly, and will take 2-3 quarters before it recovers, if everything goes back to normal this quarter. And, they are just now beginning to understand it's not going back to normal this quarter. Reality came for a visit.

It was a 3% drop - does not even make the top 50 single day drops.

Shipping containers are down 20-25% on both coasts already. That trickles into our economy on the job numbers and local economies at the ports, and then trickles outwards, etc.

The numbers in Korea (2000 patients) are what really trigger greater concerns in the market. Italy number are dissemination concern as are the numbers elsewhere in the world.

Administration pledged $2.5 billion for research, but, of course, Pelosi said it was too little too late. I remember as soon as the virus info surfaced a month ago, the Administration offered immediate help from CDC and China turned it down. WHO probably didn't want CDC to steal their thunder anyway. Curious though. Why is it that no matter how much money is proposed or freed up, for the 'Crats it's never enough? How could she possibly know how much would be needed when research has barely begun?

Chinc turned the CDC down since the last thing China wants is anyone else telling them what they are doing it wrong; they want it under their control. WHO really has no influence over China's decision making on this either.

Actually, it's pretty easy for folks to come up with a decent back of the envelope estimate for what it costs to work up vaccines. All you have to do is ask and look at the past records of costs and time. But it does take real time to implement. So, it is too late for that funding and it will take next to forever for it to be distributed, and longer still until anything useful is generated.

The pharma companies are way out in front of whatever Gov't funder research might develop. The time line of the later is maybe 18 months to 2 years before a vaccine could be approved and that would only be if everything went perfectly. Moderna shipping a trial vaccine already to NIH for a phase 1 trial. That might start in April. Phase 1 will take 6 months to do and that's just to establish safety. Assuming it's safe, on to phase 2 to see if it even works and at what dosing. Maybe 6-12 months if all goes well.

No magic wands are available. But maybe if we get lucky some of the existing anti-viral drugs will hit against this virus. That would be a nice short cut.

[rogruth]

Why do we call it coronavirus and other countries call it something else?

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Why do we call it coronavirus and other countries call it something else?

Coronavirus is the general viral family name; covid-19 is a specific name.