Coronavirus:

[HONDO74]

The 100% panic button has now been pushed and all the states will be declaring a state or emergency so they can get in on e 8.4 billion dollars that congress just appropriated. Got to get their share of the pork before it is all gone.

Flu has killed 20,000 Americans so far this season, including 136 children, CDC says
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/flu-deaths ... ldren-cdc/

The CDC's most recent flu report says that as of February 29, hospitalization rates among children aged 4 and under were the highest on record at this point in the season, surpassing rates reported during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. The 136 children's deaths also mark the highest on record since the 2009 pandemic.

In all, the CDC estimates about 34 million people have gotten the flu so far this season and 350,000 have been hospitalized.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

The 100% panic button has now been pushed and all the states will be declaring a state or emergency so they can get in on e 8.4 billion dollars that congress just appropriated. Got to get their share of the pork before it is all gone.

Good chunk of that is research funding.....

Flu has killed 20,000 Americans so far this season, including 136 children, CDC says

The CDC's most recent flu report says that as of February 29, hospitalization rates among children aged 4 and under were the highest on record at this point in the season, surpassing rates reported during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. The 136 children's deaths also mark the highest on record since the 2009 pandemic.

In all, the CDC estimates about 34 million people have gotten the flu so far this season and 350,000 have been hospitalized.

And, a good bit of all that was preventable or should have been.

[HONDO74]

Does the BBC sensationalize it's headlines. ?? How would you interpret it ?

Anyway it does not look good for New York.

Coronavirus: Troops sent to New York 'containment zone'
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51826317

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced one-mile (1.6km) coronavirus "containment zone" around a community north of New York City.

New Rochelle has seen "probably the largest cluster" of US cases, Mr Cuomo said at a news conference on Tuesday.

The state will deploy National Guard troops to clean schools in the city and deliver food to any quarantined individuals.

New York state has 173 active coronavirus cases, the most in the US.

Of these cases, 108 are in Westchester County, where New Rochelle is located. New York City, which is located around 25 miles (40km) south of New Rochelle, has 36 confirmed cases of the virus in its population of eight million people.

Mr Cuomo said there will no travel restrictions in the small city, but large meeting points in the area will be closed.

Schools, gathering places and businesses in the virus hot spot will be closed for two weeks.

There were 791 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the US as of Tuesday afternoon, according to Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, which is tracking the outbreak.

[Neil]

These are extreme measures due to concerns about the worst case scenarios. Remains to be seen how it plays out. Many unknown factors at this point, including the availability of effective anti-viral therapy within the next few weeks/months, fatality rate amongst a population with many fewer smokers (42% amongst Chinese men, 28% amongst Italians, 14% in the US/UK), and whether the coming spring weather will largely end the epidemic for this year as it invariably does for influenza and other respiratory viruses. "Predictions are very unreliable, especially about the future "(attributed to Yogi Berra).

[MurphOnMillerAve]

In the News:
Traditional car show @ the Javits Center , at 11th Ave , NYC , scheduled for April 10 has been re-scheduled for August.

The TCA Meet in Pennsylvania scheduled for April ?

[Neil]

The Eastern Division will decide by April 1st. I would guess they will cancel.

[Chris Webster]

Prez says everything is cool...

“This is the first crisis of Trump’s presidency that he did not cause himself" - Stephen Colbert

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Prez says everything is cool...

“This is the first crisis of Trump’s presidency that he did not cause himself" - Stephen Colbert

...but I am certain he still feels everything is wonderful and very, very good, and excellent, where he is "concerned"...

[robert.]

Many area universities are shutting down campus. Saying “ don’t return spring break. Classes will resume online”

[up148]

Fine line between panic and caution sometimes. It's a pretty scary virus and extreme measures seems to be the only thing that stops it once it takes a foothold in a country. Hoping we contain it before it spreads like it has in other countries, because then its too late and panic will follow.

[Chris Webster]

I may not understand but it seems that the death toll from flu in the U.S. is double the world death toll from corona virus.
Why so much ado about the coronavirus and so little about flu?

Exponential Growth.

My understanding is that exponential growth doesn't happen with the flu since immunizations (the flu shot) cause herd immunity..... but there's no shot for Covid-19.

This wikipedia page has a lot of information: 2019–20 coronavirus outbreak
Check out this World Health Organization graph, showing how quickly the number of cases grew overseas:
2020 Coronavirus cases outside China (WHO)
Also see this animated map of confirmed Covid-19 cases from 12 January to 29 February 2020.

People who have done back-of-the-envelope exponential growth calcs are warning that the number of cases in the US will exceed the total number of hospital beds in the US within 2 to 3 weeks, unless something drastic happens to slow down the outbreak.

I presume the exponential growth is why Universities with public health expertise (those with medical schools and public health degree programs) are sending students home and moving to online classes. I see that MIT students have to be leave campus by Saturday.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

I may not understand but it seems that the death toll from flu in the U.S. is double the world death toll from corona virus.
Why so much ado about the coronavirus and so little about flu?

Exponential Growth.

And mortality rate. Flu is 0.1% Covid-19 is 3-6% If the same number of people get Covid-19 as the flu, there will be 30-60 times as many dead. Stopping the spread is almost impossible now - containment is lost.

I presume the exponential growth is why Universities with public health expertise (those with medical schools and public health degree programs) are sending students home and moving to online classes. I see that MIT students have to be leave campus by Saturday.

Other reason is to eliminate schools as effectively being incubators and distribution networks. All the kids from all over get together after spring break and bring everything to the school, and then they all take it back everywhere.

[HONDO74]

Coronavirus confirmed as pandemic by World Health Organization
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-51839944

The coronavirus outbreak has been labelled a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO).

WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the number of cases outside China had increased 13-fold over the past two weeks.

He said he was "deeply concerned" by "alarming levels of inaction" over the virus.

Coronavirus: Up to 70% of Germany could become infected - Merkel
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51835856

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that up to 70% of the country's population - some 58 million people - could contract the coronavirus.

Mrs Merkel made the stark prediction at a news conference on Wednesday alongside Health Minister Jens Spahn.

She said since there was no known cure, the focus would fall on slowing the spread of the virus. "It's about winning time," she explained.

Her remarks came as Italy entered its second day of a national lockdown.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced the closure of schools, gyms, museums, nightclubs and other venues across the country, which on Wednesday passed 10,000 confirmed infections.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

I saw a piece on the News that mentioned some grocery stores were wiping down their cashier counters' rolling devices. I hadn't thought of that, and had just been to the grocery store yesterday, and noticed nobody doing that, though it could have happened before or after I was present. If they don't wipe-down their cashier counters (or whatever they are called) I wonder if , ostensibly, every one of my items could have been contaminated.

[HONDO74]

I saw a piece on the News that mentioned some grocery stores were wiping down their cashier counters' rolling devices. I hadn't thought of that, and had just been to the grocery store yesterday, and noticed nobody doing that, though it could have happened before or after I was present. If they don't wipe-down their cashier counters (or whatever they are called) I wonder if , ostensibly, every one of my items could have been contaminated.

I was at my local Walmart getting a few things. I always use the short shopping carts because I don't get much and they can't put children in them. They provide wipes to use on the carts. Today was the 1st time that I have used them. Wiped the handle and then my hands.