Good luck Prom, if I’d been younger I would probably do the same. We’re all going to get it anyway tbh. so taking the bull by the horns is not a bad thing.
As anomaleigh says, if there is anything good to come from this the virus it is that it is a leveller, a clear signal that people are people of whatever race, creed or colour, and if the powers that be don’t take real care in preserving a modicum of wealth-blindness in the treatment of their populations and the maintainance of the economy at all levels… a clear red flag to everyone.
Who knows, when the dust clears, maybe the world will be a fairer place. Yeah yeah I know, stupid optimism. But hey, I’m stupid.
Well, every year, I think something like 1% of the population dies anyway, and 1% are born, so in the US, about 3 million people die a year, most of them old and chronically ill.
If the worst estimates of corona are true, then it’ll be something like an additional 1%, an extra 3 million, most of them old and chronically ill, they’ll get corona and die a little earlier than they would have.
But are they just shooting in the dark?
It’s very possible this virus has been around for thousands of years, that this is just the first time it’s been successfully identified.
How do they know how many people have been infected?
Have they thoroughly screened everyone?
No, they’ve only screened thousands of people, out of 8 billion.
It’s very possible this virus has already infected hundreds of millions or even billions of people, that the vast majority of people experience no symptoms, even the vast majority of old and chronically ill people, that we’ve already seen the worst this virus can do.
So why isn’t the media and the WHO exploring these very real possibilities.
Is there a sinister agenda at play?
A plan for an authoritarian take over and population reduction?
Or is it more simply paranoia coupled with opportunities for government, media and pharma and inside traders to make billions?
In a Milestone, China Reports Zero New Local Infections NYT headline
How important is this?
For one thing, if China can sustain this to the point that their economy is up and running again, it will almost certainly trigger the same sort of “draconian” reactions to the virus in other nations around the globe. Impose strict punishments on those who do not stay in their homes until the curve is flattened and new cases are at a minimal.
Then [seemingly] it comes down to two things:
1] after the Chinese go about the business of “returning to normal” will that cause the virus to reemerge?
2] will the virus come in “waves” — ballooning once again in the Fall for example.
More than likely. The 'Spanish flue went down exactly the same way, it originated in Kansas, it was transported by WW1 soldiers heading to the European theatre, then mutated, and then it was spread again, and so on.
The casualties were upwards of 50 million worldwide.
Now the question that comes to my mind, is, could the horrible ‘super bug’ having ‘learned’ from the past, is using immuno-suppressive evolution, to over come the acquisition of newer adaptable antiviral agents, as did the HIV. Virus was able to do?
Even now there is no vaccine, after 40 years of mutation, and that did not go airborne !
{The HIV connection did not leave out notice by the Chinese }:
China Names HIV Drugs in Treatment Plan for New Virus
China Racing to Find Cure for Coronavirus
China is using AbbVie Inc’s HIV drugs as an ad-hoc treatment for pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus while the global search for a cure continues.
The Beijing branch of China’s National Health Commission said that a combination of lopinavir and ritonavir, sold under the brand name Kaletra by AbbVie, is part of its latest treatment plan for patients infected by the virus, which has killed at least 56 people in China and sickened more than 2,000 worldwide.
The NHC said that while there is not yet any effective anti-viral drug, it recommends patients are given two lopinavir and ritonavir tablets twice a day and a dose of alpha-interpheron through nebulization twice daily.
Medical journal Lancet said on Friday that a clinical trial is under way using ritonavir and lopinavir to treat cases of the new coronavirus. Meanwhile, China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention will start developing a vaccine, according to the Global Times.
Wang Guangfa, a respiratory expert at Peking University First Hospital in Beijing who was infected by the virus after visiting Wuhan to inspect to coronavirus patients, told China News Week earlier this week that his doctor recommended he take the HIV drugs to fight the new virus and they worked on him.
No. Corona viruses and retroviruses like aids are different beasties.
Different species of disease don’t actively learn from each other any more than we would learn to digest our food better by watching cows. Bacteria pass plasmids to each other, conferring advantages, but viruses, much smaller and simpler, don’t have the means to do so, they rely on mutation and selection alone.
But then , is not the way learning is processed, differ in kind, yet how could viruses ‘learn’ definitively, as the current focus on determenitive, non transcendent modes exclude their negation? After all, negation are the primal facial qualifiers of any standard study.
Such exclusions regress studies to primary modalities .
Supposing viruses have no primordial modalities consistent with interactive suppressive agents, may be a rather strong statement , reinforcing such a biased supposition? What the Chinese are implying, that HIV suppression by current drugs , may at least be worth a try, as Trump is seeking the same with malaria viral vaccine?
Meaning: it still may be a bio-weapon, yet if sustained, the Chinese may still save face by implying that it really was non intentional, and accidental. No World Court dare hold them to the opposite, and the worst case that could be held to, that it is not really beneficial to try the Chinese to the verity of which scenario befits their counter claim.
learning microscopically, differs from evolutionary adapted learning, by a measure that is well described by those acquainted in it in the philosophy of mind. It has always been a behavior/an intrinsic modality; and it is fairly recent that Ayer/ e.g. al has shifted focus to behavioral jumps, via procedural schematics .
Which leads me to my pet insistence on a partially differentiated functional approach: to what makes it a primordial excercise to assume a genus related excercise on any level of learning?
‘Learning’ is an inappropriate word really. Imagine a virus is like a car engine in a junkyard. Every day random car engine parts rain down from the sky. Once in a bazillion collisions the right part falls in just the right place with just the right alignment with just the right force to click in, and zoooom, engine upgrade achieved.
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus exceeded 300,000 worldwide, according to the Johns Hopkins tracker on Saturday, and 20,000 in the United States, according to a Washington Post count, as states ramp up restrictions on their citizens’ movements.
UK coronavirus live: Dominic Raab advises all Britons abroad to return to UK now
7,500 former medics to rejoin NHS, Hancock says, as death toll rises across the country
Coronavirus - global live updates
Britons abroad urged to return to UK immediately
How do Italy and the UK compare?
London doctor and MP says NHS staff will face choice of who to save
See all our coronavirus coverage
Mon 23 Mar 2020 14.14 EDT
Key events
14:11 EDT
Early evening summary
Boris Johnson has been chairing a meeting of the government’s Cobra emergency committee, amid growing speculation that he is poised to announce tougher social distancing measures designed to keep people largely in their homes. He is due to make an announcement tonight at 8.30pm. Labour is saying it would back measures to “force” people to stay at home. (See 5.15pm.) And Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, has complained that people are still going to work to do jobs that are not essential. (See 1.12pm.) A week ago, when Johnson first announced a dramatic escalation of social distancing, he said people should work from home where possible. Now increasingly ministers want people to stay at home unless their work is essential.
The number of coronavirus patients in the UK who have died has risen to 335. That is a six-fold increase on this time last week. (See 5.52pm.)
Emergency legislation giving ministers sweeping powers to ban gatherings and forcibly quarantine suspected coronavirus patients will be reviewed every six months, Downing Street has announced. Opening the debate on the coronavirus bill, Matt Hancock, the health secretary, said he thought that some of the emergency powers in it would never be needed. The bill, which has cross-party support, is due to clear all its Commons stages this evening. There were fewer MPs than normal in the chamber for the debate, and the ones who were there made an effort to keep apart.
Hancock has told MPs that more than 7,500 former clinicians have answered his call to return to the NHS to help out during the coronavirus outbreak. (See 4.26pm.)
Britain’s trains have effectively been nationalised, at least temporarily, after the government suspended rail franchise agreements to avoid train companies collapsing because of the coronavirus.
Caravan parks and campsites in Wales are being closed to visitors from today, Mark Drakeford, the Welsh first minister, has announced. (See 4.49pm.)
The government has asked manufacturers including Airbus, Rolls-Royce, Nissan and JCB to help produce up to 30,000 ventilators in as little as two weeks, amid concern that the 8,175 the NHS has available will not be enough to treat a surge in Covid-19 patients.
Transport for London (TfL) has faced criticism after social media users in London published photographs of packed tube trains on the Monday morning commute, at a time when the government is urging the public to practise social and physical distancing.
FCO tells Britons abroad to return to UK immediately
Up to 1 million Britons on holiday or on business trips abroad have been asked to return to the UK immediately by the Foreign Office, as they may not be able to get commercial flights within days.
In updated advice, the FCO said British citizens abroad who are resident in the UK should make urgent plans to cut short holidays and other trips and come back home straight away.
Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, said:
We are strongly urging UK travellers overseas to return home now where and while there are still commercial routes to do so. Around the world, more airlines are suspending flights and more airports are closing, some without any notice.
Where commercial routes don’t exist, our staff are working round the clock to give advice and support to UK nationals. If you are on holiday abroad the time to come home is now while you still can.
Coronavirus: Britons abroad urged to return to UK immediately
All non-essential businesses in Northern Ireland are being urged to close immediately.
Northern Ireland’s first minister Arlene Foster has said there will be a “wave of deaths” in Northern Ireland if people do not obey social distancing rules as the coronavirus will spread.
Her deputy Michelle O’’Neill urged the public to understand that “this is not a holiday, this is an emergency”.
On Monday 20 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Northern Ireland, bringing the total to 148. Two people have died.
High Street chemist giant Boots has just confirmed to The Guardian that it will be slimming down its wider retail offer to focus its efforts on “supplying communities with the healthcare, pharmacy and essential items that they need” in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
From Tuesday, thousands of staff working on beauty counters such as No7, Liz Earle, Benefit, Fenty and fragrance will not be required to go to work in Boots’s 2,500 stores across the UK. However, they will be given the option of switching to other roles in store if they so wish.
In line with restrictions on physical distancing, Boots Opticians and Hearingcare stores across the UK will close, although a fraction will remain open to help those with “essential eye and hearing care needs”. These can be viewed tomorrow here.
Seb James, managing director of Boots UK, said:
Boots has a unique role to play during this time, and our duty and focus is to ensure that pharmacy, healthcare and a wide range of the essential products that we sell are available to those who need them.
I want to thank the teams for their outstanding dedication in keeping our pharmacies and stores open. Boots continues to be a place of trust for those who need us.
In its struggle to meet shoppers’ demands for essentials such as hand sanitiser and family medication, the retailer has warned staff that its warehouses only contain enough supply of paracetamol for another week and a half and that stocks could be depleted by the end of next week.
Number of UK patients who have died rises to 335
As of 9am on 23 March, a total of 83,945 people in the UK have been tested for Covid-19: 77,295 negative. 6,650 positive.
As of 1pm, 335 patients who tested positive have sadly died.
UPDATE on coronavirus (#COVID19) testing in the UK:
As of 9am on 23 March, a total of 83,945 have been tested:
77,295 negative.
6,650 positive.
As of 1pm, 335 patients who tested positive for coronavirus have sadly died.
A new campaign between the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Fifa has been launched to “pass the message to kick out coronavirus”.
One of the players participating is Liverpool goalkeeper, Alisson Becker, who is also a WHO ambassador. He said:
I know in these tough times everyone has changed their lives - staying home, not going out. In my case, I am not able to be with my colleagues, with my teammates, to do what I love.
Health comes first in this moment. It is time, like in football, for teamwork - everybody doing their own job, that includes to be safe and at home, and washing hands properly, keeping distance from people.
We need now to work as a team.
P
Road safety charity, Brake, is warning drivers to steer clear of risky rural roads unless essential, so that they don’t increase the burden on the NHS by being involved in a fatal or serious crash.
The warning comes after people across the UK flocked to the countryside over the weekend, increasing traffic levels on the roads which carry the most risk of death and serious injury.
To avoid any extra burden on the NHS, Brake is warning people not to travel unless absolutely essential and urging those that do have to travel to stay well within the speed limit and be aware of unexpected hazards and other road users at all times.
Joshua Harris, director of campaigns for Brake, said:
Unless absolutely essential, we urge everyone to stop driving on our risky rural roads to the countryside - you are putting yourself at increased risk of being killed or injured in a road crash and of adding to the burden on our NHS.
We would advise everyone to stay at home and stay safe, but if you absolutely must travel, stay well within the speed limit and be aware of unexpected hazards at all times.
We need to stop all non-essential travel to support our incredible emergency services. For those who need to drive, follow our advice to help minimise the chance of a crash
Charities have stepped up calls for an urgent emergency financial aid package to bail out voluntary organisations struggling to maintain services as billions of pounds in fundraising income dries up.
Hospices, social care providers, refuges, homelessness services, and cancer and other medical research charities are among those preparing to reduce services after coronavirus bans on social gatherings wiped out donated income for fundraising events.
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) estimates that charities will lose around £4.3 billion over the next 12 weeks as a result of spring and summer events like the London marathon being cancelled. Retail income is also under threat if high street charity shops are forced to close.
Over 100 MPs have signed a letter calling on ministers to provide an emergency injection of cash to keep charities afloat.
Heidi Travis, chief executive of Sue Ryder, said the “devastating” financial impact of coronavirus had put vital palliative care services provided by the charity at risk, even as it was preparing to care for additional patients so that the NHS could free up beds as Covid-19 spreads.
As a charity with over 1,000 doctors and nurses providing compassionate, expert care for people going through the most difficult times of their lives, we know that we are needed now more than ever. This is a plea and no less. Without immediate funding from the government the critical end of life care that Sue Ryder provides to thousands of families across the UK every year will cease.
Children’s cancer support charity CLIC Sargent, which relies on donations and fundraised money for 100% of its annual income, said it had seen a 40% fall in donations over the past three weeks and was currently projecting a 50% loss in turnover.
Rachel Kirby-Rider, CLIC’s director of income told the Guardian:
It’s emotionally difficult for all of our families at the moment and they are incredibly vulnerable. We need to protect that service to them. Without us those families won’t get support. The charity sector is being forgotten, yet the expectation is that we are key workers and will play a key role in the post-Covid 19 world. Yet we have not been given any financial support from the government.
The NCVO has called for a three point support package:
Emergency funding for frontline charities and volunteers supporting the response to the coronavirus crisis, especially where they are alleviating pressure on the health service or providing support to people suffering from the economic and social impact of coronavirus.
A ‘stabilisation fund’ for all charities to help them stay afloat, pay staff and continue operating during the course of the pandemic.
Confirmation that charities should be eligible for similar business interruption measures announced by the Chancellor for businesses
NCVO chief executive Karl Wilding, said:
I’m hearing from charities whose income has disappeared overnight but who still have to run services for their communities. Many of them have very little emergency cash to tide them over, and even those that do will run out in a matter of weeks.
In his speech Labour’s Jonathan Ashworth said the government should take action to stop profiteering during the coronavirus crisis. Earlier, during the business statement, his Labour colleague Liam Byrne gave a striking example. He said a chemist in his constituency had increased the price of children’s medicine by ten-fold. Byrne said, since he first raised this case, he had been flooded by other examples of shops doubling, trebling or quadrupling prices. He said that two thirds of American states had powers to impose price caps in emergencies and that the government should introduce similar powers here.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the Commons, told Byrne that profiteering of this kind was “extremely disagreeable” and that in the past, during some periods, it had been illegal. He said he would pass Byrne’s point on to ministerial colleagues.
According to the Ministry of Defence, 250 MoD personnel are now deployed helping the civil authorities with the coronavirus response. In total 20,000 service personnel are on standby to join in.
Some 150 servicemen and women have today started training so that they can start driving oxygen tankers if required to help the NHS. And 50 servicemen and women have started to help the NHS distribute personal protective equipment.
Water companies are asking people to stay at home for the good of their health rather than visit popular water company sites like reservoirs, Water UK has said.
To help the public keep themselves, their families and their communities protected from the spread of Covid-19, water companies are closing most of their leisure facilities.
These include normally busy places like sailing centres, bird-watching hides, wildlife havens and water parks, along with the car parks, cafes and toilets linked to them.
A limited number of sites will remain partially open, but they will have strict physical distancing rules enforced by on-site staff and their opening will be reviewed on a daily basis.
Labour’s Jonathan Ashworth says government should now force people to stay at home
In the Commons Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, is speaking now in the debate on the coronavirus bill on behalf of Labour. Earlier Labour said it wanted the government to enforce social distancing. (See 12.15pm.) Ashworth said the statistics suggest that the coronavirus outbreak in the UK is now worse than it was in Spain and France when they announced a “lockdown” approach. He went on:
I would say that we as Her Majesty’s loyal opposition actually do now call on the government to move to enforce social distancing and greater social and greater social protections as a matter of urgency.
Ashworth also said he thought the greatest problem facing people being made to stay at home was not boredom but economic hardship. He said:
I entirely agree … if we are going to ask people, or force people, to stay at home - we would support the government if it took that action, I think the government do need to take that action - then we also need to provide people with the economic security that they rightly deserve.
COBRA meeting is happening at 5pm so there won’t be PM press conference - but still expect to hear from Boris Johnson later on tonight
Boris Johnson has spoken to the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, today about coronavirus. A Downing Street spokesman said:
The prime minister and the president agreed on the wider need for ongoing international cooperation, particularly through the G20, to share expertise, support the global economic system and strengthen the ability of vulnerable countries to tackle the virus.
The prime minister stressed the need to support the WHO’s appeal and support vaccine development through the coalition for epidemic preparedness innovations.
The new South Korean model treatment method, which reduced new infections dramatically, now, sought internationally from various countries.
Perhaps Perhaps we are at The edge of how to stop it.
