COVID-19

[hevans1944]

I was really worried about the US, but it seems that the states are working together and achieving a large measure of success, despite the vacuum in the federal government.

What most of the world may not appreciate is the United States is a federation of independent, sovereign, states (currently fifty in number) who are united under a federal government for the mutual benefit and protection of ALL the states. The vacuum in my current federal government is NOT detrimental to the cooperation among the states. This vacuum, centered on Washington, D.C., may be the reason why the States are working together.

The thing that citizens of the USA need fear is the entrenched bureaucracy of the Federal Government, that is pretty much now like a ship at sea without a competent Captain in charge of steering it. Who knows what "direction" (if any) the Ship of State will take? It is pretty much a "good thing" that the resources the Federal Government can bring to bear on problems common to all of the States is widely distributed among the States instead of being concentrated in one area. That does make it more difficult to administer from a central location, such as Washington, D.C., or New York City, or perhaps Denver, Colorado, or Atlanta, Georgia. Notice I didn't mention California, which although a State of the United States of America, has gone its own way for the last sixty or seventy years or so.

The fight against the novel coronavirus, and COVID19 deaths caused by it, is far from over. It may never be over unless a potent vaccine and readily available antibody tests are made available to everyone world wide, not just for the few in privileged countries. The world is now a much smaller (and more crowded) place, given that anyone can be just about anywhere on the planet if they have enough money for travel, whether on a ship at sea or 37,000 feet in the air, packed like sardines in a jet-propelled aluminum sausage. We should all learn how to cooperate. Or maybe die trying.

What an interesting "off-topic" thread @(*steve*) has started. I especially appreciate the comments and links that (newly appointed?) moderator @bertus has provided on the worldwide status of the COVID19 problem.

 

[(*steve*)]

The vacuum in my current federal government is NOT detrimental to the cooperation among the states. This vacuum, centered on Washington, D.C., may be the reason why the States are working together.

Because, or in spite of, it doesn't matter. Single states will have a hard time dealing with this alone if they are strongly affected. I was heartened to see groups of states cooperating, including some having "dissimilar" political leanings at the highest levels.

 

[hevans1944]

I was heartened to see groups of states cooperating, including some having "dissimilar" political leanings at the highest levels.

Amen to that.

America and Americans are a resilient lot, slow to move sometimes but like a juggernaut when finally in motion. I suspect our Congress will eventually have to intervene with laws defining who gets what, where, and when. If the isolation continues much longer, with people out of work and limited availability of goods for sale on the shelf, America will become like the Soviet Union was in the years after World War II... capable but not very productive, and with unequal distribution of what was available. Our "natural" reaction to calamities such as the COVID19 pandemic is to isolate the entire country from the rest of the world. This didn't work very well for any country in the past, and it is even less likely to work today. Like it or not, we are all connected and now is the time to show that by helping our fellow human beings in Africa, Asia, and the South Pacific along with survivors in Europe and all of the Western Hemisphere.

Glad to see you and your wife have apparently recovered from your bout with the flu! Carry on, mate! In isolation of course.

 

[bertus]

Hello,

The wiki has now also several coronavirus pages.
World : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019–20_coronavirus_pandemic
USA : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_coronavirus_pandemic_in_the_United_States
Europe : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_coronavirus_pandemic_in_Europe
Australia : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_coronavirus_pandemic_in_Australia

More links can be found in the attached (dutch) PDF.

Bertus

 

[bertus]

Hello,

An article in Nature about some antibody:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-16256-y

Bertus

 

[bertus]

Hello,

On twitter from a dutch news blog:


The Dutch are inventing new words to describe the impact of the virus.

- Huidhonger (skin hunger): a longing for human contact during isolation

- Toogviroloog (blather virologist): someone who spreads false information about coronavirus. https://t.co/uFv3zuwyB0

— CNN (@CNN) May 5, 2020

Bertus

 

[Hopup]

- Toogviroloog (blather virologist): someone who spreads false information about coronavirus.

Honestly who exactly they think spreads the truth about it. I remember that not single organization was honest about it, or at least they did not spread the full truth as they did not have it, nor do we still have complete understanding of it.

 

[Martaine2005]

We are safe and sound. Keeping our distance and having fun.

 

[bertus]

Hello,

We are now at 5 million tested cases of corona now:
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/



Bertus

 

[bertus]

Hello,

Thai elevator with pedas, no buttons to touch:

Bertus

 

[TCSC47]

Hi everybody.
Hope we are all keeping well now. Here in the UK, one of my son's had a bad session of C-19 and got through it. He has the antibodies and is in the ideal place to donate them for research, working as he does in a blood lab. The worry now is a level of permanent lung damage, but he seems ok. Sadly two of our elderly relatives have died from C-19.

As 72 year olds, my wife and I have been, and are still, isolating as best we can. We are still using diluted bleach to clean plastics and bottles coming into the house. We have started now to see the rest of the family, in the open countryside and have been cycling and walking with some of the grandchildren, but social isolating to 2 metre of course.

I am quite disappointed with our government and their confusing and lack lustre advice on what to do, and disgusted with those of the general population who, with the loosening of isolation are totally abandoning any sense of citizenship and duty and flocking to the sea side and other tourist hot spots, in excessive numbers. A second wave is going to be inevitable, if it is not happening already. Also not impressed with the Liverpool football supporters behaviour when Liverpool won the Premiership last night. I don't think either of these groups are representative of the general population but they are going to cause us a lot of problems.

Here in the UK we have had what appears to be one rule for us and another for the people in charge. The prominent chief adviser to the government, a guy called Cummings, broke a number of isolation rules, and whereas, other people got fined and had to resign from key posts etc., he has been allowed by our Prime Minister to get away with it completely. It is pretty obvious that this has made people think if he can do it, so can they and hence the disgraceful scenes of people flooding the tourist areas and becoming aggressive with the police after consuming alcohol.

As a Year1 teacher, our daughter has been having to work hard throughout the pandemic. She has had to develop and give on-line teaching materials, as well as going into school all-be-it in rotation with other teachers, to look after the key worker children who were in full time. Now, of course, all Yr.1 and Yr.6 are back full time and she along with her colleagues are teaching them in smaller groups. This has presented them with a lot of logistic problems trying to keep the children socially distancing which is almost impossible with such small kids.

I have been tested twice for C-19 because I am participating on a C-19 research program and have reported what were interpreted as C-19 symptoms. I am perfectly ok though. The test is pretty unpleasant having a swab stuck right down your throat and then painfully right up your nose. I have a bad gagging reflex so it was difficult not to cough in the lad giving the test's face. Thankfully for the medic at least, I didn't have C-19!

We are retired and financially not suffering from the isolation, but I really feel bad for the businesses and workers who are going to suffer badly from the isolation and it is evident that we have to get the economy going again. Hence, the more I am disgusted with the street parties, and others, flouting the law and advice, which will simply end up prolonging the pandemic problems.

Anyway, stay distant, stay healthy.
Cheers

 

[TCSC47]

Just to add, my wife has as usual put me to shame. I am taking it easy making a nostalgic radio from my youth and prattling on about things here and in other forums. I have been sorting out my electronic components looking for the old bits and pieces for the radio and been a bit shocked to find what some people are trying to sell them for! Would you believe I had a matched pair of KT66 valves which I threw out many years ago! Apparently going for £500 !!! Still got my OC44s though.

Meanwhile my wife has been doing stints with the local Covid-19 Mutual Aid organisation, phoning up people and chatting to them and helping then to sort out problems. On top of that she has thrown herself into making face coverings for all the family. The best source of breathable polypropylene she found was Screwfix lightweight coveralls by the way. Anyway, sewing machine in the middle of the lounge and materials and sewing all over the place. At least it stopped her from complaining about my soldering bits and pieces in the kitchen.

Rock On All!

 

[bertus]

Hello,

10 million cases:


https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

@(*steve*) , quite a bit later as the predicted 20th of April in post # 10

Bertus

 

[(*steve*)]

Yes, much later, indicating that the spread had been controlled somewhat (linear, or better growth rates vs exponential). Keep an eye on India, Brazil, and parts of the US that are still (or again) in an exponential trajectory.

India and Brazil have a younger population than the US, so I would expect a lower death rate (all other things being equal). But things aren't equal, compounded by both of these countries dealing with this situation even worse than the US, with arguably less capable health systems.

 

[bertus]

Some corona jokes from the AAC:

 

[bertus]

Hello,

European soccer game ends in 37-0 in germany:
https://www.espn.com/soccer/german-...rus-german-team-socially-distancesbeaten-37-0

Bertus

 

[bertus]

Found at AAC:

 

[bertus]

There is a small child praying to God.
Dear Lord can you delete and reinstall 2020.
There is a virus in this one.

 

[hevans1944]

We know so little about the novel corona virus responsible for the COVID19 pandemic... what organs in the body does it infect? How long does it persist after antibodies are created to repel the invasion? Does getting infected provide any sort of future immunity to survivors? If an effective vaccine is developed for the virus today, will the vaccine still be effective tomorrow? How fast, and in what manner, does the virus mutate to become immune to the "latest and greatest" vaccine?

There are some viruses that lie dormant in the body for years, and then for whatever reason (usually related to stress) begin to infect and reproduce themselves. I happen to harbor one of these, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), acquired sometime in early childhood. Growing up, I would sometimes suffer from "cold sores" on my lips. These could be quite painful, but there was no treatment that was truly effective. My mom, a registered nurse, would apply Vick's VapoRub to the affected area but it wasn't very effective. Later, as an adult, I tried several over-the-counter remedies with limited success.

It wasn't until after I graduated college, and was working with someone who came from a "cold weather" northern state, who suggested that I begin taking large doses of L-lysine, an amino acid that is not produced by the human body, that I found any relief. I started taking 500mg tablets daily and my cold sores disappeared. I don't know if the L-lysine was causative or coincidental, but I continued taking daily doses of L-lysine for many years after that, gradually increasing the dose to 1000mg per day. I haven't experienced any cold sores while on the L-lysine regimen, but sometimes I forget to take the tablets on a daily basis. When that happens, I eventually notice the "tingling" sensation in my lips that presages another cold sore eruption. If I start taking L-lysine immediately, I can usually avoid the appearance of a cold sore or reduce the infection to just a day or two.

Now all the above is just anecdotal evidence, not any sort of proof that L-lysine does anything at all to prevent, eliminate, or reduce the effects of cold sores. My point is simply this: some viruses take up residence in the body, and linger there for many years, causing no harm until... all of a sudden... they do. If the novel corona virus that causes COVID19, a highly contagious and often fatal respiratory infection, behaves in ways that are not well understood, then we have no reason to believe that it will be vanquished any time soon. But what if the virus behaves like HSV-1 and takes up residence in the spinal fluid or some other "out of the way" place, just waiting to be triggered by stress? We know it attacks other organs than the lungs, perhaps also with fatal results. COVID19 could be the disease that just keeps on killing for many years to come, knocking off our weakest first and then coming back for more. It's the CDC Zombie Apocalypse writ small!

I guess maybe it's time I crawl back into my hole to wait for a "cure," lest I get infected and die without the benefit of "herd immunity." And maybe I should get one of those pricey Israeli surgical masks, the ones with a anti-viral, anti-bacterial, zinc-something compound blasted into the inner fabric liner... they are washable (for at least a certain number of times) and the metal compound that kills them tiny critters is "locked in" to the fabric so it remains effective. I would feel more comfortable if they made it with silver threads woven into the fabric (perhaps with golden needles?) because silver kills micro-organisms on contact. That's why we always use silver-plated flatware (acquired mostly from estate sales) when dining.

 

[bertus]

Spain - Man calmly plays piano amid chaotic anti-lockdown demonstrations