World Coronavirus News II with Updates

[musiclady]

Testing.  Put a hundred infected people in a room, test one, and you have one case.  The next day, test the other 99.  Now you have 100 cases.  A hundredfold increase over night.  Yet the number of people actually infected remained unchanged.

That is highly suspect.

According to the Department of Health in Ohio, testing is limited and only those who show the most severe symptoms are tested.

The massive increase in confirmed cases in New York (11,210 at this time) is far more likely due to the fact that the disease has spread exponentially.

I repeat: Testing is limited, therefore your theory that testing is the cause of the increase is doubtful at best.

[TomSea]

Inside Taiwan during COVID-19: How they keep schools and businesses open
Taiwan acted early to make sure there were supplies of masks, sanitizer
Caitlin Taylor, Stephanie Kampf, Tyana Grundig and David Common · CBC ·

t's almost life as usual for the Lin family of Taiwan during the coronavirus pandemic — with a few noticeable exceptions.

"We didn't worry too much," said Leeli Chang, who lives with her husband, Terry Lin, and her daughter, Peggy, 8, in a suburb of Taipei.

The family, like many in Taiwan, continue to go to work, to school and out shopping as normal since the COVID-19 epidemic, but now with some precautions in place — like regular temperature checks and hand sanitizer dispensers outside most public buildings, and many people wearing masks.

Read more at:  https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/inside-taiwan-during-covid-19-how-they-keep-schools-and-businesses-open-1.5505031

[DB]

Why have so many coronavirus patients died in Italy?
The country's high death toll is due to an ageing population, overstretched health system and the way fatalities are reported
By Sarah Newey, Global health Security Correspondent 21 March 2020 • 9:09am

The coronavirus pandemic is exacting a heavy toll on Italy, with hospitals overwhelmed and a nationwide lockdown imposed. But experts are also concerned about a seemingly high death rate, with the number of fatalities outstripping the total reported in China.

Of the 47,000 people confirmed coronavirus patients in Italy, 4,032 so far have died - with a record increase of 627 in the last 24 hours. ...

According to Prof Walter Ricciardi, scientific adviser to Italy’s minister of health, the country’s mortality rate is far higher due to demographics - the nation has the second oldest population worldwide - and the manner in which hospitals record deaths.  ...

“On re-evaluation by the National Institute of Health, only 12 per cent of death certificates have shown a direct causality from coronavirus, while 88 per cent of patients who have died have at least one pre-morbidity - many had two or three,” he says.  ...  Full story at the Telegraph

If the country has lots of old people it would suggest that at least under normal conditions their healthcare must not be that bad or they would already be dead.

[TomSea]

There are many variables as one of the member's here indicated in the other thread I believe, if you have more tests, yes, the sample size grows.

I'm sure there are many variables and factors so, the next thing to do is analyze.

[Smokin Joe]

That is highly suspect.

According to the Department of Health in Ohio, testing is limited and only those who show the most severe symptoms are tested.

The massive increase in confirmed cases in New York (11,210 at this time) is far more likely due to the fact that the disease has spread exponentially.

I repeat: Testing is limited, therefore your theory that testing is the cause of the increase is doubtful at best.

Population density. Shared small spaces abound in New York City, from subways to buses to elevators and stairwells. Not as much in less dense population areas. There are buildings in NYC with populations multiples of many small towns in flyover country.

[musiclady]

If the country has lots of old people it would suggest that at least under normal conditions their healthcare must not be that bad or they would already be dead.

According to data I have read, they have the oldest population in the world....... and a lot of smokers.

And I am thinking........... if they have COVID-19 more seriously because they have COPD and die as a result of the combination, is it important to make that distinction?

In addition, the victims of this pandemic are dying at such a rapid rate in Italy that the morgues can't handle the bodies any more and so they are being taken to military bases.

I don't think we can be sure of quality autopsy reports with this kind of horror.

[Cyber Liberty]

That is highly suspect.

According to the Department of Health in Ohio, testing is limited and only those who show the most severe symptoms are tested.

The massive increase in confirmed cases in New York (11,210 at this time) is far more likely due to the fact that the disease has spread exponentially.

I repeat: Testing is limited, therefore your theory that testing is the cause of the increase is doubtful at best.

I'd say the lack of consistent testing makes it indeterminate, at best.    It's a fact that there are a lot of untested people, and it's also a fact the tests that are being made have been pointed toward people who are most likely to have it, so there's a certain level of unavoidable confirmation bias built in.

(I used to test stuff for a living.)

[musiclady]

Population density. Shared small spaces abound in New York City, from subways to buses to elevators and stairwells. Not as much in less dense population areas. There are buildings in NYC with populations multiples of many small towns in flyover country.

I'm sure population density has a lot to do with NY's high infection rate.

That, plus the fact that DiBlasio and Cuomo didn't shut things down fast enough, and people kept going to Broadway shows ($$$), etc. rather than self-isolating and staying healthy.

[musiclady]

I'd say the lack of consistent testing makes it indeterminate, at best.    It's a fact that there are a lot of untested people, and it's also a fact the tests that are being made have been pointed toward people who are most likely to have it, so there's a certain level of unavoidable confirmation bias built in.

(I used to test stuff for a living.)

Oh, what a fun job!! 

[DB]

I'd say the lack of consistent testing makes it indeterminate, at best.    It's a fact that there are a lot of untested people, and it's also a fact the tests that are being made have been pointed toward people who are most likely to have it, so there's a certain level of unavoidable confirmation bias built in.

(I used to test stuff for a living.)

On the other side of the equation apparently people over eighty that were sick were turned away and may not been tested. With a good number of them dying from it. So they wouldn't necessarily be counted as victims of it biasing the numbers the other way.

I wonder if they take samples from the dead even if they don't have time to test the samples at this time?

[TomSea]

Break bonds with China? Okay, now is not the time but eventually, we will need to do something like that...remove tariffs and yes, China would benefit.

U.S. Shows Willingness to Remove Tariffs on Medical Supplies
By Brendan Murray

The Trump administration signaled a willingness to remove tariffs on medical supplies from China as health authorities backed by U.S. businesses express an urgent need for more masks, ventilators and other equipment to suppress the coronavirus pandemic.

The U.S. Trade Representative, in a statement late Friday, invited the public, businesses and government agencies to submit “comments on possible further modifications to remove duties from additional medical care products.”

President Donald Trump hit China in 2017 with an investigation into allegations of intellectual property theft and forced technology transfer. That led to a nearly two-year trade war in which the world’s largest economies raised tariffs on each other’s exports. A cease-fire was declared in January, but U.S. tariffs on some $360 billion Chinese imports remain in place.

More:  https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-21/u-s-signals-willingness-to-remove-tariffs-on-medical-supplies?sref=e6XtIgfq

We are so integrated now, I guess, maybe that's globalism. I've posted it before, China has a lot of American things too, Starbucks, McDonald's.

[roamer_1]

I'd say the lack of consistent testing makes it indeterminate, at best.    It's a fact that there are a lot of untested people, and it's also a fact the tests that are being made have been pointed toward people who are most likely to have it, so there's a certain level of unavoidable confirmation bias built in.

(I used to test stuff for a living.)

That's being kind at the very least.
For every tested person there are 100's of positives never tested, which throws off the per-capita results by orders of magnitude. Which means the test results are more or less worthless.

[Cyber Liberty]

That's being kind at the very least.
For every tested person there are 100's of positives never tested, which throws off the per-capita results by orders of magnitude. Which means the test results are more or less worthless.

And negatives never tested either.  The lack of testing throws everything off, and in different directions.  So which is it?  Are we off on the low side, or on the high side?  You tell me.

It's frustrating, but understandable.

[Cyber Liberty]

Oh, what a fun job!! 

I really enjoyed it.  Things didn't turn into road apples until the company was bought by a Dutch multinational, and they sucked.  They saw no problem with shipping every part of the company they could to China.  It's OK now, though, because they made me happy to accept a voluntary layoff in '18.  We're in our retirement Castle, and it's paid for.

[Cyber Liberty]

On the other side of the equation apparently people over eighty that were sick were turned away and may not been tested. With a good number of them dying from it. So they wouldn't necessarily be counted as victims of it biasing the numbers the other way.

I wonder if they take samples from the dead even if they don't have time to test the samples at this time?

That would be nice, but I doubt that they did take samples for later analysis.  I hope I am wrong.

[DB]

That's being kind at the very least.
For every tested person there are 100's of positives never tested, which throws off the per-capita results by orders of magnitude. Which means the test results are more or less worthless.

The testing gives you a good idea of the number who died from it. It also gives you some idea of those who were sick enough to get tested, had a positive result and recovered. As far as the total number infected it only provides minimum numbers and not much else. It will be up to the statisticians and research people to estimate the total number infected.

The same could be said of the common flu. Most people who get the flu don't go to a doctor. So there's really no record of the total number of people who were infected with the flu to calculate the mortality rate for any particular outbreak. It is the statisticians and researches that estimate those numbers as best they can.

[musiclady]

I really enjoyed it.  Things didn't turn into road apples until the company was bought by a Dutch multinational, and they sucked.  They saw no problem with shipping every part of the company they could to China.  It's OK now, though, because they made me happy to accept a voluntary layoff in '18.  We're in our retirement Castle, and it's paid for.

Retirement is da bomb!  Especially if things are paid off! 

[TomSea]

A few international stories, Mexico, India, Fiji and Italy.

Mexico, they are looking for people who came back from specifically, a skiing trip to Vail, CO.  Surely, not all 400 persons will have it.

Search is on for hundreds of suspected coronavirus carriers in 3 states
Jalisco authorities are looking for 400 people who traveled to Vail, Colorado

Published on Thursday, March 19, 2020

Authorities in Jalisco and Aguascalientes are attempting to track down hundreds of people who could be infected with the new coronavirus Covid-19, while those in Puebla are monitoring 140 people who came into contact with three members of a family who tested positive for the disease.

Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro said on Wednesday that authorities are looking for approximately 400 people who traveled to Colorado at the start of the month.

“The most significant potential contagion front in Jalisco has to do with two charter flights that went to Denver, United States, two weeks ago,” he said in a video message posted to social media, adding that authorities are particularly interested in locating people who went to the ski town of Vail.

More:  https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/coronavirus/authorities-in-3-states-attempt-to-track-down-suspected-coronavirus-carriers/

Actually, every country is basically doing the same thing, even Fiji who was pretty removed from all of this. Article included below.

There are all kinds of actions in India to buckle down on this:

Modi Asks 1.3 Billion Indians to Stay Indoors in Virus Fight
Archana Chaudhary and Abhijit Roy Chowdhury
,Bloomberg•March 20, 2020

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the country’s 1.3 billion citizens to stay indoors to protect themselves from the fast-spreading coronavirus, hours after the government announced it was barring all international flights from landing in the country for a week starting March 22.

“We are a developing nation and for a country like us, this corona crisis is not an ordinary thing,” Modi said Thursday evening in an address to the nation, noting the pandemic had hit India’s economy. He called for a day-long self-imposed curfew from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on March 22.

The federal government also asked states to enforce work-from-home for all private sector employees except those in emergency and essential services, the state-run Press Information Bureau said in a statement. It advised citizens older than 65 years and children younger than 10 to stay home.

More:  https://news.yahoo.com/india-imposes-curbs-overseas-flights-130808182.html

Fiji, see link too, they are asking people to stay home,  to wash their hands frequently and so on.

Fiji reports first case of novel coronavirus
Christian Fernsby â–¼ | March 19, 2020
Fiji authorities today confirmed the country's first case of the novel coronavirus, local media reported.

The southern Pacific country's Head of Health Protection Dr. Alisha Sahu khan said a flight attendant of flag carrier Fiji Airways tested positive for COVID-19, in an imported case of the disease rather than a local transmission, reported news website "fijivillage".

The patient, who had recently been to the U.S. and New Zealand, showed symptoms on Tuesday evening after which he was admitted into a hospital in Lautoka city, said Sahukhan.

Read more at: https://www.poandpo.com/in-sickness-and-health/fiji-reports-first-case-of-novel-coronavirus-1932020356/

Coronavirus: Lombardy region announces stricter measures

...  Using vending machines is forbidden.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51991972

Even using a coke machine? Heavens!

[TomSea]

Well, I heard this about a week ago or so ago, that people shouted from their quarantined windows, that the recovery in China?? Well....this is btw, Diamond and Silk's own website but it links to credible stories from the MSM, see hyperlinks for articles:

Residents Yell It's 'All Fake' Regarding China's Coronavirus Recovery

According to reports from Yahoo News, the Global Times, and Townhall.com, residents and whistleblowers in China have called the country’s coronavirus recovery into question.

China has recently claimed zero new coronavirus cases. This report of zero new coronavirus cases has “sparked celebration across the globe,” but questions remain whether the information is reliable. Earlier today, we published an article suggesting five reasons to question the reliability of China’s report.

The communist regime in China is accused of controlling the media and pushing propaganda state-wide.

Read more at: Diamond and Silk

[Hoodat]

I know of an American in Wuhan, early 20s, who has lived off noodles for almost 5 weeks.  Finally getting takeout food delivered, but still not free to leave apartment.

[TomSea]

A Wuhan Church Finds God’s Grace Amid Coronavirus Scare

By Gina Goh

03/01/2020 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) – The Root and Foot Christian Church (RFCC) is situated at the very center of the Coronavirus epidemic – Wuhan, China. When the outbreak happened, the church’s senior pastor decided to stay to care for his sheep, rescue the lives of unbelievers, and calm the fearful souls of Christians.

In an online webinar, titled “Chinese Churches Standing Firm Amid the Outbreak,” hosted by the Chinese Congress on World Evangelization on February 27, pastor Huang Lei shared how his church has witnessed God’s grace in spite of the challenging situation faced by Wuhan residents.

“The Wuhan Pneumonia (officially known as COVID-19) is a rarely seen disaster in human history, yet everything presents an opportunity to glorify God,” he said.

Read more at: https://www.persecution.org/2020/03/01/wuhan-church-finds-gods-grace-amid-coronavirus-scare/

[Cyber Liberty]

Another way of looking at it:  Having no information is better than having bad information from WHO.

[TomSea]

A frame of reference certainly helps to flatten that panic curve and hopefully calm some nerves that have people unduly amped up (Give credit where credit is due, send your ‘thank you’ notes to CNN, Atlanta, cc: Rachel Maddow in New York, for their part in stoking mass hysteria and losses in stock markets.)

Excuse me, the President himself is giving daily briefings on this matter. That in itself tells us this is an important matter. I don't know if he is doing that today, Sunday.

Almost every country there is, is taking serious measures, as the President of the United States of America has given us.

[Bigun]

Why COVID-19 Is a Product of the Left

By Christopher Paslay, March 22, 2020

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2020/03/why_covid19_is_a_product_of_the_left.html

The coronavirus is a product of the left, the third and final installment of its trilogy of doomsday scenarios that rounds out the Russia collusion and Ukrainian quid pro quo narratives. Only this time, after years of seeing their collective efforts to take down the president of the United States fail, they've hit the jackpot. The elitist ruling class and self-appointed gatekeepers of our society and culture — academia, Big Tech, the entertainment industry, and the mainstream media — have finally found a way to make themselves relevant again, have finally found a mechanism to gain back some of the direct control over the lives of average Americans they'd so frustratingly lost under President Trump.

That mechanism is COVID-19, an exotic-sounding flu-like virus that as of now has a bark that is much, much stronger than its bite. Relatively speaking (and with all due respect to those who've been infected or have lost a loved one), its bite is still underwhelming, which is why the media have been able to scare the pants off everybody and create an irrational level of panic and hysteria: because in reality, it's not what they're making it out to be. If it were as devastating as advertised, and hundreds of thousands of Americans were getting infected and tens of thousands were dying — figures that would justify the level of insanity and overreaction — the entire tone of the media would be quite different. It would be somber, and respectful, but most importantly, less sensational. It's the irresponsible, tasteless, and voyeuristic coverage of the coronavirus by the media that proves they're manipulating it for their own gain.

What do they gain? The power to control your life, to make your decisions for you, to set the narrative and impose their elitist progressive worldview on everyone and everything — oh, and to get rid of Trump, too.

COVID-19, which is basically a nasty strain of the flu, comes straight out of Communist China and is communist in nature in that Soviet-style propaganda — in coordination with the oppression of freedom — allowed the virus to evolve and spread and come into America. Trump tried to shut it out weeks ago by closing off travel with China, a decision criticized by the left. Still, it arrived, perhaps as far back as November. No one cared back then, especially the left. Leftists were too busy preparing the second installment of their trilogy of doomsday scenarios, the quid pro quo impeachment farce.

That got them nowhere. Besides helping Trump and the GOP raise insane amounts of money and jeopardize Democrat seats in the House, it was another bust. Things were looking pretty dreary for the Dems last month, to be sure. Their party was in utter disarray as their major candidates — Biden and Bernie — were laughingstocks, either too senile or too socialist to have any shot at taking on Trump.


-- excerpt, rest at link above --

[Bigun]

Political Health – The Motives of a Very, Very, Political Dr. Fauci…

Posted on March 21, 2020, by sundance

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2020/03/21/political-health-the-motives-of-a-very-very-political-dr-fauci/

There’s been a debate about possible political motives surrounding the panic he has created; the massive economic damage he has inflicted; and the conflicting assertions of National Institute of Allergy and Infections Diseases (NIAID) Director Dr. Anthony Fauci.

CTH identifies the motives as sketchy. He appears to use his position to advance theories and yet position himself to avoid scrutiny.

Sometimes within a 24 hour period Fauci will make a statement, then contradict the initial assertion, then attempt to cloud his own conflict with obtuse and wordy explanations. After watching for several weeks, we called it out HERE.

Perhaps one way to help see through the professional obfuscation, and identify just exactly how political Dr. Fauci is, would be to: compare and contrast Dr. Fauci under President Obama in September 2009 after 3,000 to 4,000 H1N1 deaths in the USA -vs- Dr. Fauci under President Trump in March 2020 after 200 to 300 COVID-19 deaths...

-- excerpt, rest at link above --