China locks down two cities at epicentre of virus outbreak

[Dumbastheycome 3,392]

All credit to  China in what it is doing ! Only possible by  being a dictator state but given all the circumstances and the recognition of the importance of at least attempting to  contain it shows a degree of responsibility and action which in my recollection is unprecedented.

 

[Traubert 3,009]

25 minutes ago, impulse said:

Not meaning to downplay what's going on, but in perspective, every year, the USA alone loses around 35,000 people to the flu.  Often, a new strain.  35 million affected, 490,000 hospitalized, 34,000 fatalities in the last full season of records.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/index.html

 

China having 5x the USA's population, I suspect their numbers are a lot higher on a typical year.

 

 

 

 

 

Errr wow!

 

Is there a vaccine programme in place?

[Dumbastheycome 3,392]

42 minutes ago, petedk said:

State media reported highway toll booths around Wuhan were closing down, which would effectively cut off road exits. Guards were patrolling major highways, one resident told Reuters.

 

sounds like one of the sci-fi films where a deadly virus spreads throughout the country and people who try to flee are shot dead.

 

Obviously it isn't so bad and for once it is good to see the Chinese authorities doing something. 

 

If the virus hits Thailand in the same way, I hope the authorities here don't cover it up, but act in the same manner and contain the virus as best they can.

 

if this virus mutates several times it has the potential to develop into a pandemic.

Genital Herpes and  Clamydia  are in the lead ! Not  deadly  sure. Hepatoid virals progressing  down the alphabet. TB making a comeback with a reconstructed   face. Remember  HIV ? Yep,  still around, still  killing. Etc Etc. Bubonic  plague virus which killed  millions  is now a  offshoot tool of  cosmetic art

The potential  for a pandemic  is always out there. Some exist already in  subtle ways such as  Malaria and other  diseases prolific in  low socio economic  areas but  condescendingly overlooked.Panic  attacks kill too !

What  to do?

Well I guess  "Personal Bunker " sales  will see  an upsurge in sales , bogus  remedies  for protection  will emerge, The  Bible Bashers will  gather  new  recruits ,new irreversible regulations forcing submissions  to invasion of personal privacy will be introduced in some illogical reason to save us  from ourselves, and in due  course a  vaccine will become available initially  for those  that  can pay !

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Traubert 3,009]

8 minutes ago, Dumbastheycome said:

Genital Herpes and  Clamydia  are in the lead ! Not  deadly  sure. Hepatoid virals progressing  down the alphabet. TB making a comeback with a reconstructed   face. Remember  HIV ? Yep,  still around, still  killing. Etc Etc. Bubonic  plague virus which killed  millions  is now a  offshoot tool of  cosmetic art

The potential  for a pandemic  is always out there. Some exist already in  subtle ways such as  Malaria and other  diseases prolific in  low socio economic  areas but  condescendingly overlooked.Panic  attacks kill too !

What  to do?

Well I guess  "Personal Bunker " sales  will see  an upsurge in sales , bogus  remedies  for protection  will emerge, The  Bible Bashers will  gather  new  recruits ,new irreversible regulations forcing submissions  to invasion of personal privacy will be introduced in some illogical reason to save us  from ourselves, and in due  course a  vaccine will become available initially  for those  that  can pay !

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'd like to say 'cynic' but you've probably already got the tattoo......

[TheDark 1,201]

47 minutes ago, impulse said:

Not meaning to downplay what's going on, but in perspective, every year, the USA alone loses around 35,000 people to the flu.  Often, a new strain.  35 million affected, 490,000 hospitalized, 34,000 fatalities in the last full season of records.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/index.html

 

China having 5x the USA's population, I suspect their numbers are a lot higher on a typical year.

This is very important to remember if we wish to put this outbreak in to proportion. 

 

China has taken some extreme measurements, hopefully because it failed to do so during 2003 SARS epidemic and wishes to show to the world that things has radically changed since then.

 

 

[Traubert 3,009]

6 minutes ago, TheDark said:

This is very important to remember if we wish to put this outbreak in to proportion. 

 

China has taken some extreme measurements, hopefully because it failed to do so during 2003 SARS epidemic and wishes to show to the world that things has radically changed since then.

 

 

It was a very different country 17 years ago. No doubt at all that you are correct.

[elephant45 345]

Would probably avoid shopping at Maya Mall in Chiang Mai for a while. Wonder if they rounded up all the Wuhan visitors already and flew them home? I worked in Wuhan, not the most beautiful sanitary city I have ever seen.

[Outbackoz 45]

53 minutes ago, DrTuner said:

Most likely sequence of events is trying to cover it up, followed by a sudden 180 degrees when the truth gets out and their beloved arrival numbers are in jeopardy, followed by a flood of news articles trying to show they are doing something. In the meanwhile the flu will spread like wildfire.

Interesting article on reuters concerning identified cases  Excerpt  Para 12 

 

Chinese authorities gave no new details on the numbers of virus infections but it has been reported in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Of eight known cases worldwide, Thailand has confirmed four, while Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States have reported one each.

 

(Updated 8 minutes ago)

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health/china-orders-unprecedented-lockdown-of-two-cities-at-virus-epicenter-idUSKBN1ZM087

[Dumbastheycome 3,392]

15 minutes ago, Traubert said:

I'd like to say 'cynic' but you've probably already got the tattoo......

I have an invisible tattoo on my forehead that says  "Realist..sometimes".

[URMySunshine 1,768]

The horse has probably already bolted. Because when you see hundreds of cases showing up, that usually means there have actually been many thousands of cases already (because plenty will be asymptomatic or too mild to have raised any flags). The number of cases detected abroad (people who travelled from Wuhan) gives further clues to the scale of the problem at source (larger than originally suggested for sure, hence rising estimates in recent days).

 

Initial mortality data (which should be taken with a pinch of salt at this stage) suggests the usual picture - the old, and those with chronic underlying health problems are most likely to end up with severe consequences after catching this coronavirus. The wider picture will take a while to become clear. For example one possible scenario is that this coronavirus could quickly become endemic, joining the other things which we have always lumped together as 'the common cold'. Possible with not very different mortality and severe disease rates to what we already have to deal with. Slightly or much worse scenarios exist too though.

 

A lot of this 'noise' is going to be the phenomenon of internet amplification hopefully and it will turn out to be over hyped and ruthlessly controlled. Let's hope so time will soon tell. My nephew who is married to a chinese girl and can speak fluent chinese is monitoring free wechat which is the stuff that passes chinese censorship and he tells me that the news on the ground from millions of lock down folk is fear,panic and anger at the government. And he feels whatever the outcome it is damaging the chinese people's faith in their all powerful government. Let's hope so mahk mahk. With the fires in Australia, smog over Thailand and now this these are certainly interesting times to be alive.

 

Edited January 23 by URMySunshine

[candide 7,628]

I hope the coronavirus doesn't like heat because when it is introduced in Thailand (it surely will due to the usual hords of Chinese tourists), I don't trust the current clowns in power to fight it. I would likely feel safer in China.

[URMySunshine 1,768]

2 minutes ago, candide said:

I hope the coronavirus doesn't like heat because when it is introduced in Thailand (it surely will due to the usual hords of Chinese tourists), I don't trust the current clowns in power to fight it. I would likely feel safer in China.

Hopefully it won't be able to survive the PM2.5 smog which will fumigate the air. Every cloud and that ...

[Traubert 3,009]

48 minutes ago, Outbackoz said:

Interesting article on reuters concerning identified cases  Excerpt  Para 12 

 

Chinese authorities gave no new details on the numbers of virus infections but it has been reported in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Of eight known cases worldwide, Thailand has confirmed four, while Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States have reported one each.

 

(Updated 8 minutes ago)

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health/china-orders-unprecedented-lockdown-of-two-cities-at-virus-epicenter-idUSKBN1ZM087

I posted the number yesterday. 479 in a locked down Wuhan against 615 country wide so 133 'escapees,' across thirteen provinces. Of course both will increase but with the measures in place hopefully more slowly.

 

 

[Traubert 3,009]

45 minutes ago, URMySunshine said:

T My nephew who is married to a chinese girl and can speak fluent chinese is monitoring free wechat which is the stuff that passes chinese censorship and he tells me that the news on the ground from millions of lock down folk is fear,panic and anger at the government. And he feels whatever the outcome it is damaging the chinese people's faith in their all powerful government.

 

Not being too critical here, but I've been in China a long time and never heard of Free WeChat. WeChat is P2P, not open, maybe you or your nephew is thinking of Sina Weibo? Of course there are news groups on WeChat but you have to 'follow' them and they're not open to comment.

 

Whatever, the fact that people are angry is not disputed. What would happen if someone cancelled Christmas? However everyone knows it wasn't the government that was flogging dead wild animals in a market, their anger is probably directed at the nationally hated 'cheng guan' or market police.

 

When it's all dies down there will be heads rolling there.

[Traubert 3,009]

1 hour ago, Dumbastheycome said:

I have an invisible tattoo on my forehead that says  "Realist..sometimes".

Good enough for me squire.