Moderator notice: Please do not ask for medical advice in this forum!
- If you are interested in Crafting, maybe try ordering a craft kit online (something substantial that would take time would be best, like a Latch hook kit
(and crochet hook if you don’t have one), a potholder loom and cotton loops, or cross stitch kit), to work on.
- learn something physical, like an instrument, how to sew or knit, etc
- a lot of museums and zoos and the like are doing virtual tours or free online classes, so keep an eye out for that as well.
- do a giant puzzle
- Join an online bookclub
- Take an online class
While the outbreak started around New Year's Day (12/31), it's picking up steam around the Asia-Pacific region especially since Mainland Chinese people tend to travel a lot.
For reference, the BNO Newsroom twitter has a special feed for any info on the coronavirus:
https://twitter.com/bnodesk?lang=en
The WHO has page about COVID-19 and any other concerns people may have. I suggest peeps go to the Q&A page to check for official details.
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
Edited by nombretomado on Jun 3rd 2020 at 3:21:48 AM
Redmess
Wait, are you saying I could get chicken pox again, then?
Optimism is a duty.
But this time with potential permanent nerve damage!
I sure wish the singles shot lasted more than four years and I could get it before 50.
i. hear. a. sound.
Lost in Space
Reinfections are rare, but have occurred. If you got it at any point in your life, it can lie dormant in your nerve cells and reactivate in response to immune decreases. This is not the same thing as reinfection. Those latent cases can indeed lead to permanent neurological damage.
Edited by Fighteer on Nov 21st 2020 at 3:01:19 PM
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
State of Mind
I've had Shingles. Didn't result in anything major thankfully, but then my grandmother actually realized what it was before I did I told me to go to the hospital before it got worse.
"What a century this week has been." - Seung Min Kim
Nearly 200 legislators have tested positive for coronavirus nationwide and four have died as GOP flouts rules
- Efforts to require lawmakers and staff to wear masks have received a cool reception even in statehouses that have seen outbreaks of the virus.
- Nearly 200 legislators nationwide have tested positive for the virus and four have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic began, according to figures compiled by The Associated Press.
- After at least four dozen Mississippi lawmakers tested positive in the largest outbreak in a legislature, where masks were encouraged but not required for lawmakers.
Edited by sgamer82 on Nov 21st 2020 at 1:31:24 AM
Germany is running out of ICU beds.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/21/europe/germany-icu-beds-covid-intl/index.html
A Self-inflicted Disaster
The South Korean government predicts that it will see 400 new patients every day next week and 600 daily cases by the start of December.
The annual New Year's celebrations in Seoul, which involve ringing temple bells at midnight, were canceled, for the first time since the end of the Korean war.
Update: The government raised the social distancing level for the Seoul Capital Area to level 2, starting on 11/24 00:00:00 KST. Nightclubs and bars must close, karaokes must close after 9 P.M., there is no on-premises eating or drinking in cafes, and eating or drinking on public transit, including domestic flights, is banned.
Edited by minseok42 on Nov 23rd 2020 at 12:23:44 AM
"Enshittification truly is how platforms die"-Cory Doctorow
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
It might be possible to get the patents suspended so that any company can leagally produce vaccines.
For context, ~Amazing Spider Ham's link is an article from https://tribunemag.co.uk/ with the headline "The Covid Vaccine: For Rich Countries Only"
A vaccine breakthrough is indeed great news but sadly it’s not for the whole of humanity – just a small fraction. Over 80% of the Pfizer vaccine stocks up to the end of next year have already been hoarded by rich countries such as the UK, US, EU, Japan and Canada. Collectively these countries represent just 14% of the global population.
If Pfzier’s vaccine is approved, the majority of the world’s population – living mainly in low and middle-income countries – will not be able to get anywhere near it. And it’s the same story with Moderna, who has declared that their vaccine is nearly 95% effective. 78% of their doses have already been bought up by rich countries, representing just 12% of the global population.
It is likely that global supplies will be limited even further because Pfizer and its partner BioNTech’s patent on the vaccine means no other company can make or sell that vaccine for a minimum of 20 years. This provides the basis for a legal monopoly – and with no competition, Pfizer decides who gets the vaccine and at what price.
On these terms, it’s no surprise that most of the vaccines have gone to the highest bidders and Pfizer/BioNTech are set to walk away with bonanza profits, making an estimated $13 billion next year from the vaccine.
All of this sounds hugely unfair, if not immoral. And yet that is exactly how the system has worked for decades. The pharmaceutical industry is a profit-driven machine that uses patent monopolies to charge the highest prices for life-saving treatments while reaping the highest profits.
It’s become one of the most profitable in the world, but at the expense of billions of patients who have struggled to access affordable basic and life saving treatments. This is bad enough in normal times but during a global pandemic, it could be truly disastrous.
So what can be done about it? Well, no one company can satisfy global demand. If getting actual physical stocks is the problem, then the obvious thing to do is for companies like Moderna and Pfizer to share its technological know-how and the rights to make the vaccine with other companies. Mobilising more manufacturers will increase global supply so that more people can access the vaccine and prevent price gouging.
The World Health Organisation launched a mechanism earlier this year – Covid-19 Technology Access Pool – to facilitate sharing of technological know-how and intellectual property rights to allow any company or any country to access much-needed vaccines and treatments. However, only 40 countries have so far have joined this global pool and pharmaceutical companies have condemned the scheme, with the Pfizer boss dismissing it as ‘nonsense.’
Anura's link, meanwhile, looks like a petition for more widespread distribution of the vaccine.
Edited by sgamer82 on Nov 22nd 2020 at 12:55:36 PM
In the name of being honest
Iunno whether there's a strict equivalent for vaccines, but under the Doha Declaration, countries can manufacture critical life-saving drugs under compulsory licensing (i.e. no need to seek the patent owner's consent) if it comes down to it.
Echoing hymn of my fellow passerine | Art blog (under construction)
I actually wanted to be Resileaf
Considering the fear and possible reality of widespread second infection, it will need a worldwide production and distribution to be any effective. I dearly hope poor countries will have access to it sooner than later.
A Self-inflicted Disaster
The city of Seoul announced that until the end of the year, fewer buses and subway trains will be available at night, to prevent people from partying at the end of the year. Gatherings of more than 9 people are banned, public baths must enforce social distancing measures, and nursing homes are not allowed to have visitors.
In the name of being honest
Covid-19: Oxford University vaccine shows 70% protection.
It is both a triumph and a disappointment after vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna showed 95% protection.
However, the Oxford jab is far cheaper, and is easier to store and get to every corner of the world than the other two.
So it will still play a significant role in tackling the pandemic, if it is approved by regulators.
The Oxford researchers have performed the normally decade-long process of developing a vaccine in around 10 months.
The UK government has pre-ordered 100 million doses of the Oxford vaccine, enough to immunise 50 million people.
What did the trial show?
More than 20,000 volunteers were involved, half in the UK, the rest in Brazil.
There were 30 cases of Covid in people who had two doses of the vaccine and 101 cases in people who received a dummy injection.
The researchers said it works out at 70% protection.
Intriguingly, the effectiveness rose to 90% in a group of volunteers who were given an initial half dose, followed by a full dose. It's not clear why there is a difference.
When will I get it?
In the UK there are four million doses ready to go, with another 96 million to be delivered.
But nothing can happen until the vaccine has been approved by regulators who will assess the vaccine's safety, effectiveness, and that it is manufactured to high standard. This will happen in the coming weeks.
However, the UK is ready to press the go button on an unprecedented mass immunisation campaign that dwarfs either the annual flu or childhood vaccination programmes.
Care home residents and staff will be first, followed by healthcare workers and the over 85s. The plan is to then work the way down the age groups.
Professional Forum Ninja
Texas first responders who die from COVID-19 being denied state benefits.
Edited by tclittle on Nov 23rd 2020 at 2:54:27 PM
"We're all paper, we're all scissors, we're all fightin' with our mirrors, scared we'll never find somebody to love."
Oh, bother.
Link seems to be broken. Found a fixed one here:
Texas first responders who die from COVID-19 denied state benefits
So far, 23 Texas correctional officers have died from COVID-19. Eric Johnson is one of them.
The 37-year-old is survived by his wife, Charity, and four children in Madisonville, Texas.
“It really has taken a toll on her and her kids,” said Johnson's cousin, Shemeka Morning. “Charity misses her husband. All the kids miss him.”
Johnson’s family say their grief is compounded by their struggle to get benefits that they say are due them.
Although the Texas Department of Criminal Justice reported Johnson’s death as being in the line of duty, the state Office of Risk Management has denied his family’s workers’ compensation claim.
In a letter denying the claim, the agency said it was “currently unable to accept this claim as a compensable injury that occurred in the course and scope of employment.” Johnson’s widow is appealing the denial.
Workers’ compensation covers lost wages and medical expenses.
“Eric was a veteran officer – that's the thanks he gets for putting his life on the line all these years,” Morning said. “It doesn't make sense to me. He was only going to work and home. We know that he was around positive offenders at TDCJ.”
Abbott's government seems to be weaseling out of paying benefits by forcing people to try to prove said first responders got COVID-19 while on the job. There's a push to get the state of Texas to label first responders' deaths from COVID-19 presumptive.
Edited by M84 on Nov 23rd 2020 at 5:02:12 PM
Disgusted, but not surprised
(useless thanks to above edit)
Edited by gropcbf on Nov 23rd 2020 at 10:01:57 AM
Professional Forum Ninja
Thanks for that.
But I should also point out that it isn't just a problem with Texas. This is a problem with the US in general.
I was reading some of the comments when that same article was posted on the coronavirus subreddit and it seems the problem is two-fold:
- Profitability: companies and governments hate giving out money because it cuts into their bottom line.
- Culture of hating on welfare: people hate welfare, people hate people on welfare. Well, mainly the right, but it permeates our culture.
Oh, bother.
It does take a particular amount of chutzpah to say with a straight face that a first responder that worked with COVID-19 patients who later died of COVID-19 probably didn't catch it while on the job.
Disgusted, but not surprised
South Dakota governor refuses to change no-mask policy despite record-breaking coronavirus spike. Can we call her the Coronavirus Queen?
Oh hey, Sweden is finally starting to take pandemic seriously ![[lol]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lol2v12_4863.png "[lol]"){kind=small}
Updates from Atlantic Canada, and few of them are good. As of today, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland & Labrador have withdrawn from the Atlantic Bubble for two weeks at least. New Brunswick and Nova Scotia remain in the Bubble, despite being the main centers of infection (two digit cases a day lately, sustained community spread), because our Premiers are goddamn cowards. The Bubble allowed residents of the four provinces to travel within the region without self-isolating. Made sense when there was no serious community spread, but with the 2nd wave hitting us its probably coming to an end.
Halifax is moving into more severe restrictions, but gatherings are still pretty big (certain organizations have 100 people indoors if they have the floorspace available...) and the goddamn bars are still open despite being involved in spreading the latest cluster. Meanwhile, over 60 students from my old university got caught at a house party...
Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
State of Mind
What's that mean?
Edited by Parable on Nov 23rd 2020 at 1:41:58 AM
"What a century this week has been." - Seung Min Kim
The virus that causes chicken pox can lie dormant in your body and return later in life. It's not a reinfection, but a reemergence of an existing infection.
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"