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
M84's signature continues its unbroken streak of usefulness.
Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
^^^They started finally acknowledging that situation isn't good and started taking the precautions rather than "citizens are smart enough to be careful on their own so government needs to do nothing"
Oh, bother.
Still cannot believe anyone tried to use Sweden as a success story when it comes to pandemic management.
Edited by M84 on Nov 24th 2020 at 12:37:06 AM
Disgusted, but not surprised
It's possible to do worse. See the Dakotas, for example.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Oh, bother.
Yeah, but nobody's tried to point to North Dakota and say "See? That's how you manage a pandemic without lockdowns!"
Disgusted, but not surprised
Lost in Space
As usual, the Onion captures the zeitgeist of the holidays perfectly.
For those who don't want to click out, the headline reads "Report: At Least Flight Home To Be Little Less Crowded".
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
I admit that I like "Looking Back On The Onion’s First 15,000 Years Of Coronavirus Coverage" even more.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Nova Scotia just had 37 cases today, all but 2 of them here in Halifax. In response, we are going into near spring level lockdowns (schools remain open, and businesses can operate at 25% capacity if their structure allows for social distancing, salons and spas remain open if masks are used at all times, work from home is no longer required for most sectors). The Chief Health Officer is stressing that people should only leave or enter Halifax for work, school or other essential services.
And it seems like late night bar runs have driven this latest cluster. They are offering testing to anyone, symptoms or no, who was in an alcohol serving venue after 9pm in the last two weeks. A large majority of new cases are young people (19-35) and can be linked to this type of activity.
Definitely doing my Christmas shopping online...
Edited by Rationalinsanity on Nov 24th 2020 at 9:52:50 AM
Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
My Hair Provides Affordable Healthcare
Today's COVID-specific news: https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2020/11/25/day-1406/
The U.S. reported its highest daily coronavirus death toll in more than six months. The nearly 2,100 COVID-19 deaths reported Tuesday is the highest mark since May 6, when states reported a combined 2,611 fatalities. The U.S. has added more than one million new cases in each of the past two consecutive weeks. (Washington Post / New York Times)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/11/24/coronavirus-covid-live-updates-us/
Global: Total confirmed cases: ~60,187,000; deaths: ~1,418,000
U.S.: Total confirmed cases: ~12,728,000; deaths: ~262,000
Source: Johns Hopkins University
https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html
Live Blogs: New York Times / Washington Post / NPR / NBC News / CNN / Wall Street Journal / CNBC
Trump administration health officials held their first “Operation Warp Speed” briefing with Biden. The initial meeting was focused on COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and distribution. (Politico)
The first 6.4 million doses of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine could be distributed as early as mid-December if authorized by the FDA and an independent advisory panel to the CDC. Officials said they are on track to have 40 million doses of vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna by the end of the year – enough to vaccinate 20 million people. (Washington Post)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/11/24/vaccine-plan-first-doses/
Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar
The social distancing level of my city has bumped up to Level 2.
I used to go to boxing gym and practice while wearing a mask (it's not fun and very painful), but now I'm just not going altogether. Ain't worth the risk.
I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.
Welp, one month countdown to sobbing-alone-in-my-apartment day.
Eff COVID.
Didn't realize (a lot) about having vaccine productions in Canada.
AFP has an article on the ruling by the US Supreme Court regarding COVID-19 restrictions made in New York:
Services should not be treated differently from permitted secular gatherings, said the unsigned ruling, one of the first since the appointment of Justice Amy Coney Barrett tipped the court's balance to the conservatives.
Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York state, had ordered that only up to 10 people could gather at sites of worship in high-risk areas designated "red zones".
The court was responding to two applications — from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, as well as two synagogues — claiming they were singled out under the restrictions designed to limit the contagion's spread in hard-hit New York City.
In a five-four split, the top US court said the measures violated the First Amendment's protection of the free exercise of religion.
The court had previously swung the opposite way, upholding similar restrictions on services in California and Nevada.
The shift is indicative of the court's new weighting, with the three remaining liberals now outnumbered after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in September.
The court noted that: "Even in a pandemic, the Constitution cannot be put away and forgotten."
The ruling continued: "The restrictions at issue here, by effectively barring many from attending religious services, strike at the very heart of the First Amendment's guarantee of religious liberty."
However, the ruling will have no immediate effect as the state restrictions had already been relaxed as they considered their verdict, NBC News reported.
Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan — backed by conservative Chief Justice John Roberts — dissented.
Roberts said there was no need to uphold the groups' complaints given the governor's rollback.
But conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch argued that Cuomo had favored secular activities over religious ones.
It is the latest in long-simmering tensions between officials and some religious communities over social-distancing measures, with protests erupting in Brooklyn last month.
The ruling comes as the United States continues to report record infection numbers, with more than 86,000 coronavirus hospitalisations on Tuesday alone.
Redmess
It seems Astrazenica is falling out of favour. Apparently their results were not as good as they reported.
Optimism is a duty.
CC: Covid Booster Shots:
Basically, it would be a high priority flu shot. in fact, companies are already starting to look at creating combined flu/covid vaccines.
Edited by megaeliz on Nov 26th 2020 at 10:18:27 AM
Astra Zeneca reported that not all of the results were released with regards to the efficiency.
Redmess
Yeah, despite all the reports of vaccines being produced at record speed, the 6-9 months rule of thumb seems to still be firmly in effect.
Optimism is a duty.
Wyoming’s governor has resisted calls for a mask mandate. Now he has the coronavirus. – Although Gov. Mark Gordon (R) has emphasized the importance of mask-wearing, he has also argued that it’s a “personal responsibility.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/11/26/wyoming-governor-covid-gordon-masks/
One good thing to come out of this pandemic:
It’s finally given the industry the kick in the pants they need to seriously look at alternative vaccine delivery systems such as micro-needle dermal patches, and other needle-less technology.
As someone who once had a panic attack over a flu shot, I wholeheartedly welcome this.
Edited by megaeliz on Nov 26th 2020 at 11:20:27 AM
In the name of being honest
Neato. Microneedle patches for vaccines are still a fairly new tech, but they've been extensively tried and tested for painkillers and skin treatments over the past decade.
Echoing hymn of my fellow passerine | Art blog (under construction)
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
I honestly don’t get why more companies haven’t made micro-needle vaccines a research priority yet.
The advantages of a tiny painless patch that can be transported and stored at room temperatures, and even has the potential to be self administered, seem obvious, especially for children or places where large scale cold storage is not possible.
I imagine that it could even help with compliance. There’s a not insignificant number of people who don’t get vaccines not because they think they are dangerous, but because they are terrified of needles.
Edited by megaeliz on Nov 27th 2020 at 11:17:57 AM
In the name of being honest
Everything is harder to manufacture when small. You need to etch the microneedles out of silicon, steel or titanium using acid or ionic bombardment, which is a fair bit more complex than just machine-stretching a normal-sized hypodermic needle out of a steel tube. And on the front end, the patch might not deliver the correct dose if the patient's skin has an abnormal thickness profile, or if some of the microneedles are defective or not aligned properly.
Source: Took a few biomaterials mods in undergrad.
Edited by eagleoftheninth on Nov 26th 2020 at 8:09:49 AM
Echoing hymn of my fellow passerine | Art blog (under construction)
Edited by megaeliz on Nov 26th 2020 at 11:28:02 AM
@Texas: I have no words. I have a supply of obscene gestures, though.