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
Seems like an awful lot of dramatic language for "Yeah, prepare for a late common cold season". Guess I'll buy a pack of paracetemol and call it a day.
Lost in Space
It's kind of funny how we talk about COVID as some huge deal but forget that colds and flus are true pandemics that recur on an annual basis. The main difference is that they don't cause as many serious symptoms and lead to far fewer fatalities, but the lost productivity is no joke.
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Redmess
The flu is no laughing matter, though. It's not just about having a cold.
Optimism is a duty.
While that may seem like a welcome reprieve from seasonal ailments and pesky sniffles, experts fear that our immune systems may be losing their defensive edge in the lull. And with the usual microscopic suspects lying in wait for our return to some sense of normalcy, it could mean that nasty bursts of common colds and flu-like illnesses are in our post-COVID futures—ones that may not be avoidable even if we carry on with some of our COVID precautions.
The bigger takeaway is that people just need to stay home if they're sick. Too many offices had people working through a cold (or worse, a flu) and as a result it makes the rounds in the office. That crap needs to stop, especially now that it's easier to work from home.
Also, get your annual flu shots.
Edited by speedyboris on Feb 24th 2021 at 7:58:44 AM
Yeah, I figured the price I would pay for not having a nasty winter cold would be having a nasty summer cold instead.
i. hear. a. sound.
Officially intimidated
If the flu is anything like what I experienced last year in January-February. then I can't blame anyone who manages to avoid it (I had the realization that, up until then, I only had colds in my life).
The prospect of people having to avoid two seasonal contagious diseases does seem unfortunate, though.
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![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
I agree that if there’s one major social change from COVID it needs to be 1) not going to work when you’re sick and 2) governments making it mandatory for businesses to provide at least 5 paid sick days per year to theur employees, plus at least another 5 unpaid if needed.
There are so many frontline workers at grocery stores and the like still going to work sick, because they can’t afford to stay home - or worse, because they’ll lose their job if they stay home.
Edited by Galadriel on Feb 24th 2021 at 1:13:17 PM
Well, that's one way to say "up yours" on an international scale.
So in just January to Febuary the daily number of new cases has more then halved, dropping by over 400k....
What exactly is going on? Have the vaccines rolled out that much to make that much of a difference already?
I'm more apt to attribute the current drop to being after the holiday travel rush of November/December causing the initial spike. Worldwide the vaccination rate is still less than 2% — the US is currently at about 13.8% with one dose, 6.3% with both doses.
So more of the November-December period being abnormally high, then any kind of true decline?
I will admit that makes much more sense given how stupid people got during the holiday season.
It's still a decline, but it's from a stupidly high starting point. And I mean "stupidly".
Redmess
"But I just keep confusing oral and anal, man..."
Optimism is a duty.
Redmess
In other news, I got vaccinated today.
Optimism is a duty.
A Self-inflicted Disaster
Congrats!!
"Enshittification truly is how platforms die"-Cory Doctorow
meow
Cool, so did I.
The Spectre Monk
The South African variant shows evidence of vaccine escape in virtually all of the current vaccines:
We may have known this already, but still really bad news amid all the optimism
I guess, after a night of pillaging and raping, a Viking wants a little something to go with his cocoa.
Redmess
The doctor giving out vaccines today also mentioned that this could be a yearly thing.
Optimism is a duty.
From the studies performed on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine it appears to be roughly 82% effective at preventing severe illness and 66% effective at stopping moderate to minor sickness.
On the bright side now that we have a vaccine at least making a new one should be easier. Even if we don't eliminate it just making Covid-19 much less dangerous would be a very real win.
Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Feb 25th 2021 at 11:54:24 AM
"Sandwiches are probably easier to fix than the actual problems" -Hylarn
That’s fucking shit, especially given the fact hat there are neurological issues that stay after getting infected, maybe even permanently. I know it might not be as bad, but the idea of losing my sense of smell or taste forever is pure Nightmare Fuel to me.
A procrastination in of itself
Oxford are expecting to have a tweaked version of their vaccine ready to go by autumn, and it seems that several of the vaccines still maintain enough efficiency even with the drop against the South Africa variant.
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Garden-variety germs may explode in COVID’s wake, study suggests: In coronavirus' wake, garden-variety germs may come roaring back.
Physical distancing, lockdowns, masking, and spirited sanitizing all mean we are coming into contact with fewer garden-variety germs than normal. This year’s flu season was basically cancelled.
While that may seem like a welcome reprieve from seasonal ailments and pesky sniffles, experts fear that our immune systems may be losing their defensive edge in the lull. And with the usual microscopic suspects lying in wait for our return to some sense of normalcy, it could mean that nasty bursts of common colds and flu-like illnesses are in our post-COVID futures—ones that may not be avoidable even if we carry on with some of our COVID precautions.
That seems to be what played out in Hong Kong. In an analysis published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, researchers noted a dramatic burst of upper respiratory infections there shortly after children returned to schools and daycares in October 2020. The outbreaks erupted even though teachers and students were still following strict COVID precautions.
Well, that's bad news. Basically, thanks to our corona precautions, we may inadvertently make ourselves more susceptible to the flu and common cold.
Optimism is a duty.