Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Seems like a lock that we’re well past containing this, and it’ll become one of the many viruses we just live with. I suppose after the first million or so get it we’ll know better how deadly it really is. O/U on that is what, another month?

I don’t think the testing is necessarily for the individual, I think it’s for managing and tracking the spread. For most people it’s just a nasty flu, but it’s good to know if the virus going through a community is flu vs coronavirus since COVID seems more likely to cause complications, which needs to be planned for (realigning resources, hospital beds, etc).

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I would think the testing thing is more about keeping people from infecting others than the actual treatment of the person being tested.

Eta- my pony got coronavirus.

Should have tested your pony imo

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Screamy Asaian would know better, but I’d guess people are going to be studying this for years before we have hard numbers on that.

Idk, theres a lot already in Iran and Italy, its probably in the wild in california, we’re about past relying on prc for data. Otoh, yeah, it’ll be a shitshow here and testing enough to get good data will be a problem, so it could take awhile.
That said, we’ll get cleaner numbers from Europe. With dude carrying it through Belfast airport 12 monkeys style it won’t be too long.

Do we know anything yet about how long it lives on surfaces? Do they even know that for flu and cold?

Follow up question - for flu, cold does the amount of exposure correspond to the amount a person gets sick? So like one stray virus gets in you and multiplies - is that any difference in progression of the disease than if someone sneezes in your face and you inhale like you were sucking in a bong? Or if you were exposed multiple times in a day is that worse than once (not in terms of catching, but in terms of eventual severity)?

Yeah fwiw, my commentary on the stock market is less about concerns for my own wealth and more about how this downturn might lead to Trumps ouster

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Depends on the temperature, which is why it hits hard in the cold weather months.

Trump can muzzle CDC officials. Seems like that could backfire, but even if he succeeds in controlling the information flow on the federal level, he won’t be able to silence state officials. I find that somewhat reassuring. I guess.

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My Dad just asked me a very reasonable question:

One question: If surgical masks help to prevent germs from spreading out from the wearer, why wouldn’t they be equally effective in keeping germs from getting in?

not a doc or a scientist so this may be bull but I believe wearing the mask means you will expel less to the outside world (some hits the material and you suck it back in) but what hits you is not going to be stopped by those crappy masks. It’ll just sit on them and magically slide thru the material.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/02/27/us-workers-without-protective-gear-assisted-coronavirus-evacuees-hhs-whistleblower-says/

Whistleblower - Shifty Schiff - impeachment hoax tweet incoming.

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I think it’s because the actual air we exhale contains fewer virus cells than the moisture it carries. Masks will block those on the way out, meaning you’re definitely expelling less viral gick. Like, I don’t think the idea with the masks is that infectious people are perfectly safe to be around, just literally that they’re spewing out less infectious stuff.

My six degrees of separation are getting smaller. My dad is a facilities manager at a local community college that has asked a student to refrain from coming to class because they have been in contact with someone who tested positive.

I’m expecting work from home indefinitely as soon as our campus gets one case. There is absolutely no reason for a lot of us to be here. Just saying “I feel sick” will be good for a month of wfh.

My last big cold I came in one day and coughed up a storm just to prove to all of them I was really sick. I don’t think the guy in the cubicle next to me appreciated it. There will be none of that in the near future.

This also makes me want to cash out, semi-retire and travel (although that might get messy for a bit) more than ever. Life is too short.

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GL USA

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I mean if youre a dice roller this might be the best time to travel (cost wise) in the last twenty years.

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Yeah unless you get quarantined somewhere and trapped in a hotel with a bunch of sick people.

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https://twitter.com/jbf1755/status/1233035367747641344?s=19