Coronavirus Global Health Emergency, 2019-nCoV

[JerseyGirl]

Evacuation of Germans from Wuhan to begin shortly: FM

A German military plane would be leaving for China shortly to evacuate more than 100 German citizens, none of whom are infected with coronavirus or suspected of having contracted it.

The plane would arrive in Germany on Saturday and the evacuees would be kept in quarantine for two weeks.

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Oman advises against travelling to China

Oman's health ministry has advised against travel to China. "It is advisable not to travel to China unless it is absolutely necessary," the ministry said in a post on Twitter.

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Turkish Airlines halts all flights to and from mainland China

Turkish Airlines has suspended all flights to and from mainland China and is redirecting four flights currently in the air back to Istanbul. The flights will be suspended until February 9, while flights to and from Hong Kong will remain in operation, the company said.

Coronavirus spreads to more countries: All the latest updates

 

[Medstudies]

@Medstudies , I’m going to jump on that “melodramatic” band wagon with you !

My three biggest concerns have been mentioned in just the last few posts...

1. Rapid or worsening mutations
2. Inaccurate reporting of deaths/data
3. The ability to spread prior to symptoms being present

I stated earlier in this thread that I believed things could get very ugly very fast - and I now believe they are.

I’m not generally in the “alarmist” category. I never gave much thought to SARS, N1H1, etc,... But in my opinion, this is an entirely different animal we’re dealing with now.

This is not the time to panic, and I’m not promoting being a “prepper”, but I would suggest to my fellow WS’ers - stock up a little in the event this thing isn’t contained. If this virus breaks loose in another country, fear and chaos will reign supreme - at least in the short term.

Hope for the best - be prepared for the worst.

Yay! I’m glad to know I’m not alone!

I second everything you said, for the reasons you said and for the nudge to a little preparation.

heck, think about it, in my area if there is a call for 4 inches of snow, the stores, liquor stores and gas stations get cleaned out. That’s knowing the roads will generally be clear in a couple of days... and half the time the snow accumulations aren’t near the forecast alert...

 

[dixiegirl1035]

I'll be the annoying person who again points out the the numbers reported is misleading. Of the 9808 people with the infection, only* 120 cases have been reported outside of China. Most of the cases within China are in the province of virus origin.

Yes, it's alarming that the virus is spreading, but it is NOT spreading in huge numbers like some reports seems to imply.

I don't downplay the potential (not at all), but we also need to know what the numbers actually tell us.

jmo

* I don't mean to downplay any report, but use the word "only" to emphasize the number of cases outside of China is a fraction of the cases reported within China.

Well, we can visually follow just the increase in the last 6 days. The "cats outta the bag" in China. I don't know what to say about it other than a picture is a thousand words. This is from a site that many are following. Operations Dashboard for ArcGIS

 

[Bravo]

Finally! @ Bravo
That's some good news.

For sure

 

[JerseyGirl]

Mongolia to close all ports of entry from, into China
Mongolia will close all ports of entry from and into China until March 2. It will give its citizens currently in China until February 6 to return home, though non-Chinese foreign nationals travelling to Mongolia will not be able to do so via China.

South Korea confirms four more cases
South Korea has confirmed four more cases of the new coronavirus, bringing the country's total to 11. One is a 62-year-old South Korean woman who visited Wuhan, while the three others are presumed to be classified as person-to-person transmission cases, as they have not visited China recently.

Coronavirus spreads to more countries: All the latest updates

 

[Medstudies]

Bingo, glad you brought that up- all that hand washing is great for those of us with nice clean hot water and soap, even clean cold water- but shockingly, clean water is lacking for many, imo.

On another note, so much for the efforts made to increase water conservation awareness in recent years, right now we all need clean hands and clean water!
Thinking of that old expression, something like .. " When the river is dry, the animals start looking at each other funny."

Exactly!

 

[gregjrichards]

India bans export of protective masks, clothing
India said it had banned the export of personal protection equipment such as masks and clothing amid a global coronavirus outbreak.

French car parts maker PSA extending plant closures in China
French car maker PSA Peugeot Citroen said its three plants in China's Wuhan will remain closed until February 14, in line with the Chinese government's guidance.
Valeo, a French car parts maker, said earlier its three sites in Wuhan will stay closed until at least February 13.

Wuhan mayor: Containing virus still 'severe, complex' task
The task of containing and preventing the spread of the coronavirus outbreak in the central Chinese city of Wuhan remain "severe and complex", its mayor Zhou Xianwang said. Supplies of masks and other medical resources are still inadequate, vice mayor Xu Honglan said.

Armenia suspends visa-free travel for Chinese citizens
Armenia will suspend its visa-free travel regime for Chinese citizens from February 1 until March 31.

Pakistan halts China flights
Pakistan temporarily suspended all direct flights with China, affecting Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), Air China and China Southern Airlines. "We have suspended all the direct flights to and from China with immediate effect till February 02," a spokesperson for Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said. A decision on whether flights will be resumed will be made on Sunday.

Coronavirus spreads to more countries: All the latest updates

It is incredible the impact this is having I’ve never known anything like it.

Thank you to all of you for your updates. It is great to come here and get news from a variety of sources all in the one place.

 

[Inthedetails]

Well, we can visually follow just the increase in the last 6 days. The "cats outta the bag" in China. I don't know what to say about it other than a picture is a thousand words. This is from a site that many are following. Operations Dashboard for ArcGIS
View attachment 228959

The flat yellow line is significant, imo.

But, I'll leave it at that. I'll drop it since I'm a party-pooper at the panic party.

I do think this case will be added to the textbooks for people studying public health and infection control.

I'm mostly interested in the information and info dispersal (and how to convey info to the public) as I find that aspect fascinating.

jmo

 

[JerseyGirl]

LPGA event cancelled, Olympic football qualifiers changed

The elite women's LPGA golf tour has cancelled an event in China and Olympic football qualifying matches in Australia are being shuffled.

The four-team women's football tournament involving China, Australia, Taiwan and Thailand was moved from Wuhan and hastily rearranged to be held in Australia by the Asian Football Confederation.

Organisers were forced to change their match schedule after China's team, who arrived in Australia on January 29, were placed in quarantine in Brisbane until after February 5.

Meanwhile, the LPGA said its Blue Bay tournament due to be held on Hainan island from March 5-8 had been cancelled.

Coronavirus spreads to more countries: All the latest updates

 

[Medstudies]

Yeah, the financial impact is going to be widespread. IIRC the Shanghai stock market will reopen on Monday?

A 5% plunge in share prices in neighboring Taiwan and Hong Kong as soon as they opened today after the Lunar New Year break has given markets a taste of what to expect from Shanghai on Monday.
Take Five: What's the virus damage?

Some folks who invest in triple inverse stocks in the US have already increased 2.8% just in the last 90 minutes. sqqq stock price - Google Search

Yes, they will reopen Monday.

It will be interesting to see the impact this will have.
China's economy was supposed to get a boost this year. The coronavirus makes that unlikely (opinion) - CNN

... “public health scare on this scale is likely to have immediate economic repercussions for China's economy in three vital ways: a sharp downturn in the tourism and leisure industry as people cancel or avoid travel and events; a pause in spending, production and borrowing as uncertainty and travel restrictions impact businesses, jobs and consumer confidence; and higher costs related to measures introduced to mitigate the spread of infection, such as the extension of the holiday period, delays in people returning to work and health screenings.”

 

[JerseyGirl]

Dow drops 400 points on coronavirus fears

Worries about the coronavirus outbreak and its economic impact are weighing on the stock market, dragging the Dow more than 400 points lower.

China is the engine of the global economy and investors are worried a slowdown there could have a knock-on effect around the world.

Coronavirus news and live updates: UK confirms first cases as outbreak spreads - CNN

 

[JerseyGirl]

Italy
Italy is sending a military flight in the early hours of Monday to repatriate 70 Italians. The flight to Wuhan will carry some sanitary equipment requested by the Chinese authorities. The returning passengers will be quarantined in a military facility for 14 days.

Italy’s government declared a state of emergency Friday morning a day after its first two cases of coronavirus – two Chinese tourists – were confirmed. Five million euros ($5,500) have been allocated to use if needed to help fight the spread.

Chinese aircrafts currently on Italian soil have until Sunday to leave, and that it was coordinating with the Chinese embassy in Rome regarding any Chinese citizens who wanted to return home from Italy.

Coronavirus news and live updates: UK confirms first cases as outbreak spreads - CNN

France
France said it was working on sending a second repatriation flight after a first one arrived on Friday. Countries who lack the “logistical capacity” of France have asked for their help in repatriating citizens. The French Health Minister stated that “the idea is to bring in this plane all the nationalities who ask for our help and also the French that we can pick up” and that the plane will fly to France and that it will be “up to other the countries to come and collect their citizens.”

 

[Iggy2020]

I work in the medical supply business in Canada and it is crazy. We have sold over 150,000 boxes of masks in the last week and a half. Distributors, government, clinics etc. we even have folks from Hong Kong contacting us, like it seems that they don't have access to them over there??

 

[sloane7777]

I work in the medical supply business in Canada and it is crazy. We have sold over 150,000 boxes of masks in the last week and a half. Distributors, government, clinics etc. we even have folks from Hong Kong contacting us, like it seems that they don't have access to them over there??

I bought some in Dallas the other day and posted here, later that evening I looked and they were all sold, the guy at home depot said people were buying cases

 

[Medstudies]

Funny how we all react to this. I was chatting with a few Nurses last night. Going about their usual routines. Not concerned at this point. Their mindset a bit different. They don't get too excited about anything unless your limb is hanging off. Yet they provide direct care. Perhaps that may change? Rest of us who have to be there for other reasons and not providing direct care are somewhat germa-phobic. I always say if u want to get sick go to a Hospital.

BBM- yep!


An aside: local news IU suspending all travel to China for faculty, students and staff

“Indiana University is taking precautions and suspending all travel to China.

The university said that is will suspend travel for all students, faculty and staff because of the coronavirus outbreak following the CDC's guidance.

This would impact any study abroad programs for students...

On Thursday, Taylor University also announced it was canceling its inaugural semester of a business-related program in Xian, China because of the outbreak.”

edit: quoting error/ WS running slowwww

 

[Medstudies]

I'll be the annoying person who again points out the the numbers reported is misleading. Of the 9808 people with the infection, only* 120 cases have been reported outside of China. Most of the cases within China are in the province of virus origin.

Yes, it's alarming that the virus is spreading, but it is NOT spreading in huge numbers like some reports seems to imply.

I don't downplay the potential (not at all), but we also need to know what the numbers actually tell us.

jmo

* I don't mean to downplay any report, but use the word "only" to emphasize the number of cases outside of China is a fraction of the cases reported within China.

Hey, I’ll be happy to sit in the corner with a tinfoil hat, but these numbers have exceeded in one month than a year of the SARS event.

...and apparently I’m not alone, I mean considering the reactions of major businesses, world leaders...

 

[JerseyGirl]

Since Jan. 17, as the number of people sickened by the outbreak climbed near 10,000, the S&P 500 index has fallen 1.7%.

Morgan Stanley estimates that the outbreak could cut global economic growth by up to 0.3% in the first quarter of 2020, and that there could be a more severe impact in the second quarter if the situation worsens.

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Viruses like the coronavirus aren’t a big focus for the pharmaceutical industry. Drugmakers know how to make money on rare diseases. But vaccines for new viruses are expensive, have unpredictable demand, and are needed most in markets where patients have the least ability to pay.

Yet a handful of companies have come forward with plans to develop a vaccine: Johnson & Johnson which has a small vaccine business, and three small biotechs.

For now, the companies are relying on funding from nonprofits and governments. Moderna is collaborating with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, or NIAID, and received funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a nongovernmental organization funded by a handful of governments and private foundations.

The timeline for the coronavirus vaccines is not yet clear.

The Moderna vaccine could be ready for a Phase 1 study in three months, while J&J could have a vaccine available in eight to 12 months. Inovio has said it hopes to bring its vaccine candidate into Phase 1 in less than seven months. Novavax’s president of research and development has said that his company would work quickly, but didn’t offer a specific time frame.

Some Drugmakers Are Racing to Develop a Coronavirus Vaccine. Why Big Pharma Isn’t Rushing In.

 

[Medstudies]

Wouldn't it be nice if the lack of water access in some places in the world got as much media attention as this virus. THAT would improve the lives of millions, people who could really benefit.

jmo

For real!

 

[JerseyGirl]

Sweden confirms first case of coronavirus

Sweden has confirmed its first case of coronavirus, a woman in Jönköping county who had visited the Wuhan area of China.

When the woman landed in Sweden on January 24, she was free of symptoms of the infection, but later developed a cough and contacted a local hospital. She was isolated in the hospital's infection clinic, but is not seriously ill.

Coronavirus news and live updates: UK confirms first cases as outbreak spreads - CNN

CDC has investigated 241 US patients for coronavirus

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has listed 241 patients under investigation for the novel coronavirus in 36 states.

Of them, six have tested positive, 114 negative, and 121 are still pending.

There is one case is in Arizona, one in Washington state, two in California and two in Illinois.

CDC is the only lab in the US that can conduct diagnostic testing for the virus, but it is developing coronavirus testing kits to share with "domestic and international partners."

 

[Tadpole12]

I agree. I trust the numbers outside of China (though I think there are cases that are not reported - people recovering on their own at home without telling anyone).

I do not trust the numbers from China. I suspect the virus was known and was spreading in the "origin area" weeks before it made the international press....and it got out of control and too big to hide.

I am quite hopeful that the international spread can be contained, not 100%, but with overall success.

jmo

www.statista.com/chart/20634/confirmed-coronavirus-cases-timeline

Re: Confirmed Coronavirus Cases
Jan 30, 2020

If confirmed cases in China seem to double every 2 days,
when was patient zero?
Jan 6?

As far as prep,
it doesn't hurt to consider
what size jug might accommodate one's head?