Coronavirus Updates

[Beebo Brink]

NPR has a very calm, but detailed summary of the Wuhan flu:

Wuhan Coronavirus 101: What We Do — And Don't — Know About A Newly Identified Disease

Although there have been a few cases of young adults dying, the greatest risk is for the over-50 crowd with underlying health conditions (that would be me and my wife). So I'm paying close attention, but then I always do during any flu season.

 

[Beebo Brink]

A total of 7 tweets with more data:

 

[Sid]

And how trustworthy is Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding account?
All those holy cow messages on the social media look like effords to stir up things to me.
If that Dr is a real one, he should know better.

The moment the WHO comes out with official really alarming messages it is time to worry.

 

[Isabeau]

I'm not so worried I, or my family and friends, will die, I'm more worried at this point we will have the same thing happen here in Canada that happened during the SARS outbreak. I don't know how bad it got in Europe or the US, but here, yes, it wasn't a stroll in the park, especially for medical personnel. Hopefully, we have learnt from that event.

 

[Beebo Brink]

I'm not so worried I, or my family and friends, will die, I'm more worried at this point we will have the same thing happen here in Canada that happened during the SARS outbreak. I don't know how bad it got in Europe or the US, but here, yes, it wasn't a stroll in the park, especially for medical personnel. Hopefully, we have learnt from that event.

Like you, I"m not so worried for myself at present, but this is obviously an intense event for China, with political repercussions for the ruling party and their leader. For that reason alone it's worth keeping abreast of the news. I don't have to be personally threatened to take an interest in what is happening somewhere else.

 

[Beebo Brink]

And how trustworthy is Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding account?

Well, all you have to do is click on the link and find out, Sid. He sounds fairly reputable to me.

Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding
@DrEricDing

Public health scientist/ Epidemiologist / Health Economist / Science advocacy / Taught for 15 years at Harvard / NYT-featured pharma whistleblower

Eric Ding - Wikipedia

Eric L. Feigl-Ding is an American public health scientist who has received awards for his work in epidemiology, nutrition, and health economics. He is a visiting scientist[2] at the Harvard School of Public Health and Chief Health Economist and Senior Vice President with Microclinic International. He is a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellow,[3] and a WEF Global Shaper. He was also a 2018 Democratic candidate for Congress from Pennsylvania's 10th congressional district,[4] as an advocate for public health, drug safety, and science.[5]

 

[Beebo Brink]

Coronavirus live updates: China’s leader warns of ‘accelerating spread’ of virus

TOKYO — China's leader Xi Jinping warned Saturday of an "accelerating spread" of the coronavirus, adding to worries about the scope of a health crisis that has claimed at least 42 lives and triggered emergency health measures in cities across China.

 

[Fionalein]

And how trustworthy is Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding account?

Speaking for a high trustworthyness is the fact he is researching epidemiology in an Ivy League university...

...but his research publications only include links to Google Scholar. The lack of a link to the PubMed research database - the de facto go to database if you do medical research - leads me to the conclusion is not involved in serious medical research at all.

source: Eric Feigl-Ding, PhD

 

[Beebo Brink]

But his research publications only include links to Google Scholar - the lack of a a link to the PubMed research database - the de facto go to database if you do medical research - leads me to the conclusion is not involved in serious medical research at all.

Um, and? Conducting research is not a pre-requisite for reading and understanding it. He sounds perfectly qualified to interpret the data.

 

[Beebo Brink]

Coronavirus live updates: China’s leader warns of ‘accelerating spread’ of virus

This WaPo article is a deep collection of news shorts, covering many different aspects of the Wuhan virus. I found this section interesting:

6:50 a.m.
Studies focus on possible animal-to-human origins

A study confirmed the disease was a new form of coronavirus, which is closest to the SARS-related coronaviruses found in Chinese horseshoe bats. Like the SARS epidemic, which was traced to masked palm civets sold at a wildlife market, the study said the disease was connected to a wet market where game animals and meat were sold.

Wildlife activists and medical experts have long argued that China needs to shut down the trade in endangered and wild animals for game meat, as they represent a potential source of disease.

Microbiologist Yuen, one of the study’s authors, said the wild animal or game meat trade had obviously been rekindled since 2003, something he called “understandable” because changing a country’s food culture is always difficult. But he called for China to regulate its markets better.

 

[Sid]

Well, where my alarm bells went off was the opening of that twitter post.
"HOLY MOTHER OF GOD - the new coronavirus is a 3.8!!!"
That is typically not what I expect from a scientist when he posts public information about a serious matter. Maybe when he posts something in an e-mail to colleagues but on social media...... nah.
Sounds more like someone spreading willingly disinformation to me, than as a scientist informing the public.

 

[Fionalein]

Um, and? Conducting research is not a pre-requisite for reading and understanding it. He sounds perfectly qualified to interpret the data.

If he would be the genius you think he is he would know better than to spread mass hysteria on Twitter. If it is as big as he thinks he should have contacted press representatives.

Panic spreads pretty similar to infections. The history of epidemics also taught us that false panic can have devastating side effects like de-sensitization of the general public to official health warnings... the human hive mind's perception of danger is a very complex thing - and quite dangerous to meddle with.

 

[Sid]

Well, all you have to do is click on the link and find out, Sid. He sounds fairly reputable to me.

I have no clue how Twitter works. I only read some Twitter posts that are posted here on VVO.

What I do know is, that it is not the most reliable news source. I mean how many non real Donald Trumps have there been (are still) around on the social media. Just because the name is spelled correctly and the account info seems plausible, doesn't make it trustworthy about the information published.

 

[Beebo Brink]

If he would be the genius you think he is...

What the ever loving fuck? Nothing I said deserved that kind of smarmy snark.

 

[Beebo Brink]

I have no clue how Twitter works. I only read some Twitter posts that are posted here on VVO.

What I do know is, that it is not the most reliable news source. I mean how many not real Donald Trump have there been (are still) around on the social media. Just because the name is spelled correctly and the account info seems plausible, doesn't make it trustworthy about the information published.

If you don't know how Twitter works, and you don't know how to do basic research on a name and link it to a Twitter account, then you don't have any grounds for casting shade. You can say "Hey, Beebo, is this a valid account? I can't tell, but maybe you can."

And I would have replied, "Thanks, for asking Sid. Yes, I checked him out before I posted and he seemed legit."

It's just that easy to be polite about it.

 

[Fionalein]

Just because the name is spelled correctly and the account info seems plausible, doesn't make it trustworthy about the information published.

Wait - does that mean this account is not by a cow on Devin Nunes' farm?

https://twitter.com/DevinCow

 

[Sid]

If you don't know how Twitter works, and you don't know how to do basic research on a name and link it to a Twitter account, then you don't have any grounds for casting shade. You can say "Hey, Beebo, is this a valid account? I can't tell, but maybe you can."

And I would have replied, "Thanks, for asking Sid. Yes, I checked him out before I posted and he seemed legit."

It's just that easy to be polite about it.

Calm down Beebo. I'm not attacking you personally in any way.
I'm never overly polite when posting here, so why should I have done so a few posts up?
I mistrust the information and reacted accordingly.
IMHO without tackling the messenger (you).

 

[Cristiano]

Jesus, it's not that hard to look at his profile and see his credentials:

Eric Feigl-Ding

scholar.harvard.edu

 

[Beebo Brink]

Calm down Beebo. I'm not attacking you personally in any way.
I'm never overly polite when posting here, so why should I have done so a few posts up?
I mistrust the information and reacted accordingly.
IMHO without tackling the messenger.

Must. remember. Sid. is. Dutch.

For your own survival, dear man, avoid statements like "Calm down (insert name)" when talking to a woman who is peeved. American women tends to interpret that kind of statement as the ultimate in male condescension, right up there with "Don't get hysterical."

But ya right back. I've learned over the years that your heart is in the right place, and you deserve the benefit of the doubt, even when I want to

 

[Cristiano]

Yeah, I feared for Sid's life after seeing "calm down" lol.