Coronavirus Updates

[Sid]

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

Is it really that risky to use that phrase?
There obviously are more cultural differences then one expects between western countries.

 

[Fionalein]

There obviously are more cultural differences then one expects between western countries.

Of course there are - some of those barbarians out there even strech the vinegar on their chips with tomatos and sugar...

 

[Isabeau]

How many people need to get infected, sick or die before we are allowed to be interested in this news? Good lord, if this isn't your cup of tea, you have no obligation to follow the news on it. Not one person here is spreading mass hysteria or posting cray-cray stuff. There are very reliable news organizations following this. You are welcome to come back and feel superior when and if it all putters out, meanwhile I suggest you make a thread about "fake news and mass hysteria in the age of trump" or whatever.

 

[Isabeau]

LEAVE BEEBO ALONE!

 

[Eunoli]

I think it wouldn't be a bad idea for everyone to make sure they're well stocked in their emergency food and water kits. There may be nothing. But, its never a bad idea.

 

[Archer]

Here is a thread rebutting Dr. Feigl-Ding's analysis.

 

[Soen Eber]

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

Beebs, you should smile more

*RUNS*

 

[Sid]

LEAVE BEEBO ALONE!

Okay, I got the message.
Sid's contributions to VVO end here and now. Arrivederci a tutti.

 

[Soen Eber]

More seriously, results from preliminary data are always a bit scattershot. Also the Chinese government is running scared and taking it seriously - and has the muscle to pull it off.

 

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

Of course there are - some of those barbarians out there even strech the vinegar on their chips with tomatos and sugar...

 

[Cristiano]

Is it really that risky to use that phrase?
There obviously are more cultural differences then one expects between western countries.

Yes, these are things you learn quickly. Another is that "how do I look?" is a trap and that when a woman says she's not upset, she is totally upset.

 

[Arilynn]

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

He has 86 citations in PubMed under “E.L. Ding”.

 

[Arilynn]

Okay, I got the message.
Sid's contributions to VVO end here and now. Arrivederci a tutti.

Nononono! Sid, you are a valuable slice of the VV0 pie! Please stay. I interpreted the “Leave Beebo alone” post as a riff on the “Leave Brittany alone” meme and thus a joke. blijf alsjeblieft <- ummm, that is what Google translate gave me. I’ve never seen Dutch, so I have no clue.

 

[Govi]

Every time (yes, EVERY time) I see or hear Wuhan, it reminds me of this scene from International House (1933):


Please pardon me for this humorous intrusion. You may resume your serious discussion.

 

[Arilynn]

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.

I don’t know. R0=3.8 is more than the 1918 flu strain and in the area of SARS. So, roughly, one case of 2019-nCoV will cause 3.8 additional cases while it is infectious.

There are 2 scary things about this to me: First, 2019-nCoV is transmitted person-to-person through airborne droplets, which makes those 3.8 cases easier to occur than if it were transmitted, for example, the way HIV or Ebola is.

Second, I doubt there is much aside from supportive care and respiratory therapy for the viral pneumonia that it can cause. To me, that’s only a few steps better than “thoughts and prayers“, especially for people with pre-existing lung disease or poor health.

 

[Beebo Brink]

Okay, I got the message.
Sid's contributions to VVO end here and now. Arrivederci a tutti.

I'm really really hoping this is yet another cultural joke that we're misreading, rather than a literal good-bye. Nothing that we've debated here on this thread would be worth losing your voice from this forum. Especially since the post that you were reacting to was (yet another) American joke that you may not have understood.

Please don't go!

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Is it really that risky to use that phrase?
There obviously are more cultural differences then one expects between western countries.

It would be asking for trouble in the UK, certainly, and I'm surprised that men can get away with it in the Netherlands -- what's it like in the rest of Europe? I'm trying to think of people from other EU countries whom I know, but maybe they're atypical in that they all live in the UK.

Mind you, I guess everywhere must have their blind spots like that.

 

[Plurabelle Laszlo]

In German that phrase is not offensive or seen as specifically sexist, as far as I can tell. It can sound condescending, depending on tone and context, of course, but other than that it just means, well, 'calm down, please'. Definitely far from being a sexist insult like "you are being hysterical", and you can definitely use it to express "hey, this is not as severe/serious/bad as you think". Benefit of the doubt is a very good concept when you are on an international forum.

 

[Dakota Tebaldi]

China reports 1,975 confirmed cases of new coronavirus pneumonia, 56 deaths - Xinhua | English.news.cn

 

[Stora]

When I hear the words calm down I can't help thinking of the Harry Enfield sketches.