Coronavirus Updates

[Free]

A Venn diagram of the coronavirus and the U.S. healthcare system...

A Miami man who flew to China worried he might have coronavirus. He may owe thousands.

After returning to Miami last month from a work trip in China, Osmel Martinez Azcue found himself in a frightening position: he was developing flu-like symptoms, just as coronavirus was ravaging the country he had visited.

Under normal circumstances, Azcue said he would have gone to CVS for over-the-counter medicine and fought the flu on his own, but this time was different. As health officials stressed preparedness and vigilance for the respiratory illness, Azcue felt it was his responsibility to his family and his community to get tested for novel coronavirus, known as COVID-19.

Etc.

 

[eku zhong]

The following link is in Japanese but with Chrome you can translate it into English. 新型コロナウイルス感染症の現在の状況と厚生労働省の対応について（令和２年２月25日版）
In Japan, so far, they have only tested 1017 people for coronavirus. This excludes the passengers of the Diamond Princess and the evacuees who were brought back to Japan on a charter flight.
Just thought I should add some reference to my above opinion.

 

[Clara D.]

I keep interchanging between covid-9 and covid-19, but apparently it's the 19 that is correct. Numbers are so hard....

And I keep wanting to call it corvid-19

 

[Sid]

About 2 miles from my appartment is the German border. On the other side of that is a region called Selfkant, mostly farmland with some smaller communities. And there a man has been diagnosed with the Corona virus. They found it because he has a severe pneumonia and went to a hospital.
His wife has flu like symptoms and they are waiting for the test results.
The man was early February for the last time in my province, so authorities say no extra precautions are needed at the moment.

But hey, half the people of Selfkant and this part of Limburg are shopping at the other side of the border on weekly/ daily basis. What is cheaper in Germany, we buy in Germany (like gas) and what is cheaper in Limburg, attracts the Germans to come and shop on our side. Perfectly normal. The benefits of being in the EU.
So I expect that within a few days several cases of the Corona virus contamination will pop up on both sides of the border.

Yay.
I've been in several supermarkets at both sides of the border last week.

Let's wait and see.

 

[Argent Stonecutter]

Rachel Maddow tonight explained in detail how the Obama admin, in response to Ebola, created a robust response team from cooperating agencies.

Then guess who gutted it all, fired the pandemic team and others, left just a skeleton crew, stopped working with most other countries, etc.

So basically another victim of Trumps "fuck Obama" policy. Yay.

And I keep wanting to call it corvid-19

That's nothing to crow about.

 

[Luisa Land]

About 2 miles from my appartment is the German border. On the other side of that is a region called Selfkant, mostly farmland with some smaller communities. And there a man has been diagnosed with the Corona virus. They found it because he has a severe pneumonia and went to a hospital.
His wife has flu like symptoms and they are waiting for the test results.
The man was early February for the last time in my province, so authorities say no extra precautions are needed at the moment.

But hey, half the people of Selfkant and this part of Limburg are shopping at the other side of the border on weekly/ daily basis. What is cheaper in Germany, we buy in Germany (like gas) and what is cheaper in Limburg, attracts the Germans to come and shop on our side. Perfectly normal. The benefits of being in the EU.
So I expect that within a few days several cases of the Corona virus contamination will pop up on both sides of the border.

Yay.
I've been in several supermarkets at both sides of the border last week.

Let's wait and see.

Well, as I read here: the man was brought yesterday to the universityhospital of Düsseldorf, where the diagnosis "Corona" was made. the somewhat strange thing is, that he has been treated 2 weeks ago at the University-hospital of Köln / Cologne. they didnt identify "corona". At the moment staff and patients of the university-clinic of Cologne are tested. Considering that we had Karneval when the streets were filled for days with 100.000s of celebrating people, especially in Cologne and of course some of the staff will have taken part.....

I am also not far from all these places.. Lets hope

 

[Sid]

So much is uncertain, when do you need to see a doctor for a test?
I mean, colds and flu virusses are active as well at the moment. So I guess most people with those symptoms simply will wait and see for at least a week. There are no guidelines published about that subject so far.
My guess: It is spreading quicker than security measurements can be taken.

 

[eku zhong]

Hospitals in Japan refusing to test many who suspect they have COVID-19 | The Japan Times

 

[Luisa Land]

So much is uncertain, when do you need to see a doctor for a test?

Indeed so much uncertain, At the moment the advice is, if you feel not well AND you visited China, Northern Italy and other infected regions or if you had contact to an infected person, call the doctor or the local health authorities.. But this will soon change, when the number of infected persons here rise and so the chances that you catch the virus here are high..
The statements are very pessimistic, that if the situation worsens, all people can not be treated. Only the observably very serious cases.

I suspect that they also want to prevent that now many want to be tested, because the system quickly reaches its limits


The website of the Robert Koch Institute (the federal authority responsible for combating epidemics) is currently difficult to access (probably because of the many requests for information).

 

[Sid]

There is no treat against the virus itself. All that can be done is trying to push back the symptoms, so yeah, staying at home with some paracetamol or ibuprofen is a good way to deal with it, as long as the symptoms don't get really severe like breathing problems and chest pain.
Most people who are infected seem to get only mild complaints.

I just googled for mouth caps. Silly me.

By the way his wife has been infected as well.

 

[Luisa Land]

currently only the symptoms can be treated. Most clinics will follow the recommendations of the WHO.
for those of you who are interested, here is the link for these recommendations

COVID-19 Clinical management: living guidance

This document is the update of an interim guidance originally published under the title “ Clinical management of COVID-19: interim guidance, 27 May 2020".

www.who.int

but be warned: long text and for laymen and laywomen (at least for me) somewhat unwieldy text

 

[Beebo Brink]

Coronavirus: inquiry opens into hospitals at centre of Italy outbreak

Investigation begins amid reports doctors delayed testing ‘super-spreader’

www.theguardian.com

Reporting in Italian media has focused on whether medical staff missed opportunities to identify coronavirus in patient one – identified as “Mattia” – who remains seriously ill in hospital in Pavia, south of Milan.

The man is believed to have infected his pregnant wife and a friend he went running with as well as three elderly people who frequented a bar owned by his friend’s father.

He has also been linked to eight other infections, among them health workers and patients at the hospital in Codogno, one of them reportedly being a 77-year-old woman who died of the illness on Sunday. The woman was suffering from pneumonia and tested positive for the virus postmortem.

 

[Luisa Land]

Coronavirus: inquiry opens into hospitals at centre of Italy outbreak

Investigation begins amid reports doctors delayed testing ‘super-spreader’

www.theguardian.com

Maybe they don't test enough anyway.
I have no idea, but it is conceivable that the low numbers mentioned in some countries, how many people are infected, do not reflect the real situation, because there is not enough testing
this thought came to me when I read the statement of the Minister of Health here in Germany this evening
"We have agreed that if symptoms or suspicion exist, it is better to test for the virus once more than once too seldom. In any case, the money or the reimbursement of the statutory health insurance companies for such a test must not be a problem

with "we" he means:
Representatives from the health sector - doctors, health insurance companies, clinics, pharmacies and care facilities

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

 

[Beebo Brink]

Maybe they don't test enough anyway.

Many countries simply don't have enough testing kits, either because supplies are limited or they're too expensive. In the U.S. (as evidenced by one of the articles in this thread) poor insurance coverage (or none at all) makes testing prohibitively expensive. People will actively avoid testing if they know it comes with a $3,000+ medical bill

 

[Casey Pelous]

The testing is pretty invasive and unpleasant -- one of those medical-length Q-tips deep in the sinuses to take a swab. And, as Beebo said, if it comes with a $3,000 bill, I'm gonna be staying home and taking my chances.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Now wash your hands, Britain told in fight against coronavirus | News | The Times

Now wash your hands, Britain told in fight against coronavirus Chris Smyth, Whitehall Editor Thursday February 27 2020, 12.01am, The Times There has been an increased demand for face masks and rubber ...

www.evernote.com

 

[Beebo Brink]

Watching the Trump press briefing on coronavirus and wondering when he's going to collapse. Swaying on this feet, eyes closing for increasingly long intervals, Trump looked downright ill.

 

[Isabeau]

Imagine if HE got the virus?

 

[Isabeau]

Like the minister in Iran.

 

[Cristalle]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/02/26/coronavirus-makes-case-medicare-for-all/

This is like the Chicago fire; private health insurance makes as much sense as private fire insurance.