Covid-19 discussion and humor thread [Was: CDC says don't touch your face to avoid Covid19...Vets to the rescue!

[CountDorkula]

45 minutes ago, teef said:

anyone who thinks this isn't a big deal at this point either doesn't understand what's happening or refuses to even try to understand what's happening.  I have a feeling things are going to change for me drastically over the next two weeks.

 

Here is what baffles/angers me. This virus is affecting the entire world, drastically, but for some reason people in America believe that this virus will just skip this country because America?

 

Ive told jokes about it, but that's because you still have to try and live life, but to act like "This ain't no thing" is incredibly selfish.

 

People are blaming the NBA for overreacting for suspending the season. 

[The Wiz]

2 hours ago, teef said:

And now it’s confirmed in the Rochester area. Nice. 

And I'll likely be working from home for the remainder of the semester now that RIT announced they are switching to online only. 

 

Waiting to see what's going to happen with my kids in grade school still though. 

[teef]

24 minutes ago, SlimShady'sGhost said:

 

I hope things go well for you. 

 

 

 

Can you do "dental checkups" via Skype?    

 

i can't do implants and veneers on skype, that's for sure.   i'm legit concerned here.  80 yr old parents.  i have employees to look out for, payroll to meet, a new building mortgage.   there's no way this virus doesn't stagger me a bit.  i'm being selfish knowing that medically my family will be ok...i'm just worried about everything else.

15 minutes ago, CountDorkula said:

 

Here is what baffles/angers me. This virus is affecting the entire world, drastically, but for some reason people in America believe that this virus will just skip this country because America?

 

Ive told jokes about it, but that's because you still have to try and live life, but to act like "This ain't no thing" is incredibly selfish.

 

People are blaming the NBA for overreacting for suspending the season. 

i think a lot of that is due to this having such a political slant to it.  my father in law is a hard core fox news guy.  we know if he's been at our house because it's literally always on tv.  two days ago he was telling my wife this was a nothing.  i think he's now changed his tune.  

 

i'm not making a comment to any political affiliation leaning one way or another, but i have seen it personally on some level.  

15 minutes ago, The Wiz said:

And I'll likely be working from home for the remainder of the semester now that RIT announced they are switching to online only. 

 

Waiting to see what's going to happen with my kids in grade school still though. 

i think that's good. my brother works downtown at m and t, and he's waiting to see what happens.  

 

both my kids are in doodlebugs daycare, so we're waiting to see if that closes too.  then we have to figure out care.

[DCOrange]

2 hours ago, teef said:

And now it’s confirmed in the Rochester area. Nice. 

It’s probably safest to assume it’s everywhere now since we didn’t even start looking for it until it had been here for a month and didn’t start doing anything about it for much longer. It’s far more widespread than we currently know. 

[CountDorkula]

2 minutes ago, DCOrange said:

It’s probably safest to assume it’s everywhere now since we didn’t even start looking for it until it had been here for a month and didn’t start doing anything about it for much longer. It’s far more widespread than we currently know. 

To be fair America is doing very little currently to stop it, because 'Murica.

[Halloween Land]

Faith and Trust in the Lord is the best way to deal with the concern and panic of this virus. 

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

2 minutes ago, CountDorkula said:

To be fair America is doing very little currently to stop it, because 'Murica.

 

Such bitterness. Can you really blame anyone for being cynical? H1N1, SARS, bird flu, Ebola, etc etc etc

[CountDorkula]

6 minutes ago, Joe in Winslow said:

 

Such bitterness. Can you really blame anyone for being cynical? H1N1, SARS, bird flu, Ebola, etc etc etc

 

Yes, I can blame people for not listening to top Health officials and scientists.

 

I'm not bitter, I'm baffled that people are just that ignorant that people are still continuing with "Its just a cold"

  

[teef]

9 minutes ago, Halloween Land said:

Faith and Trust in the Lord is the best way to deal with the concern and panic of this virus. 

on your knees!

[May Day 10]

1 hour ago, teef said:

anyone who thinks this isn't a big deal at this point either doesn't understand what's happening or refuses to even try to understand what's happening.  I have a feeling things are going to change for me drastically over the next two weeks.

 

months.

 

 

This is bad.  No politics to it.  People need to please check that at the door.  It is coming to every corner, many will get sick, many wont, many will die.  Things are going to be disrupted and sideways and the economy is going to get ugly. 

This is completely different than those other outbreak scares.  It is here, it is very contagious, and will be deadly.

[teef]

Just now, May Day 10 said:

 

months.

 

 

This is bad.  No politics to it.  People need to please check that at the door.  It is coming to every corner, many will get sick, many wont, many will die.  Things are going to be disrupted and sideways and the economy is going to get ugly. 

This is completely different than those other outbreak scares.  It is here, it is very contagious, and will be deadly.

i'm with ya.  there's no reason not to take it seriously at this point.  we don't need public panic, but everyone needs to be aware medical, social and economic impact this thing is going to have.  my biggest hope is that people stop being so concerned about the individual and we all work together to manage this.

[DrDawkinstein]

16 minutes ago, Halloween Land said:

Faith and Trust in the Lord is the best way to deal with the concern and panic of this virus. 

 

T's an P's, broooo!

[row_33]

15 minutes ago, Joe in Winslow said:

 

Such bitterness. Can you really blame anyone for being cynical? H1N1, SARS, bird flu, Ebola, etc etc etc

of course “they” will use any excuse to gripe and complain

 

you probably have put them on ignore because everything they think and do has already been proven repulsive on here?

 

Edited March 12, 2020 by row_33

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

7 minutes ago, CountDorkula said:

 

Yes, I can blame people for not listening to top Health officials and scientists.

 

You do you.

[DrDawkinstein]

This is long but a great read on the very real issues we're facing... (link to original post)

 

Quote

Well I think the algebra is 6th grade math, right?

 

To keep the numbers simple, assume 1000 confirmed cases.

In all likelihood the real number is much higher because weeks (or months) of inadequate testing

 

Empiric, reported data from dozens of credible independent sources OBSERVE (not estimate) a doubling rate of 5-7 days. Call it a week.

 

This makes sense because 1 sick person likely infects at least 1 more person each week they're walking around, right? Before they even start coughing or shitting virus everywhere & take precautions, get help.

 

Hence R0 of 2+ or say 2.5 nominal (reported 10+ in early outbreaks in Wuhan pre-lockdown, and that appears consistent with Iran for example). Our policy goal thus needs to be squashing 10 down towards 2, ideally below 2, which will stop the pandemic over time eventually. In the meantime, we have to assume infections/cases double weekly. That may be way low. It can't be way high. Meaning the problem could be much worse than my math suggests, thus my math is conservative.

 

So make today week zero, 1k cases. Can't be fewer, may be 10-1000x higher already. (We'll figure out which over time, as people start dying. That's an objective measurement and as n gets larger, error bars get smaller.)

 

Empirically, the mortality rate ("Case Fatality Rate") is conservatively 1%. Globally CFR apparently over 2%, cumulatively, but again the world is probably massively under-testing, which is sorta OK (at least understandable) because MOST infected people don't get sick. We're only testing sick people and close contacts here in US.

 

OK, so to understand what's going on we have to look at the data we have, and use it to inform (estimate) the parameters we don't have. For example we have to look at only the "1000" confirmed cases we are SURE of by testing or clinical presentation acute viral pneumonia (with progressive respiratory failure and death by cardiac arrest with or without cytokine storm).

 

If 1k today, it will be 2k in a week. So by week, new cases expected:

2k 4k 8k 16k 32k 64k 128k 256k

 

By mid-May we expect 1/4M new cases per week. As won't have yet infected enough people to deny the virus 1 new host per current host. And won't have a vaccine etc.

Quarantine and STRICT social distancing can delay that math by denying the virus trivially easy hops from one sick person to the next. Most of us will get it & most of us will be OK. But not the old/sick/vulnerable.

 

The important thing rapidly becomes >100M Americans will contract the virus this year; but are competing for only 500k hospital beds. That's a 20:1 supply-demand problem. (Assuming only 10% of infected people go to the hospital... 200:1 if hypothetically we had magic testing and KNEW.) In practice it's better than that because many people won't go to the hospital (because won't be infected, or sick, or tested etc) and those who do will be load balanced over time, spread out over months.

 

But that's the end of the good news.

 

The bad news includes the cohort dynamic where the load/utilization rate of hospital beds will grow exponentially not linearly. As you can see above, exponential growth starts slow, then compounds in counter intuitive ways.

 

For example if we have 1k confirmed cases today (min) then we can easily do the math backwards.

 

Patient 0... Arrives WHEN to US from Wuhan? We can solve for that with only the doubling rate and current snapshot of confirmed cases.

1k 500 250 125 60 30 15 8 4 2

 

Ten weeks ago. Which hey presto is roughly the Lunar New Year holiday, when many folks here on west coast flew home to visit family in Asia. Came back to Seattle or SF sick. Let's assume that's true.

 

That would require we have only 1 "patient zero" and the doubling rate has been constant, and we're just now starting to see 10% of infected people show up at the hospital, and 10% of them die, ie 1% of the total population of infected people. That would mean 10 people per day are dying in America directly from this bug. Watch the news, and do your own math. Is that happening, or not? If more, then timeline started earlier; or R0 higher; or CFR higher; or any combo.

 

Because while some sick person (any one of the notional 1000 confirmed cases) who got treatment MAY have spread the virus faster or slower than average R0 predicts, that's basically irrelevant. Secondary. Because the reality is more new "local zero" patients got off the plane from China. A lot. Every day. For weeks. EACH local zero could stack their own bloom... in different regional clusters. That may or may not be what happened. Probably is. That would imply we already have WAY more than 1000 cases nationally, we just don't know because testing.

 

Now. Back to bad news. Of the ~500k (550k roughly) hospital beds in USA circa 2015 (see 'Society of Critical Care Medicine: SCCM' online via Google or whatever) fewer than 100k are ICU beds. Suitable for this.

 

So we have 1000 sick patients this week and 100k ICU beds for them. No problem, right?

 

Except no, because baseline demand. Strokes. Cancer. Trauma, accidents, emphysema, GSW, whatever. MOST ICU beds are already in use for something else. In reality only ~10% of our 100k ICU beds are free. That's 10k. So in reality this week we have to accommodate 1000 confirmed cases in only 10k empty ICU beds spread around the country. Problem is the cases are not spread. They're clustered. For now. Wait a month and they will be everywhere, in every hospital. Which is a kind of better, because there will be ZERO idle ICU docs anywhere in the country. So efficient utilization.

 

But the problem is by then the 1000 cases has bloomed exponentially (2,4,8,16) so many hospitals will be overwhelmed by local demand.

 

The same hospitals (the ones already busy, for example, in silicon valley, Seattle, and NYC etc) will also be exhausted and increasingly understaffed. Because their docs and nurses and even janitors will have been working harder than they ever have in their lives, for weeks on end... not sleeping much, and getting sick themselves. This has already happened in every city globally that's "ahead" of us on timeline (weeks since first case) which hasn't clamped down on work/school/travel etc. So, Italy. Iran. They're *****. Swamped. Today. And it's just beginning to get bad there. It will get much worse. Inevitably. Conversely South Korea, Japan, Singapore, did much better with demobilizing civilian spread and surging paramilitary testing and intervention.

 

For example compare un-protected American first responders carrying infected people off Oakland cruise liner... they've all been exposed now... with South Korea media with all pros in full PPE and most civs already social distancing. Going on a cruise AFTER the pandemic started is the opposite of social distancing.

 

Most Americans are still doing the opposite of what we should all be doing, today.

 

Because the way the math works is it's super hard to increase peak capacity at the hospital. To increase supply of trained doctors, nurses, ICU beds, ventilators, oxygen etc. Those are finite, in practice. While as I hope I established above the demand from patients is growing exponentially.

 

That won't stop. It can slow. Quarantine helps. Not going to work or school helps. No more eating out. No more church. No more bars. Those are all KILLING people now, offset to the right into the near future.

 

Because we still only have 10k free ICU beds. By the end of the month zero. By the end of the month we will be evicting regular people from regular hospital beds and frantically converting the entire hospital into temporary intensive care units. That's 500k beds today. Say we buy another 500k or use every gurney or couch etc. Double that. 1M peak capacity. That's doable.

 

Well, problem is again, in 8 weeks we have 256k new cases PER WEEK. In 9 weeks that's 500k, in 10 weeks it's a million new cases weekly. Dying takes about a week. Recovering and going home takes longer. But all the beds, even the crappy temporary beds, will be full. And half the docs and nurses will be offline from fatigue, stress, dehydration (hard to drink in a suit) or the disease itself.

 

This is already happening in Italy.

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1237142891077697538.html

 

This already happened in Wuhan.

 

It won't stop happening until the virus can't find a new person to hop to, each week. There's only two ways to do that. Stay home, with your family etc. For 30+ days. Or die. Anything else you do is just gifting the virus another host to replicate in.

 

We will achieve herd immunity one way or the other. (Or worse, we won't, and this is the new flu, like... forever, but it's 10x worse than the regular flu in the same way the flu is 10x worse than banal cold. This might be a new normal. We can't know yet.)

 

Of course a vaccine or mutation would be a miracle. We ought to hope. But not expect that. The only things we can control our individual actions now. Not the government. Not the supply chains. Not the hospitals. Those are actually relatively small and powerless institutions, like, a few million people. Conversely there are 300+ million regular people in America who have to now decide whether they will make this problem worse today, or better. It's up to us.

 

Edited March 12, 2020 by DrDawkinstein

[DrDawkinstein]

and back to some "humor"...

 

 

cue Curb Your Enthusiasm theme music.

 

 

Edited March 12, 2020 by DrDawkinstein

[plenzmd1]

40 minutes ago, Halloween Land said:

Faith and Trust in the Lord is the best way to deal with the concern and panic of this virus. 

science and planning and doing what it takes to get the virus under control is the best way to deal with the panic. 
 

 BTW, players is on TV for those of us who need a break 

Edited March 12, 2020 by plenzmd1

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

1 hour ago, CountDorkula said:

 

Here is what baffles/angers me. This virus is affecting the entire world, drastically, but for some reason people in America believe that this virus will just skip this country because America?

 

Ive told jokes about it, but that's because you still have to try and live life, but to act like "This ain't no thing" is incredibly selfish.

 

People are blaming the NBA for overreacting for suspending the season. 

 

 

 

Funny when I offered to give these types of people first hand evidence I'm accused of wanting to spread the disease. 

 

 

1 hour ago, teef said:

i can't do implants and veneers on skype, that's for sure.   i'm legit concerned here.  80 yr old parents.  i have employees to look out for, payroll to meet, a new building mortgage.   there's no way this virus doesn't stagger me a bit.  i'm being selfish knowing that medically my family will be ok...i'm just worried about everything else.

 

 I know.   I just had a crown put on. 

 

sorry trying as little levity 

 

 

 

 

For my company 

All it took was one outsourced IT guy. 

 

Edited March 12, 2020 by SlimShady'sGhost

[Hapless Bills Fan]

18 hours ago, Jauronimo said:

The handwashers have nothing to worry about.  100% of COVID cases have been linked to people who routinely do not wash their hands.

 

This might be a good place to put this new research article.  It is not good news.  Covid may stay suspended in air for 3 hrs and live on hard surfaces for a day.

 

New England Journal of Medicine Study from NIH and Princeton

 

"We found that viable virus could be detected in aerosols up to 3 hours post aerosolization, up to 4 hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to 2-3 days on plastic and stainless steel. HCoV-19 and SARS-CoV-1 exhibited similar half-lives in aerosols, with median estimates around 2.7 hours. Both viruses show relatively long viability on stainless steel and polypropylene compared to copper or cardboard: the median half-life estimate for HCoV-19 is around 13 hours on steel and around 16 hours on polypropylene. Our results indicate that aerosol and fomite transmission of HCoV-19 is plausible, as the virus can remain viable in aerosols for multiple hours and on surfaces up to days."
 

This directly contradicts information from some public health officials that the virus requires close contact (within feet) for hours for transmission. but these are solid researchers and it seems to be a good article.

Also note that virus lives up to 4 hrs on copper, so don't buy your $69 copper nose-picker and expect results.

 

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.09.20033217v1.full.pdf?fbclid=IwAR13hLFn38qUlbDRiNK5QnuMz-V8hzlNmzJz_kTO0O0Z82T5rDLBJUAu4FU

 

 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, DrDawkinstein said:

This is long but a great read on the very real issues we're facing... (link to original post)

 

Dawkinstein, the logic train of that link is fine, but I'd just like to note that there are links to far more vetted articles which rely upon the mathmatics of professional epidemiologists here (it's a bit beyond algebra).  Thanks.

 

But I think the point is very valid: what some of the epidemiologists are saying can be independently confirmed by a person able to do algebra and wield a pencil, the details may be off a bit but the conclusions are the same.

 

[Augie]

It’s a good thing I’m retired. Since I started paying attention, it has become abundantly clear that I spend so much time touching my face that I have absolutely ZERO time to get any work done! I just can’t seem to stop! 

[DrDawkinstein]

1 minute ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Dawkinstein, the logic train of that link is fine, but I'd just like to note that there are links to far more vetted articles which rely upon the mathmatics of professional epidemiologists here (it's a bit beyond algebra).  Thanks.

 

But I think the point is very valid: what some of the epidemiologists are saying can be independently confirmed by a person able to do algebra and wield a pencil, the details may be off a bit but the conclusions are the same.

 

 

Sure, I would never say it is 100% solid science, nor did I post it that way. But it is a good perspective-setter. And saves us from re-typing all of that.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, DrDawkinstein said:

Sure, I would never say it is 100% solid science, nor did I post it that way. But it is a good perspective-setter. And saves us from re-typing all of that.

 

My point is that we have some truly solid science articles linked here, and while the back-of-the-envelopes of folks have merit, it is great to encourage people to read them.   I'll link a few of them again:
https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca

https://www.geekwire.com/2020/genetic-analysis-suggests-coronavirus-infections-double-every-six-days-spreading-hundreds/

https://bedford.io/blog/ncov-cryptic-transmission/

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

I posted this in the PPP Forum, but added it here for folks who don't go there.

 

The effects on everyday life will increase. My neighbor is a renowned scientist at the University of Rochester. He owns this biotech company that has made some significant discoveries. I will try to catch up with him this weekend to see how optimistic he is. It does not sound like it is THE cure, but any type of deterrent could slow the panic.

 

ROC biotech company says lab tests of former cancer drug confirm it stops COVID-19

---

by Jane Flasch-13 WHAM NEWS Wednesday, March 11th 2020 Rochester, N.Y. -

 

A vaccine for COVID-19 is likely years away. Yet a drug tested in a lab three weeks ago has been found to stop the virus from spreading from cell to cell.

 

The stunning announcement comes from a Rochester biotech company called OyaGen, Inc. The company is seeking to fast-track the formula to treat people who become infected.

 

"A treatment right now is the priority," said Dr. Harold Smith of OyaGen. He added the drug already has FDA approval for another use.

 

The tests were conducted at the federal government's integrated research facility in Fort Detrick, Md. A drug called Oya 1 had already been proven in lab tests there to be effective against Ebola.

 

https://13wham.com/news/local/roc-biotech-company-says-lab-tests-of-former-cancer-drug-confirm-it-stops-covid-19

[teef]

and i just found out that a family member of an employee is being tested as we speak.  mostly because of where they were travel wise, but yeah.

[DrDawkinstein]

4 minutes ago, teef said:

and i just found out that a family member of an employee is being tested as we speak.  mostly because of where they were travel wise, but yeah.

 

That's good, in that we need way more testing than is currently happening.

Start up the drive-thrus!

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

I posted this in the PPP Forum, but added it here for folks who don't go there.

 

The effects on everyday life will increase. My neighbor is a renowned scientist at the University of Rochester. He owns this biotech company that has made some significant discoveries. I will try to catch up with him this weekend to see how optimistic he is. It does not sound like it is THE cure, but any type of deterrent could slow the panic.

 

ROC biotech company says lab tests of former cancer drug confirm it stops COVID-19

---

by Jane Flasch-13 WHAM NEWS

Wednesday, March 11th 2020

 

Rochester, N.Y. - A vaccine for COVID-19 is likely years away. Yet a drug tested in a lab three weeks ago has been found to stop the virus from spreading from cell to cell.

 

The stunning announcement comes from a Rochester biotech company called OyaGen, Inc. The company is seeking to fast-track the formula to treat people who become infected.

 

"A treatment right now is the priority," said Dr. Harold Smith of OyaGen. He added the drug already has FDA approval for another use.

 

The tests were conducted at the federal government's integrated research facility in Fort Detrick, Md. A drug called Oya 1 had already been proven in lab tests there to be effective against Ebola.

 

https://13wham.com/news/local/roc-biotech-company-says-lab-tests-of-former-cancer-drug-confirm-it-stops-covid-19

 

The phrasing of this is very much media media hype.  The company and the existence of the drug are legit, but I can tell you from a decade working in big pharma:  LAB TESTS MEAN DIPSHIT!  There are always many drugs that work in the lab, but are found to not work in clinical trials or to have unacceptable side effects.  Reasons for this include absorption issues (can we get it to the right place in the person?), pharmacokinetics (will it last long enough to work? will it be broken down in the body faster than it can work?) and then some that get there, and last, but are simply ineffective  for reasons that require more study.

Here is a more factual, rational article about it: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/oyagen-inc-announces-compound-development-135100257.html

 

Several drugs have been found to have efficacy in the lab.  One of the furthest along is Gilead lab's Remdesivir.  The drug is currently undergoing clinical trials, and the outcome of those trials is pending https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04280705

 

China has also tested something like 30 existing drugs and found some with efficacy, one reason their death rate is dropping.   Several are now undergoing formal clinical trials: in addition to Remdesivir, those are Chloroquine Phosphate and Favipiravir.
https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2020/02/17/drugs-against-covid-19-under-clinical-trials/
 

PS clinical trials at least of vaccines should be occurring by next fall, but a working, effective vaccine might take 18 months

 

[Wacka]

15 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Easy-peasy.  As I explained above, RNA viruses are slobs.  They mutate all the time - about 2 viable mutations a month or so, maybe more if they’re cycling more often.  Some mutations have little or no effect.

 

All it takes is a single mutation at the wrong place that allows the virus to propagate human to human.  Has happened before.  Will happen again with different viruses.  It can be something simple - a change in amino acid charge that makes the virus suspend in the air better and travel further.  Now it can infect human to human, and spread further than animal to human.  Maybe while spreading human to human it picks up a second mutation a few infections later that makes it more efficient at binding to human lung receptors.  Then the virus with the successful mutation is more successful so it spreads more widely.

 

Is the Coronavirus a single-stranded RNA virus or double stranded? Is the DNA one segment or several?

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 minute ago, Wacka said:

Is the Coronavirus a single-stranded RNA virus or double stranded? Is the DNA one segment or several?

 

Single stranded positive sense.

 

DNA not applicable; that's what being an RNA virus means - no DNA

[CountDorkula]

This appears to show all of america is available to get tested.

 

 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

5 minutes ago, CountDorkula said:

This appears to show all of america is available to get tested.

 

 

 

A commitment to free testing for all Americans is great in theory, but it comes down to some boots on the ground realities before it happens:

 

1) where are the tests available?

2) who is doing the testing?

3) what is their capacity to complete the testing?

4) how many tests are available for them to use?

 

On March 4th, Pence said 1.5M tests would be available this week.   The number I heard was that 7,500 tests were shipped to health labs across the country.

Recently he said 5M.  That would be great, but number actually available unknown.

 

Even if the test kits are available, we need a coordinated effort to get trained people administering and processing tests and reporting results.

[Wacka]

14 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Single stranded positive sense.

 

DNA not applicable; that's what being an RNA virus means - no DNA

I thought there were a few DS RNA viruses. Of course I got my PhD in Molecular Biology almost 30 years ago so  my memory might be getting a little fuzzy..

Edited March 12, 2020 by Wacka

[Hapless Bills Fan]

2 minutes ago, Wacka said:

I thought there were a few DS RNA viruses. Of course I got my PhD in Molecular Biology almost 30 years ago so  my memory might be getting a little fuzzy..

 

Not being a virologist, my knowledge of the totality of viral genomes is incomplete and you may be correct, Ida know

 

I wasn't intending to speak of all RNA viruses, just of Coronaviri.  Single stranded positive sense.  No DNA

 

[FireChans]

16 minutes ago, Wacka said:

I thought there were a few DS RNA viruses. Of course I got my PhD in Molecular Biology almost 30 years ago so  my memory might be getting a little fuzzy..

There are. You are correct.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

5 minutes ago, FireChans said:

There are. You are correct.

 

What is the perceived relevance to Covid19 or Coronaviri here?  Honest question to @FireChans and @Wacka?
No one made a general statement about there not being such; the specific question asked and answered was about Coronavirus

 

Is there somewhere you're going with this re: Covid19?

[Jrb1979]

https://talbotspy.org/letter-from-toronto-an-infectious-diseases-specialist-reflects-on-corvid-19/

 

After reading that post from that Dr. I agree with it. I will give you the short form of it. He basically says that while he is concerned for those that are at high risk but he isn't scared of this virus. 

As he states "What I am scared about is the loss of reason and wave of fear that has induced the masses of society into a spellbinding spiral of panic, stockpiling obscene quantities of anything that could fill a bomb shelter adequately in a post-apocalyptic world. I am scared of the N95 masks that are stolen from hospitals and urgent care clinics where they are actually needed for front line healthcare providers and instead are being donned in airports, malls, and coffee lounges, perpetuating even more fear and suspicion of others.others." He is also scared that we teaching our kids to panic, fear and be suspicious instead of being rational and open minded. 

[teef]

15 minutes ago, Jrb1979 said:

https://talbotspy.org/letter-from-toronto-an-infectious-diseases-specialist-reflects-on-corvid-19/

 

After reading that post from that Dr. I agree with it. I will give you the short form of it. He basically says that while he is concerned for those that are at high risk but he isn't scared of this virus. 

As he states "What I am scared about is the loss of reason and wave of fear that has induced the masses of society into a spellbinding spiral of panic, stockpiling obscene quantities of anything that could fill a bomb shelter adequately in a post-apocalyptic world. I am scared of the N95 masks that are stolen from hospitals and urgent care clinics where they are actually needed for front line healthcare providers and instead are being donned in airports, malls, and coffee lounges, perpetuating even more fear and suspicion of others.others." He is also scared that we teaching our kids to panic, fear and be suspicious instead of being rational and open minded. 

What’s too bad is that there will always be a crowd that feels this is just an over reaction. You can choose to see what’s  happening around you and be part of the solution, or you can claim strict over reaction. One way is certainly easier than the other. Seems like you’ve chosen. 

Edited March 12, 2020 by teef

[Hapless Bills Fan]

[teef]

3 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

You have got to be ***** kidding me. 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

2 minutes ago, teef said:

You have got to be ***** kidding me. 

 

I wish I were