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

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

3 hours ago, teef said:

my staff will be laid off as of 1 pm today, and we're going to shut down for at least two weeks.  i'm sick to my stomach.

 

Humpty Trumpty passed a law to let them get paid .... 

 

Look into it 

 

48 minutes ago, ChevyVanMiller said:

Thank you @Hapless Bills Fanfor the insightful information you are providing here. It is comforting to have access to someone with your level of expertise.

 

I have a request: Seeing as this has sort of become the official Covid-19 thread I’m hoping you will consider changing the title to reflect that status.

 

Thanks again for your thoughts and insights. I know that I speak for many here when I say they are greatly appreciated.

 

 

Suck up   

 

       

 

38 minutes ago, teef said:

this is great...thank you.

 

 

I was also told that anyone with a small business, (in this case under 500 employees) should go to https://www.sba.gov/  for info on help.  

 

See I told you   (after the fact) 

 

Cake Walk 

7 minutes ago, Gugny said:

I can't be the only one who had no idea wtf a pangolin is … so ….

 

 

You got something hanging out of your nose 

[Sundancer]

4 minutes ago, SlimShady'sGhost said:

 

You got something hanging out of your nose 

 

It's called a dikfer. 

[BringBackFergy]

Thanks for the info @Hapless Bills Fan.

[GoBills808]

Fun fact- pangolins are (other than humans) the #1 trafficked mammal in the world

[Jauronimo]

12 minutes ago, Gugny said:

I can't be the only one who had no idea wtf a pangolin is … so ….

 

I doubt very much that you didnt know what a pangolin is.

 

Quote

 uses the scales of a pangolin to treat back pain, mental illness, rheumatism, stomach ulcers, and venereal diseases.^[31] The scales are also used to heal wounds and cuts, create aphrodisiacs, and serve as antibiotics.^[31

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangolin_trade

[BringBackFergy]

14 minutes ago, Gugny said:

I can't be the only one who had no idea wtf a pangolin is … so ….

 

I'd smoke that at 250-275 for seven hours, create a rub of cumin, marjoram, black pepper and cayenne. The snout is just like burnt ends if you do it right.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

2 hours ago, Hardhatharry said:

Italy over 31k now over 3000+ a day right now with over 300+ deaths a day. 

 

World closing in on 200k 

 

These data are current as of yesterday (March 16) but the trajectory is not promising (click to embiggen)

 

Source: https://www.ft.com/content/a26fbf7e-48f8-11ea-aeb3-955839e06441?fbclid=IwAR2vguXuXfK9ULX5V2LIDhzRi_1ar_OVDHW-vr5KOCUgaN_QaBRzaDzGLHA
 

A couple of points: in the presence of limited testing, the actual cases will lag the diagnosed cases by a good bit.  So the fact that our trajectory has not changed does NOT yet mean the "distancing" measures put in place have failed.    In China, it took approximately 12-14 days to see the effect on new cases as more and more already-infected people became more seriously ill and went to hospital, or got tested.

 

 

 

 

[Cripple Creek]

28 minutes ago, Gugny said:

I can't be the only one who had no idea wtf a pangolin is … so ….

 

 

You were.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 minute ago, Cripple Creek said:

You were.

 

I had no idea.  It was my Facebook "TIL" yesterday.

[Cripple Creek]

6 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I had no idea.  It was my Facebook "TIL" yesterday.

I would have thought t worst if someone didn't know what a pangolin was they would have searched one out when this first broke.  I understand you waiting until yesterday, you have important matters.  But @Gugny ?

[Gugny]

Back on topic ……………………………..

 

The feeling is that Gov. Cuomo is going to shut down all non-essential businesses sooner than later.  I believe this has to happen at a national level.  Italy's been there for what?  Two weeks?  And their death count is still rising rapidly.

 

This country (and world) needs some leadership now.

[Reed83HOF]

1 minute ago, Gugny said:

Back on topic ……………………………..

 

The feeling is that Gov. Cuomo is going to shut down all non-essential businesses sooner than later.  I believe this has to happen at a national level.  Italy's been there for what?  Two weeks?  And their death count is still rising rapidly.

 

This country (and world) needs some leadership now.

 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

24 minutes ago, Cripple Creek said:

I would have thought t worst if someone didn't know what a pangolin was they would have searched one out when this first broke.  I understand you waiting until yesterday, you have important matters.  But @Gugny ?

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/05/opinion/coronavirus-china-pangolins.html?fbclid=IwAR1TTl8c-b30zISfhraQsm6Ps3C-4Swjf74OMzdncHR7OuO-57I7ALKxyes

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

53 minutes ago, Sundancer said:

 

It's called a dikfer. 

“What’s a dikfer?”, he asked innocently...?

[Hapless Bills Fan]

6 minutes ago, Gugny said:

Back on topic ……………………………..

 

The feeling is that Gov. Cuomo is going to shut down all non-essential businesses sooner than later.  I believe this has to happen at a national level.  Italy's been there for what?  Two weeks?  And their death count is still rising rapidly.

 

This country (and world) needs some leadership now.

 

It would be nice if it would happen today, BEFORE all the mixing and mingling St Patty's Day Beer Hunts.

 

It's a problem.  Individual cities and states are trying to do the right thing, but it will have limited effect if their neighbors do not.

[Cripple Creek]

Sorry if already posted, tough keeping up.  Aussie team claim to have "cure." 

https://m.themorningbulletin.com.au/news/cure-found-for-coronavirus-in-australia/3973564/

 

 

 

VA only has 3000 testing kits?  Doesn't seem like nearly enough.

https://connectingvets.radio.com/articles/first-veteran-to-die-of-coronavirus-was-oregon-man-va-says

 

 

 

A bit of totally anecdotal info...I had an appointment with my oncologist today.  He relayed a story he was told by a Polish colleague that the plasma proteins of COVID-19 survivors are going for big dollars on the black market.    

Edited March 17, 2020 by Cripple Creek

[aristocrat]

my gf's patient tested negative for the virus so i wont be getting the virus tomorrow after all

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 minute ago, Cripple Creek said:

Sorry if already posted, tough keeping up.  Aussie team claim to have "cure." 

https://m.themorningbulletin.com.au/news/cure-found-for-coronavirus-in-australia/3973564/

 

Bit of a misleading title and a little bit of a misleading article.  The big problem for nations is that for those who do become seriously ill, their illness lasts weeks (2-3, maybe more) and ties up hospital and health care resources; they then have to be quarantined to assure that the virus is clear since viral shedding may persist for a couple weeks.  So it would be huge to have a drug that could shorten the course of treatment, limit the number of critical cases, and clear the virus from people's systems.

China tested all sorts of drugs, many in a very "compassionate use, nothing to lose, Hail Mary" sense vs a controlled clinical trial.  So now that things have calmed down, China is doing a number of clinical trials.  They have just approved Favilavir (Fapilavir) for Covid-19.  That is probably NOT the drug mentioned in this link.  The Chinese have also looked at chloroquine (antimalarial which is mentioned in your linked article), HIV protease inhibitor combination Kaletra (lopinavir and ritonavir)  and antiviral drug Remdesivir. 

 

So really what the article is about, is that Australia also tried chloroquine and an unnamed "HIV drug" (which may be Kaletra) in vitro (in the test tube) and are now doing clinical trials.  This is very positive news, but I wince every time I read something like " they have seen two drugs used to treat other conditions can wipe out the virus in test tubes" = cure.  There are a lot of reasons why things that work in test tubes, don't work in patients or work in only a sub-population of patients.

Certainly if I or a loved one were admitted to hospital for Covid-19, I would want to ask if I or they could be given chloroquine and Kaletra or Remdesivir off-label for "compassionate use" since it might be a life-or-death question.

But based on some case histories from China, I'm not at all sure it's a "cure" per se - patients improved, but their illness still took time.  Still anything that keeps seriously ill patients at home and limits the number of critically ill patients is a win.

 

Anyway here's some stuff on the different drugs being tried and their mechanism of action:

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00444-3

Of course, if they work, ramping up production and assuring availability will be the next big question, and unlike developing and validating a clinical test, this genuinely does take considerable time.  Here is hoping our government partners with industry to put this in train as soon as a candidate shows promise.
 

1 minute ago, Cripple Creek said:

A bit of totally anecdotal info...I had an appointment with my oncologist today.  He relayed a story he was told by a Polish colleague that the plasma proteins of COVID-19 survivors are going for big dollars on the black market.    

 

I believe it.  Might make up for some of their lost wages.

[Sundancer]

45 minutes ago, Cripple Creek said:

Sorry if already posted, tough keeping up.  Aussie team claim to have "cure." 

https://m.themorningbulletin.com.au/news/cure-found-for-coronavirus-in-australia/3973564/

 

 

 

The test tube stuff is less interesting than this sentence, for which I've seen other verification in other articles. 

 

Quote

He said one of the medications, given to some of the first people to test positive for COVID-19 in Australia, had already resulted in "disappearance of the virus" and complete recovery from the infection.

 

Whatever it is, even if it could be kept in abeyance so people can be at home and don't need to be in the hospital, it would be a big find. I have no idea what the side effects are, how easy it is to manufacture, and of course the thing none of us know, it it works, but it's still promising. 

 

The good news from each nugget is that we know the best people are on this. Whether it's a cure or vaccine, the end will come. We just need to clear the immediate hurdle of not having the capacity to deal with the bodies heading to the hospital. The bed estimate numbers are beyond sobering.  

 

Come on tests!

Edited March 17, 2020 by Sundancer

[Punching Bag]

On 3/15/2020 at 1:55 PM, Gugny said:

 

If travel is restricted, airlines will be giving refunds.  My cutoff to cancel is 48 hours prior, so I'm going to wait it out with hopes that I can get a refund.

 

 

Be very careful if airline is USAir.  I was scheduled to go to New Orleans game when hurricane hit and airlines cancelled fight.  Called USAir and they said no problem we will give you credit for a year.  Could not go to San Antonio (?) where game was moved to.  Went to use it early next year and was told it was expired - they gave me a year credit from original booking and gave no paperwork telling me that.   Have not used airline since.  Screw me once and you never get business again.