The Coronavirus thread

Quote: ams288

So, uh, how long before all of the stock market gains made during Donny’s term get wiped out?

The Dow closed at 19,827.25 on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, 2017

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/23/heres-how-much-the-stock-market-is-still-up-since-donald-trump-took-office.html

It could happen this week or next.

I am more concerned about the hope of a quick recovery for all of us than the exact date the losses may pass his opening day...

Quote: RonC

"The actual given reason can be summed up in one word: Schengen. Schengen, as few people know, is a small town of 5000 people in Luxembourg surrounded by vineyards. But it’s far better known for giving its name to the Schengen Agreement.

The 26 Schengen countries are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

The White House further specified that the ban applied to foreign nationals who have visited 26 countries in Europe that allow unrestricted movement among them.

The EU countries are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

Members of EU but not on Schengen are: Bulgaria, Finland, Romania, Ireland.

Members of Schengen but not in EU are: Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Switzerland

UK is not on either list since Brexit.

Quote: AcesAndEights

I disagree. There is a middle ground. I'm not panic buying anything, especially not water (municipal water supplies unlikely to be affected by this).

But going on with "life as usual" is foolhardy. I voluntarily started working from home on Tuesday, now my employer (large multinational corp with about 17k employees across mostly US and DE) has mandated it for all workers who can. This is a rational response to slow the spread of the virus.

http://flattenthecurve.com/

We have to slow the transmission and flatten the curve if we don't want to end up like Italy. There will be disruptions, and they will save lives. Social distancing.

The problem with "flatten the curve" is it extends the duration of the pandemic. So the 100,000's of thousands of people worldwide that now can't make a living because of shutdowns and travel bans will be in that position for many months or a year. It will only save the lives of those that won't get treatment because of medical system overload which will be a very small percentage of the total deaths. If you think my 100,000 's of thousands is overblown start with the 30,000 employees of Princess Cruises and all the non essential shops in Italy, millions is likely more accurate.

Society always panics over death more than it should. Destroy the worlds economy to extend the life of some people. We never 'save' anybodys life everyone eventually dies. If it only attacks the elderly or immune compromised then a large number of the deaths will be people that were going to die this year anyway. Let this disease run it's course and try to get back to something approaching normalcy. Think of the carbon we are going to save with 1% fewer people according to Greta that will probably save more lives than have died in the pandemic (sarcasm).

Congress needs to delay their recess until they can agree on a bill to help folks through this issue.

There needs to be some time for back and forth working on the bill because both sides will present ideas that are likely unacceptable. The bill should be focused on the event.

I know it is hard, but that is what they are there for...doing the the hard work.

For this weeks Wizard newsletter, I wrote about the Corona Virus. In case anyone is interested, here is a PDF version of what I had to say. Keep in mind it was written on March 11, so is already getting dated just a day later.

Keep Calm and Wash Your Hands (PDF).

Quote: kenarman

The problem with "flatten the curve" is it extends the duration of the pandemic. So the 100,000's of thousands of people worldwide that now can't make a living because of shutdowns and travel bans will be in that position for many months or a year. It will only save the lives of those that won't get treatment because of medical system overload which will be a very small percentage of the total deaths. If you think my 100,000 's of thousands is overblown start with the 30,000 employees of Princess Cruises and all the non essential shops in Italy, millions is likely more accurate.

Society always panics over death more than it should. Destroy the worlds economy to extend the life of some people. We never 'save' anybodys life everyone eventually dies. If it only attacks the elderly or immune compromised then a large number of the deaths will be people that were going to die this year anyway. Let this disease run it's course and try to get back to something approaching normalcy. Think of the carbon we are going to save with 1% fewer people according to Greta that will probably save more lives than have died in the pandemic (sarcasm).

Okay, we'll just be like Italy then. Hospitals overrun, healthcare workers working 24/7, exhausted and also infected because of lack of PPE. Folks dying from unrelated illnesses because there are no beds or doctors to treat them. Sounds good, carry on.

Quote: RonC

Quote: terapined

Quote: RonC

[
If you had meetings about possible actions you might take to control the spread or keep the country running, would they be open to the public? In my opinion, there has to be some discussions that everyone does not get to hear. Throw out some ideas, talk them through, then settle on a course of action.

Test Test Test
We need to test as many people as possible
There are not enough tests and Trump totally ignores this
Total transparency. Trump is totally against this as Gvt discussions abut the virus is now secret.
Total honesty. Trump has lied and lied about the situation

Why is it so hard to put forward an idea or your own plan without an attack or criticism?

Because Lefties here seem to revolve their life around Trump.

Quote: Wizard

For this weeks Wizard newsletter, I wrote about the Corona Virus. In case anyone is interested, here is a PDF version of what I had to say. Keep in mind it was written on March 11, so is already getting dated just a day later.

Stay Calm and Wash Your Hands (PDF).

I didn’t know there was a newsletter!

I just listened to a Doctor on MSNBC talking about his concerns about the virus. At the beginning, he talked about doing lots of testing and the problems with testing, where there are valid criticisms. He also complimented how things are going now on that front based on the testimony in Congress.

He talked about the need for lots of testing. Then they started talking about what people should do with minor symptoms. His basic point was stay away from the doctor and hospital at that point; only seek treatment if you having more symptoms. Medical tests are usually ordered from doctors, so while it seems like following that idea is prudent (don't spread the virus; keep to yourself and get better where possible) but also leads to less people being tested and less information on the total scope of the pandemic here in the US.

Even getting a test, unless it is a site where you come in contact with just one other person in protective gear and the area is disinfected before the next person arrives, is an opportunity to spread the virus.

Test, test, test is the talking point of the day...and I don't disagree with the importance of it. The question becomes where the balance is between staying away and getting tested.

Quote: AcesAndEights

Okay, we'll just be like Italy then. Hospitals overrun, healthcare workers working 24/7, exhausted and also infected because of lack of PPE. Folks dying from unrelated illnesses because there are no beds or doctors to treat them. Sounds good, carry on.

We are likely going to get where Italy is regardless if it is as infectious as it appears to be. So it is quite possible that your solution will keep the medical system overloaded for longer. The financial stress that the current methods are going to put on the 'pay cheque to paycheque' people could well cause more problems than the disease itself if we expect people to live several months with no income. Most of the people that are in the hospital would do just as well isolated at home. There are no drugs for viral pneumonia which is what is causing the deaths. The people that are being 'saved' in the hospital are those that gain access to a ventilator if they have extreme pneumonia.