General Coronavirus chit chat thread - non-travel specific

[RooFlyer]

I read somewhere that SA is a world leader in the number of tests done per capita. We know of at least a couple of people who have been tested. Negative.

Australia is a world leader in number of tests per capita. Can't find link right now, but on ABC radio last night.

Edit here's one:

Australia’s world first achievement in coronavirus testing

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says Australia has become the first country in the world to test 1 per cent of its entire population for the coronavirus.

www.news.com.au

Also

More than 260,000 coronavirus tests carried out across Australia

The Prime Minister says Australia is a world leader for coronavirus testing, with more than 1 per cent of the population undergoing a test for COVID-19.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Pushka]

Australia is a world leader in number of tests per capita. Can't find link right now, but on ABC radio last night.

I'm no good with stats and ratios. Not sure if this is better or worse than Australia.

SA Leading The World In Volume Of COVID-19 Testing, New Data Reveals

South Australia is testing its citizens for COVID-19 at a higher rate than much of the world, according to the Australian Medical Association. Looking at the number of tests carried out per capita, AMA data revealed that SA has been testing at a rate of 5,800 people per million. It’s a rate far...

www.mix1023.com.au

 

[lovetravellingoz]

The advice to the UK Government by their Covid experts is that the Chinese cases are understated by 15-40 times.That is cases 1.2-3.2 million.

I am in little doubt that China is manipulating their press as they have long done so, and that their numbers are not accurate.

However that seems to be quite a massive jump and there are a lot of people who are in direct communication with people living in China. ie Cruiser Elite, my daughters boyfriend who has a friend in Wuhan, etc and they from I have read to date do not seem to be echoing that type of massive toll.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Making weekend plans...

View attachment 211695

Yes, though like normal it is always more exciting when one travels to more far flung locations:
SUP - supermarket
RES - nature reserve

 

[drron]

Australia is a world leader in number of tests per capita. Can't find link right now, but on ABC radio last night.

Edit here's one:

Australia’s world first achievement in coronavirus testing

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says Australia has become the first country in the world to test 1 per cent of its entire population for the coronavirus.

www.news.com.au

Also

More than 260,000 coronavirus tests carried out across Australia

The Prime Minister says Australia is a world leader for coronavirus testing, with more than 1 per cent of the population undergoing a test for COVID-19.

www.abc.net.au

Well both the PM and the ABC are wrong.Elsewhere I have posted the link to Wikipedia on Covid testing.Iceland has tested more than 57000 per million population as of the beginning of April.several other countries well above Australia's numbers.
As for States the Veneto region of Italy is up over 24000 tests per million.

Found it.

COVID-19 testing - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Well both the PM and the ABC are wrong.Elsewhere I have posted the link to Wikipedia on Covid testing.Iceland has tested more than 57000 per million population as of the beginning of April.several other countries well above Australia's numbers.
As for States the Veneto region of Italy is up over 24000 tests per million.

Found it.

COVID-19 testing - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

True. What was stated is not so. But when compared to countries with larger populations we are doing very well. (Ie Iceland has a population of only 386,000)

UAE with a population of 9.4 million has a very high testing rate though. I suspect ample money helps.

 

[burmans]

Swmbo said this evening that Sweden are going for herd immunity.
No restrictions all..

Not quite true, high schools and universities are closed, people are encouraged to work from home, old people are encouraged to self isolate. Social distancing is strongly encouraged. You cant stand at bars but you can still go to a restaurant.

The difference is, of course, that the Swedish are used to regulation and social mores, i.e. when they are told they need to practice social distancing and not to congregate in groups they are adult enough to do it. Regulation not required.

 

[tgh]

This is probably old news and the provenance is doubtful…. whatever.. it's a nice way to start my friday



An infectious disease doctor who has been treating coronavirus patients told Fox News’s Laura Ingraham Wednesday that the combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin is a “game changer” in fighting the deadly virus.


Ingraham started off the segment showing the breakdown of Dr. Stephen Smith's 72 patients, which included a mix of those who were prediabetic, diabetic, and had a high Body Mass Index score indicating obesity.

“The more we see this disease, the more we understand that severe rapid COVID disease is in diabetics or prediabetics … we don’t have anyone in our group over 80 that was not diabetic or pre-diabetic that was intubated,” said the founder of the Smith Center for Infectious Diseases and Urban Health. And of the younger patients that had severe disease, he explained they had very high BMIs.

“We haven’t had anyone under 70 who didn’t have a very high BMI, or was pre or diabetic, get seriously ill,” he said. “This is amazing stuff.”

When the two discussed treatment options and the use of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, Smith said they are treating everyone with it and it has had incredible results.

“No person who has received five days or more or the [drug] combination has been intubated,” he said. “The chance of that occurring by chance…are .000-something, it’s ridiculously low no matter how you look at it.”

 

[RooFlyer]

Fair enough, drron, but

As for States the Veneto region of Italy is up over 24000 tests per million.

... I suspect there is a reason for that.

But anyway, the point of my post was that Australia is not the 'laggard' in testing that some have posted in various threads here.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Not quite true, high schools and universities are closed, people are encouraged to work from home, old people are encouraged to self isolate. Social distancing is strongly encouraged. You cant stand at bars but you can still go to a restaurant.

The difference is, of course, that the Swedish are used to regulation and social mores, i.e. when they are told they need to practice social distancing and not to congregate in groups they are adult enough to do it. Regulation not required.

Yes it is not at all herd immunity in Sweden of just let er rip. Plus there are some restrictions in place:

But despite having a higher reported case rate than the UK, which has a partial lockdown, Swedish workers and organisations are still operating largely business as usual, with the government taking a "wait and see" approach to the outbreak.

There are some restrictions in place such as limiting gatherings to 50 people instead of 500 and where possible, Swedes should work and study from home.

The public are also being advised to practise social distancing - but the measures are not nearly as strict as much of the rest of the continent.

For now, the government maintains its citizens can act responsibly and will stay at home if they experience any COVID-19 symptoms.

Coronavirus: Why hasn't Sweden gone into lockdown over COVID-19 pandemic?

The nation's reported case rate has been similar to that of the UK, yet the Swedish government has not implemented a shutdown.

news.sky.com

But even with self discipline I think from reports that some Swedes would prefer if things were stricter than they are.

 

[dragonman]

Making weekend plans...

View attachment 211695

BAL - balcony

 

[mrsterryn]

I know a tad obvious lol.
VET - veterinarian

 

[p--and--t]

OMG. Now I have seen it all! A Scoopon/Groupon email advertising 'distance reiki healing'.

...given its a hands-on energy transfer practice . Oh hang on they now have contact-less EV charging station ideas.


Hmmm that gives me an idea, perhaps I can sell a wishful thinking session online. Oh but the folks in the VA will it be bought by SQ cohort already have an abundance

 

[blackcat20]

It should put it to rest but people believe what they want to believe.
Maybe the Australian Researchers work for the Chinese

I know one of those scientists, can confirm they do not work for the Chinese

 

[tgh]

This is the Smith Interview, pretty good stuff imo...

The question is…….. Is medicine in au using, or planning to use, this drug combination ?

 

[Pushka]

This is the Smith Interview, pretty good stuff imo...

The question is…….. Is medicine in au using, or planning to use, this drug combination ?

There are trials happening here I believe. The weight issue and diabetes link is interesting. If this is the case here then that may be of some interest to many.

 

[p--and--t]

This is the Smith Interview, pretty good stuff imo...

The question is…….. Is medicine in au using, or planning to use, this drug combination ?

I take this with a grain of salt.

I was a bit perplexed by the doctor's final statement - "this is the beginning of the end of the pandemic" .

Just because of a limited sample of obese (pre) diabetics who already have the disease who have received the medication have not had to be intubated in no way (1) stops other people getting infected - i.e. stop the pandemic nor (2) has any relevance to those persons who are not obese, have no pre-existing conditions and are not old who are dying and have died.

 

[Pushka]

I take this with a grain of salt.

I was a bit perplexed by the doctor's final statement - "this is the beginning of the end of the pandemic" .

Just because of a limited sample of obese (pre) diabetics who already have the disease who have received the medication have not had to be intubated in no way (1) stops other people getting infected - i.e. stop the pandemic not (2) has any relevance to those persons who are not obese, have no pre-existing conditions and are not old who are dying and have died.

In reality I'm thinking it would be hoped that eventually half the population becomes infected but the aim is to spread the infection over a long period of time so that medical care is available over an extended period and not a peak period. Because this is actually a process of managing health resources to cope it

 

[get me outta here]

Apparently, our CMO thinks the true global CV count may be 5 -10 times higher than the 1 million known cases.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Apparently, our CMO thinks the true global CV count may be 5 -10 times higher than the 1 million known cases.

Well it is known that the number who have been infected is significantly higher than the number of cases. How much higher will vary from country to country.

Italy it would be way higher....and in a country like Indonesia the case number of only 1790 is likely to be a only a tiny slice of those who have been infected.

In Australia once they deploy the 15 minute test we will get a better handle on what our true community infection rate is.

Look at the USA, 245,000 cases and one could easily imagine that they could have tenfold or even more that number who have been infected.
They are forecasting 100,000 -240,000 deaths as a best case scenario. At 1% mortality rate that is 10-24 million infected or will be infected.


And then one looks at the overcrowded slum areas of India, South Africa etc.....where social distancing is simply just not possible.