General Discussion/Q&A on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[Flashback]

Am I the only one thinking about what potential bargains may eventually appear on the property market?

 

[Pushka]

Leave without pay already kicking in at sons workplace.

 

[TheRealTMA]

Hubby is going to do his piano lessons remotely, hes the student. Webcam on keyboard while he plays/they talk.

Is the teacher grateful for isolation?

 

[Denali]

Is the teacher grateful for isolation?

Hubby would BYO his own wipes, sanitiser and Glen20. i think he misses hubby because the guy mainly teaches kids and even the teacher said the kids are petri dishes of germs

Hubby instigated the web learning.

Hubby also asked if he should go scuba diving on the weekend with a friend. I said keep 6ft away from him on land and go dive. Breathing underwater is quite relaxing and the salt water feels good.

 

[zenyattamondatta]

The US have dropped the ball. South Korea are doing 17000 tests per day for a much lower population than the US.

South Korea have tested 4,800 per million of population versus 80 for Japan.

So a factor of 60x in terms of per capita rates.

Maybe if Japan had tested more people sooner they could have spared the whole world a whole lot of grief?

 

[blackcat20]

Am I the only one thinking about what potential bargains may eventually appear on the property market?

No

 

[amaroo]

Am I the only one thinking about what potential bargains may eventually appear on the property market?

Sure, but I hope it doesn't come to that because the misery created is not worth any financial gain I might get.

 

[Flashback]

Sure, but I hope it doesn't come to that because the misery created is not worth any financial gain I might get.

Absolutely, as with any situation there's winners and losers. UK is a good example of that. with the IR35 tax reform coming in lots of my friends have ended up with no new contracts. That has now been given a 1 year reprieve as of last night, however with COVID-19 projects are getting wound back as well so even though the tax issues are gone, the jobs are not there.

 

[drron]

Testing rates are not the prime method of control.Yes South Korea have tested an enormous number but their positive rate is very low~ 4-5%.If every country had tested at this rate the world would have run out of test kits at least a week ago and those that really needed testing would have missed out.
Also with South Korea-mortality rate 0.69% meaning they have found a lot of people with mild disease .
In Italy mortality rate ~ 8%-so are they not finding the mild cases despite testing more cases than the USA.
USA mortality rate slightly less than 2%.To me that suggests they are testing the most at risk groups.

And again there is a great variation in methods of control.Despite the numbers South Korea has not gone into lockdown.Neither has Singapore with probably the best containment record.
Here is a summary by someone who believes the China,South Korea methods as being the best but inadvertently points out how they diverge from most experience.

An Optimist’s Case for COVID-19 Lockdown, Our Safest and Quickest Path Back to Normalcy

But what’s now clear is that these strict interventions are necessary both for our health and our economy: Without decisive action, the pandemic will linger on, suffocating our economies week by week amid a climate of fear.

quillette.com

Check what it says about China-

An Optimist’s Case for COVID-19 Lockdown, Our Safest and Quickest Path Back to Normalcy

But what’s now clear is that these strict interventions are necessary both for our health and our economy: Without decisive action, the pandemic will linger on, suffocating our economies week by week amid a climate of fear.

quillette.com

"In some ways, China has advantages over other countries: Its population is so vast that it was able to deploy armies of doctors and nurses to Hubei from (as yet) unaffected areas. This included more than 40,000 health care workers sent into Wuhan alone. An astounding 1,800 teams of epidemiologists operated in the city, with a minimum of five people per team. In Shenzen City, epidemiologists were able to track down and observe every single one of the 2,842 individuals identified as a close contact of an infected patient. (Only 2.8 percent were found to be infected.) Moreover, the effects of Hubei’s economic paralysis could be diluted within a larger national economy. Such an approach is more difficult in the much smaller nations of Europe. "
They sent 40000 extra health care workers into Wuhan alone.Imagine Australia being able to deploy 20000 extra health care workers.
Also 1800 teams of 5 epidemiologists to track contacts-can australia muster up 900 teams of 5.

And just to point out even POTUS is getting better press.
.

.

 

[Denali]

If I had to choose a place to be in lockdown, I would choose Venice. So few people for the occasional trip out for food or quick photo

https://twitter.com/x/status/1240042729377169408

 

[TheRealTMA]

.

Some debating points were made here, not that I agreed, but they were points for discussion, despite the fact that South Korea significantly ramped up their production of test kits and the PCR reagents necessary and are one of the largest proof kits and reagents.

That was until the Trump is doing a good job references. Amongst cutting CDC and other agency funding, he was the person who in 2016 abolished the newly created White House advisory group looking into potential for pandemics.

Surely any rational person with a medical or scientific background, irrespective of politics, cannot have such a view?

Norman Swan seems to be a rational reliable and responsible source of information in this sea of diverse views.

 

[Pushka]

Sure, but I hope it doesn't come to that because the misery created is not worth any financial gain I might get.

Thankyou for that.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

And just to point out even POTUS is getting better press.
View attachment 210078.

View attachment 210079.

Yes I watched cougho last night. He knows NY has a huge problem and wants Trump to deploy major resources including the US Corps of Engineers their way.

If you watched the numbers he was presenting, then you will have seen the scale of the problem that NY is facing.

 

[amaroo]

Thankyou for that.

I’ve posted previously about how we walked away from an investment property because our kids knew the family that wanted it for a family home. Such a good feeling!

I’m happy to purchase assets from everyday events, at the best price I can get, but something like this - I think that kind of dealing just needs to stop.

Things are different, we should take that into account.... given the issues with dunny paper, probably not.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Testing rates are not the prime method of control.Yes South Korea have tested an enormous number but their positive rate is very low~ 4-5%.If every country had tested at this rate the world would have run out of test kits at least a week ago and those that really needed testing would have missed out.

If I have understood South Korea's approach then contact tracing, has like Singapore, been a key plank of their approach. Early and large scale testing has assisted them to find the positive cases to minimise the rate of spread.

Now yes their manufacturing sector has allowed them to be successful at this despite an initially unkown rapid spread.

But they were rapidly expanding while the USA was dillydallying.

Also with South Korea-mortality rate 0.69% meaning they have found a lot of people with mild disease .
.

Mild disease. Or is it good care that has helped to keep it low?

 

[Pushka]

I’ve posted previously about how we walked away from an investment property because our kids knew the family that wanted it for a family home. Such a good feeling!

I’m happy to purchase assets from everyday events, at the best price I can get, but something like this - I think that kind of dealing just needs to stop.

Things are different, we should take that into account.... given the issues with dunny paper, probably not.

I can only wish this gets echoed.

Spare a thought.

Coronavirus: 1m jobs in virus firing line

The next big victim of the coronavirus? Our jobs. Even before the virus takes over our bodies, it is ravaging our economy.

www.news.com.au

 

[Flashback]

I’ve posted previously about how we walked away from an investment property because our kids knew the family that wanted it for a family home. Such a good feeling!

I’m happy to purchase assets from everyday events, at the best price I can get, but something like this - I think that kind of dealing just needs to stop.

Things are different, we should take that into account.... given the issues with dunny paper, probably not.

I can only wish this gets echoed.

While I understand the sentiment, if someone is losing their house due to foreclosure etc. how does that help them remain in it? Am I missing something here?

People are reading far too much into things, I was simply making an observation.

Just like I noticed more people were out exercising today, I did a walk I've done every day for the past 3 months and it's always been quiet - today there were many more people out jogging, etc. I suspect it's those that are now WFH'ing using the new found time.

 

[Pushka]

While I understand the sentiment, if someone is losing their house due to foreclosure etc. how does that help them remain in it? Am I missing something here?

People are reading far too much into things, I was simply making an observation.

Just like I noticed more people were out exercising today, I did a walk I've done every day for the past 3 months and it's always been quiet - today there were many more people out jogging, etc. I suspect it's those that are now WFH'ing using the new found time.

Of course. It was just a matter of timing of the post . But if there are opportunities there may be sad stories behind them.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Profits from property?

My daughter is skilled in both Respiratory and ICU Care. Most nurses have neither, some one.

She has to go into medical lockdown if things spike badly. ie Cannot see her own family etc.

Her main concern at present is that she knows that patients that she would normally care for who are suffering from various medical ailments will die as they simply will not get the high level of care that they would normally get and that makes her sad. If CV 19 deaths mount, then the actual death toll will be higher due to these other deaths that will not show up in the CV 19 stats.

 

[drron]

Some debating points were made here, not that I agreed, but they were points for discussion, despite the fact that South Korea significantly ramped up their production of test kits and the PCR reagents necessary and are one of the largest proof kits and reagents.

That was until the Trump is doing a good job references. Amongst cutting CDC and other agency funding, he was the person who in 2016 abolished the newly created White House advisory group looking into potential for pandemics.

Surely any rational person with a medical or scientific background, irrespective of politics, cannot have such a view?

Norman Swan seems to be a rational reliable and responsible source of information in this sea of diverse views.

Though Norman Swan is a Paediatrician by training and has been working for the ABC since 1982.lots has changed in Medicine in that time and Clinical practice gives you experience that reading can not.

Besides you have to come up with a credible explanation for the widely varying mortality rates.
And the CDC has been recommending testing of the symptomatic and contacts all along.