Generic Virus Thread

[Withnail]

I have an uncomfortable feeling that shit is going to go crazy.  But not without cause.  In the US the level of debt (eg. car loans - and that was the next crisis that was going to hit) is staggering. This could be a situation that will literally change the world. Without getting apocalyptic with you having Boris and us having Trump in charge maybe a shit show of staggering proportions. Having said said  that my cat is happy and I have had maybe one or two.
 

[Awol]

3 hours ago, maqroll said:

I hate to think what will happen if this tears through West Africa. 

WHO reckon Africa has 200 million cases of malaria, and 26 million cases of HIV/AIDS.

Considering how well COVID-19 deaths correlate with serious comorbidities, sub-Saharan Africa could (and probably will) make total deaths in rest of the world look trivial.
 

[maqroll]

Italian doctors are letting old people die so they can save younger people. This is what we are in for in the UK and US. 

Let's all do our best to look after our elders.

[maqroll]

1 hour ago, Withnail said:

I have an uncomfortable feeling that shit is going to go crazy.  But not without cause.  In the US the level of debt (eg. car loans - and that was the next crisis that was going to hit) is staggering. This could be a situation that will literally change the world. Without getting apocalyptic with you having Boris and us having Trump in charge maybe a shit show of staggering proportions. Having said said  that my cat is happy and I have had maybe one or two.
 

I've been thinking that this has the look of a (potential) global reconfiguring, and it will likely mean a more diminished UK and US, both having recently cut ourselves loose of Europe. 

Germany will be ascendent again and they will begin to flex military power. A Germany-Russia conflict could happen in the next 30 years. If the world hasn't burned down by then.

[KenjiOgiwara]

4 hours ago, KentVillan said:

Thankfully, demographics and climate might be on their side.

They are scared in cape town. Winter is coming.  It can get colder than you think 

[Mozzavfc]

4 hours ago, maqroll said:

I hate to think what will happen if this tears through West Africa. 

Don't worry the famine due the huge plague of locust will probably kill them off first

[maqroll]

2 minutes ago, Mozzavfc said:

Don't worry the famine due the huge plague of locust will probably kill them off first

Is there a locust problem there?

[wilko154]

Meant to be playing indoor 5 a side tonight, I would imagine this is a risk not worth taking?

The thing is I currently work with 120 people who have all been told to attend work each day, and so 5 a side with 10 people seems like much better odds.

[Mozzavfc]

39 minutes ago, maqroll said:

Is there a locust problem there?

Unfortunately yes but with Corona it's been massively overshadowed in the news

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-africa-51501832

[LondonLax]

Perhaps some good news?

Quote

Medical authorities in China have said a drug used in Japan to treat new strains of influenza appeared to be effective in coronavirus patients, Japanese media said on Wednesday.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/18/japanese-flu-drug-clearly-effective-in-treating-coronavirus-says-china

[maqroll]

As people settle in to what looks like several weeks of quarantine, remember to check in on the people in your life with mental health challenges. I have a neighbor who lives alone who has PTSD, a 33 year old guy. Already socially isolated. But I have his name on Steam and can contact him that way because all he does is play computer games.

[rodders0223]

57 minutes ago, wilko154 said:

Meant to be playing indoor 5 a side tonight, I would imagine this is a risk not worth taking?

The thing is I currently work with 120 people who have all been told to attend work each day, and so 5 a side with 10 people seems like much better odds.

Lad at work is still trying to get our weekly game going. Staggered he has the majority of numbers. I am a stalwart. I told him there is 0% chance of me playing.

I am already stuck in work, just trying to minimise my risk. A load of loads running about and blowing out their arses on each other.

Not for me.

[Rodders]

yeah our indoor cricket chat was absurdly hopeful of playing this evening. I have to confess that working from home I was tempted to say yes but was quickly persuaded by everyone else pointing out the obvious so we pulled out ( although I'm sure the venue would have cancelled it anyway)- working from home, day 2, and I have written a routine I plan on sticking to as otherwise I am going to go insane. 

I have a tennis match planned for Thursday - on the logic that neither of us need to be near each other to play the game, and being cooped up all day for weeks on end will make people go potty, but suspect that everyone will tell me that is irresponsible too. 

If everyone tells me I'm a prick for considering it I will obviously not play etc. 

[magnkarl]

I think it's important that people keep their perspective on this. China\South Korea\Germany\Scandinavia are showing how best to deal with this and it doesn't need to be like it has been in Italy. Three things have got me slightly hopeful.

1) The number of confirmed 'healthy' will be vastly under reported. I.e. in most countries who have now stopped testing people if they are of sound health there will be huge swathes of people who have had it and are now getting healthy. In example in Denmark I see some health professionals are saying that as many as 90k people have had or has the virus. They only have 4 reported deaths. Reported casualties will be a much safer number as a death is always reported to the health officials.

2) It's springtime. The virus is struggling a lot in areas where the average temperatures are higher. With some luck the colder parts of the world can ride this out until the temperatures are on our side and the structure and integrity of the virus reduces.

3) There's a really inspiring collective drive in our communities which warms my heart. We've got whatsapp and messenger groups going where I live where people are reaching out to those affected and offering to help out with everything from pets to buying shopping. With the way our society has been cooling as of late with our #¤"#¤ politicians it's great to see that people are still considerate and helpful.

Remember that panic spreads quicker than the virus. Keep safe and collected, help where you can and consider your daily routines and how they can affect the people who will be affected by this. 

[Genie]

My employer taking a strange stance on the "avoid the office if you can" government advice. Its a very big company, with thousands on the site, and hundreds in our open plan office. They decide they split the team in 2 and come into the office on alternate days This is despite having full WFH infrastructure in place as many do it periodically already.

Edited March 18, 2020 by Genie

[It's Your Round]

1 hour ago, Mozzavfc said:

Don't worry the famine due the huge plague of locust will probably kill them off first

The locust plagues are in East Africa. Just saying.

[It's Your Round]

9 minutes ago, Genie said:

My employer taking a strange stance on the "avoid the office if you can" government advice. Its a very big company, with thousands on the site, and hundreds in our open plan office. They decide they split the team in 2 and come into the office on alternate days This is despite having full WFH infrastructure in place as many do it periodically already.

That just sounds unnecessarily risky and very irresponsible. Do you they’ll soften the stance if/when it gets worse? 

[Genie]

1 minute ago, It's Your Round said:

That just sounds unnecessarily risky and very irresponsible. Do you they’ll soften the stance if/when it gets worse? 

I can only think its to appease people in the factories. There have been strikes in Europe as office staff have been allowed to work from home, but factory staff needed to go in.

[chrisp65]

14 minutes ago, Rodders said:

yeah our indoor cricket chat was absurdly hopeful of playing this evening. I have to confess that working from home I was tempted to say yes but was quickly persuaded by everyone else pointing out the obvious so we pulled out ( although I'm sure the venue would have cancelled it anyway)- working from home, day 2, and I have written a routine I plan on sticking to as otherwise I am going to go insane. 

I have a tennis match planned for Thursday - on the logic that neither of us need to be near each other to play the game, and being cooped up all day for weeks on end will make people go potty, but suspect that everyone will tell me that is irresponsible too. 

If everyone tells me I'm a prick for considering it I will obviously not play etc. 

Working out the actual risk in things is proving tricky. It’s needing more novel thinking on what’s a risk and what’s not and how much am I prepared to hide under the stairs for the next 6 months. To me, tennis sounds low risk.

Ordinarily, my job involves a fair bit of travel. So two weeks ago I quit using trains and tubes and just use my car. I’m visiting buildings which more often than not, are empty except for one unbelievably hopeful and pleasant property agent.

So typically, something like my Walsall visit, I drove there alone in a car that does 600 miles between petrol stations. I met one bloke that let me in the building. I did my thang in an empty building for a few hours. He came back I thanked him and left. Drove home.

I’ve also cut out the multiple coffee stops, having watched the exact process for getting a lid on a cup!

Now, switch to this week and I’ve been told travel is too risky, I should stay in the office with 25 other people. 3 of which, yesterday, physically couldn’t share information with me without leaning on my desk. If I’d been out of the office, they’d have mailed me.

Assessing real risk appears to be quite tricky for people. My local club are keeping the clubhouse open until they are ordered to close. They are also offering free drinks to the emergency services. Absolute lack of ability to think that through. I can’t imagine that many paramedics taking them up on the offer.

Working from home coming along in 3...2...

 

[It's Your Round]

Just now, Genie said:

I can only think its to appease people in the factories. There have been strikes in Europe as office staff have been allowed to work from home, but factory staff needed to go in.

Maybe, you tend to get the them vs us mentality in most companies. We have it too but the office staff are still working from home. I know a few that have offered to work in the distribution centre or production unit, to help out. Which is a nice thing to offer.