Corona Virus

Here's an article on the novel coronavirus infections in Wuhan, from Eurosurveillance, which purports to be,
"Europe's journal on infectious disease surveillance, epidemiology, prevention and control."
https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.3.2000044?emailalert=true
Abstract: Information on reported cases strongly indicates human-to-human spread, and the most recent information is increasingly indicative of sustained human-to-human transmission. While the overall severity profile among cases may change as more mild cases are identified, we estimate a risk of fatality among hospitalised cases at 14% (95% confidence interval: 3.9–32%).
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I am not worried as of yet about this virus.There is one confirmed case in Washington state, and one suspected case in College Station, Texas. WHO doesn't think it's a global emergency. Yet. China's reaction to it, with using the army to quarantine 20+ million people in several major cities, allegedly cancelling Chinese New Year celebrations in Beijing (which I understand is like the US deciding to cancel the Super Bowl.), is much more concerning than the public facts as we know and the press presents them.

Side note, China's first BSL-4 containment lab was built in 2018. In Wuhan.

Anyway, I thought the article was interesting.

Im flying through Hong Kong to Malaysia on Tuesday. Hoping that they don't close down the HK airport.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-01-countries-cases-coronavirus.html

I wish you good health in your travels... and I would definitely be taking a supply of good surgical masks. There are cases in Vietnam now. Please be careful.

Ferret is right, CB, use good masks throughout your travel. Especially on the airplane! Do you have trip insurance?

Apart from that, have great fun.

There are cases in the US and Mexico now too. There's no escaping it. My daughter is a flight attendant so we can change our tickets to go anywhere or take a different route.

I would advise that CB, if it can be worked out.

I flew from DF to Guatemala City in the height of the H1N1. GDL was smooth but once we got to DF it was a nightmare of last minute flight cancellations, shuffling to different concourses to book new flights that no airline would guarantee, waiting in long lines, exasperated airport/airline personnel,walking around travelers sleeping on the floor (which I eventually became one of), every new line or concourse required another medical check, until 9 hrs later I finally got on an airplane and arrived in Guatemala in the middle of the night where my booked ride had long given up and gone home. Luckily I had not checked any baggage.

Be safe.

Stay away from markets with live animals that they slaughter, chickens, ducks, seafood etc.
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"On Wednesday, authorities in Wuhan, China — where the current outbreak started — banned the trade of live animals at wet markets. The specific market where the outbreak is believed to have begun, the Huanan Seafood Market, was shuttered on January 1. The coronavirus that emerged there has so far killed 26 people and infected more than 900.

"Poorly regulated, live animal markets mixed with illegal wildlife trade offer a unique opportunity for viruses to spillover from wildlife hosts into the human population," the Wildlife Conservation Society said in a statement."

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.businessinsider.com/wuhan-coronavirus-chinese-wet-market-photos-2020-1%3famp

Dated Jan 24, 2020.

Also wipe down the armrests and tray on the plane with bacterial disinfectant. Also keep your immune system as strong as possible.

When I travel, I always take the Clorox wipes and everything around me gets a hearty wipe down...so far so good...even in the bathroom!

That's a good plan. But, I think the biggest danger is breathing the recycled airplane air for hours and hours and being in a confined space with others who may have no idea they have been exposed and have contracted the virus and are in the prodromal period and not yet symptomatic.

Masks may help against droplets but real anti-viral masks are hard to find and expensive. And uncomfortable! We thought they were like wearing a jockstrap on your face with a little respirator thingy on the end.

Going there probably isn't a problem. Coming home may be more likely to have a virus aboard the plane. Que sara sara.......it doesn't kill everyone.

No, it only kills around 14% of those hospitalized. The question is how many are hospitalized. Just use caution as TR has said. She's the expert on this board.

Out of curiosity is there an effective treatment for those infected ?

No.

https://www.livescience.com/new-china-coronavirus-faq.html

Ferret, I have a very slow internet (spiderweb) so after 10 minutes and maybe 25% of the article a gave up. The little I could read was very interesting, does it touch on a cure ?

No. No cure. Support life and treat symptoms. That's it. Hope for the best.

Special warnings on this virus for the young, old, and the immunocomprised. Or pulmonary compromised.

For me, it wouldn't be the threat of death, or even the possibility of contracting the virus, that would deter me but rather the GIANT hassle involved in travelling into the heart of it!

Correct. No cure yet BUT they are working on a vaccine.
BTW, kudos to China for the extraordinary lengths they are going to with the hopes of containing the virus. Reminds me of what Mexico did for (I think) the SARS outbreak. This virus is really putting a damper on Chinese New Year celebrations.

My favorite YouTube commentator delivers his usual calm, rational, knowledgeable take on this topic.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR0MrXyvCHpj6Ledh5ueZQIybc0oTEGPhkcLqLAx7n_AbY9Iw5YOQ5XzJJY&v=hj39fDQava0

Looks like he operates from a bunker

HoneyBee wrote:Looks like he operates from a bunker

Looks like the dream garage of most men I knew. Maybe that’s why I like him.

As I reported in Octagon, todays Washington Post, digital editition, Photos of the week, 100's of excavators frantically buildjng a new hospital in China specifically designed to treat coronavirus victims. It wll have 1,000 beds when complete.

This also just in. 48 million people in China are in lockdown. The hospital I was referring to, had 500 construction worker trying to construct the treatment center within 48 hours. This is just outside of Wuhan. There is another 1,000 bed treatment center going up in Wuhan City. They are running out of everything. On tuesday a doctor died of a heart attack treating patients. The medical staff are wearing incontinence pads so they dont have stop for bathroom breaks.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/china-virus-death-toll-rises-to-56-total-cases-near-2000/ar-BBZkvr5

Just reading the news, the Chinese plan on building a Hospital in a couple of days ? a tent maybe. Just out of curiosity could you imagine a city like Guadalajara being locked down as well as banning all travel between cities in Mexico ? Some how I am under the impression that this outbreak is a little/much more that what is reported on the various news outlets.

I heard that there are 500 workers building that hospital. Not a tent.

One person posted a link on here indicating that the airline "screening" process involves touching the forehead to detect fever. Since the incubation period after infection to symptoms is around 14 days, that's clearly useless. The world is in real trouble.