Coronavirus - worldwide breaking news, discussion, stats, updates and more

[FridgeMagnet]

This isn't Facebook. Say something that makes sense and carries a meaning or fuck off.

 

[Buddy Bradley]

Bit of an aside, but I wonder what impact isolation will be having on other contagious illnesses such as measles?

There were several reports that other contagious diseases like flu and the common cold were already being reduced by social distancing and people washing their hands more often.

 

[Yorkshirelad]

oh what is this toilet

What it's a toilet now? this really is becoming a bit weird. I'll leave it to the administrator toilets is not my thing.

 

[Mrs Miggins]

It's Thinking outside the box that makes the difference, seek and thou shall fucking find as you put it.

I very rarely say this on here but....fuck off with your fucking nonsense.

 

[2hats]

Live lecture on the mathematics of epidemiological modelling that might interest some:

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Enough of this I feel.

 

[weltweit]

Robotic platform boost for Covid-19 tests

High-throughput, robotic technology normally used to test for infections in vulnerable people has been quickly repurposed for Covid-19 tests.
..

Each robotic module can process almost 1,000 coronavirus samples in a 12-hour period using the same Covid-19 tests being used by the NHS, but processing more samples simultaneously with a range of different reagents. The platform is being accredited and approved, and last week began testing samples at two NHS hospitals in London, which have one robotic module each.

Having completed validation on 251 real-life samples in blind testing, the platform began testing patient samples on April 6, 2020 and is now ready to be rolled out on a larger scale, for which the UK DRI is now looking for support.
..

In a statement Professor Paul Freemont, Group Leader at the UK DRI’s Care Research and Technology Centre at Imperial College London and University of Surrey, said: “Getting a platform like this up and running isn’t straightforward – there are a lot of things to account for that could be the difference between success and failure, like the reliability of supply chains for sample kits, reagents and other essential equipment.

from 08/04/2020 Robotic platform boost for Covid-19 tests | The Engineer

Despite the challenges it looks like robotic testing could be part of the planned increase in UK daily testing Hancock was promoting. Will it be enough with other initiatives to reach 100,000 tests a day, time will tell.

 

[weltweit]

EU feelings on face masks

Executive summary

• The use of medical face masks by healthcare workers must be given priority over the use in the community.
• The use of face masks in public may serve as a means of source control to reduce the spread of the infection in the community by minimising the excretion of respiratory droplets from infected individuals who have not yet developed symptoms or who remain asymptomatic. It is not known how much the use of masks in the community can contribute to a decrease in transmission in addition to the other countermeasures.
• The use of face masks in the community could be considered, especially when visiting busy, closed spaces, such as grocery stores, shopping centres, or when using public transport, etc.
• The use of non-medical face masks made of various textiles could be considered, especially if – due to supply problems – medical face masks must be prioritised for use as personal protective equipment by healthcare workers. This is based on limited indirect evidence supporting the use of non-medical face masks as a means of source control.
• The use of face masks in the community should be considered only as a complementary measure and not as a replacement for established preventive measures, for example physical distancing, respiratory etiquette, meticulous hand hygiene and avoiding touching the face, nose, eyes and mouth.
• Appropriate use of face masks is key for the effectiveness of the measure and can be improved through education campaigns.
• Recommendations on the use of face masks in the community should carefully take into account evidence gaps, the supply situation, and potential negative side effects.

from 08/04/2020 Using face masks in the community - Reducing COVID-19 transmission from potentially asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic people through the use of face masks

 

[zahir]

Faroe Islands to start lifting lockdown.

 

[elbows]

I know what those words and terms mean, that’s why I used them

The main point he’s making is that maybe intubation / ventilation might not be best practice in all cases.

I’m in no position to argue his case. I was just curious as to whether he was seeing something real and useful that supports Dr Gattinoni’s hypothesis, or if he’s grasping at straws.

Theres another article about this here:

With ventilators running out, doctors say the machines are overused for Covid-19

Critical care physicians are questioning the wide use of ventilators for #Covid19, saying that a large number of patients could instead be treated with less intensive respiratory support.

www.statnews.com

 

[zahir]

Greece tightens up its lockdown over Easter and stops most travel between islands.

Greece tightens lockdown checks, suspends inter-island travel with few exceptions - Keep Talking Greece

Greece's Civil Protection announced on Wednesday a series of stringent controls at the main exits of

www.keeptalkinggreece.com

 

[The39thStep]

Portugal:
Parliament still meets albeit on line , new measures agreed include Electricity, water, and gas cannot be shut off, and reducing the prison population. This includes partial pardon to prisoners with pre-existing health conditions, up to two-year sentences or less than two years left behind bars. For those serving sentences longer than six months who have served a quarter of their time, normally allowed three days leave, will be granted 45 days. Those convicted of homicide, sexual violence, physical abuse, or association with criminal networks will remain in prison, as well as anyone who committed a crime while in public office, from politicians to police officers.

“The virus would spread like a fuse in a prison,” justice minister Francisca Van Dunem said. “A decent state does not leave any of its citizens behind, even if they are prisoners.”

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Portugal:
Parliament still meets albeit on line , new measures agreed include Electricity, water, and gas cannot be shut off, and reducing the prison population. This includes partial pardon to prisoners with pre-existing health conditions, up to two-year sentences or less than two years left behind bars. For those serving sentences longer than six months who have served a quarter of their time, normally allowed three days leave, will be granted 45 days. Those convicted of homicide, sexual violence, physical abuse, or association with criminal networks will remain in prison, as well as anyone who committed a crime while in public office, from politicians to police officers.

“The virus would spread like a fuse in a prison,” justice minister Francisca Van Dunem said. “A decent state does not leave any of its citizens behind, even if they are prisoners.”

I'm trying to imagine Priti Patel saying this. Nope. Can't.

 

[The39thStep]

I'm trying to imagine Priti Patel saying this. Nope. Can't.

Obviously she , the Portuguese minister is a Socialist Party member , I'm not sure what the voting was for this across all parties though. The downside which I need to get some proper figures on and also do a stack of translating is the economic side of things . Tourism which is about 15% of the GDP and helped propel Portugal out of the 20008 recession is fucked this year.

 

[Supine]

Social distancing research for cyclists

 

[two sheds]

Think I might not go out and walk the dog along the road after all - only the odd cyclist, runner, horserider but still ..

 

[Mation]

This is doing the rounds on Facebook it looks real enough no idea if what he is saying is true or not which is that ventilators are killing more people than they save.

So he's saying that ventilators as currently used for Covid-19 take over the work of the muscles that usually get air into the lungs. And that that's useful, if your lungs are inflamed (pneumonia) and can't do that mechanical work by themselves. If the mechanics of the lungs fail, you don't get enough oxygen.

But he's seeing that people with Covid-19 illness do have working lung mechanics; that the reason they're not getting enough oxygen isn't because the lungs don't work, but because the virus, uniquely as far as we know thus far, affects our ability to utilise oxygen. And that putting extra pressure on lungs that actually aren't inflamed inadvertently does more harm than good to the lungs themselves, even while also providing more oxygen.

No idea whether what he's saying is batshit, but did I get that right? He's saying we're starting from a false premise and that that's why treatment is unreliable?

 

[crossthebreeze]

Social distancing research for cyclists

I wonder how wearing a mask alters this.

 

[Mation]

So he's saying that ventilators as currently used for Covid-19 take over the work of the muscles that usually get air into the lungs. And that that's useful, if your lungs are inflamed (pneumonia) and can't do that mechanical work by themselves. If the mechanics of the lungs fail, you don't get enough oxygen.

But he's seeing that people with Covid-19 illness do have working lung mechanics; that the reason they're not getting enough oxygen isn't because the lungs don't work, but because the virus, uniquely as far as we know thus far, affects our ability to utilise oxygen. And that putting extra pressure on lungs that actually aren't inflamed inadvertently does more harm than good to the lungs themselves, even while also providing more oxygen.

No idea whether what he's saying is batshit, but did I get that right? He's saying we're starting from a false premise and that that's why treatment is unreliable?

tl;dr: is he saying that this coronavirus doesn't cause pneumonia (inflamed lungs), but that it directly harms our ability to use oxygen?

 

[Boru]

USA now with more deaths than Spain according to worldometers.

 

[Concernedlocal]

As it stands there is no vaccine for Covid-19. There are new vaccines in development but these will take many months and potentially over a year and more to actually become available.

There are a number of existing drugs which have been touted as possible treatments for Covid-19. Currently none of them have proven to work. Anyone or any company that is claiming to be able to supply any product which is either a proven vaccine or a proven treatment is making claims they cannot back up. They are most likely to be thieves and con artists looking to financially gain from people's legitimate fear.

Unfortunately at this stage the best that can happen is we continue to isolate and keep up the crucial hand washing and general good practices.

Thanks Teaboy your comments are appreciated.

I have found a few things that are spoken about by governments being in trial like Chloroquine and didn't realise it is readily available to buy? Lloyds pharmacy have it online but all sold out, maybe people are buying up this type of thing?

 

[Supine]

Thanks Teaboy your comments are appreciated.

I have found a few things that are spoken about by governments being in trial like Chloroquine and didn't realise it is readily available to buy? Lloyds pharmacy have it online but all sold out, maybe people are buying up this type of thing?

It's not appropriate for self administration. In fact it could be more dangerous than catching covid - so stay at home and wash those hands!

 

[teuchter]

USA now with more deaths than Spain according to worldometers.
View attachment 205620

I find it weird that so many of these trackers (and nearly all news reporting) insist on listing cases and deaths per country rather than per head of population. What is anyone supposed to conclude from the fact that the USA now has more deaths than Spain? Doesn't really mean anything without taking into account the size of each population - USA's is 7 times greater than Spain's.

There are problems with doing it by head of population too because in most countries the infections are not evenly spread across different areas within the country. But at least it's slightly more meaningful than the pointless "per country" figures.

 

[Teaboy]

Thanks Teaboy your comments are appreciated.

I have found a few things that are spoken about by governments being in trial like Chloroquine and didn't realise it is readily available to buy? Lloyds pharmacy have it online but all sold out, maybe people are buying up this type of thing?

Absolutely people are trying these treatments especially since the President of the US is bigging them up and people are understandably scared. Doesn't actually mean they work, we just don't know. My personal experience with Chloroquine as an anti-malarial was that it had some very nasty side affects, for me anyway. I wouldn't touch it again unless I absolutely positively had to and most certainly not on some vague hope that it might do something but probably won't.

 

[SheilaNaGig]

So he's saying that ventilators as currently used for Covid-19 take over the work of the muscles that usually get air into the lungs. And that that's useful, if your lungs are inflamed (pneumonia) and can't do that mechanical work by themselves. If the mechanics of the lungs fail, you don't get enough oxygen.

But he's seeing that people with Covid-19 illness do have working lung mechanics; that the reason they're not getting enough oxygen isn't because the lungs don't work, but because the virus, uniquely as far as we know thus far, affects our ability to utilise oxygen. And that putting extra pressure on lungs that actually aren't inflamed inadvertently does more harm than good to the lungs themselves, even while also providing more oxygen.

No idea whether what he's saying is batshit, but did I get that right? He's saying we're starting from a false premise and that that's why treatment is unreliable?

That’s pretty much how I’m interpreting it.

But also, some do seem to have viral pneumonia and others don’t. There’s some speculation that the difference is based in phenotypes.

The link that elbows provided sets it out pretty clearly. (Sorry I didn’t tag you in my call out for medic folks in my post where I put some other links).

 

[SheilaNaGig]

Thanks Teaboy your comments are appreciated.

I have found a few things that are spoken about by governments being in trial like Chloroquine and didn't realise it is readily available to buy? Lloyds pharmacy have it online but all sold out, maybe people are buying up this type of thing?

Please don’t try chloroquine at home! I doubt anyone can buy it at the pharmacy without a prescription, it’s potentially very dangerous!

If you user the search function you’ll find earlier discussion about this, but please believe that it’s potentially very dangerous!

Nigerians poisoned after taking doses of drug praised by Trump

Its safety and effectiveness is unproven for use against the coronavirus

www.theglobeandmail.com

(Sorry for the Feil link ...)

Swedish hospitals scrap trial of malaria drug for COVID-19 patients

Doctors at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Vastra Gotaland are no longer administering the medication after patients like Carl Sydenhag (pictured) became more ill.

www.dailymail.co.uk

In any case, everything I’m seeing suggests that chloroquine has shown useful results against viral replication of this virus in vitro (literally “in glass”, meaning in test tubes, on microscope slides, Petri dishes i.e. in a laboratory setting) , which doesn’t necessarily mean that it has any clinical application.



ETA

More here, for anyone following this particular story.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanrhe/article/PIIS2665-9913(20)30093-X/fulltext

 

[Pingety Pong]

Some scientists from the University of Bonn did lots of tests in Heinsberg (biggest outbreak in Germany) and are just doing a press conference. Some of their conclusions: fatality rate is 0.06 %, 15 % in Heinsberg are already immune and quarantine restrictions should be started to be eased.

Heinsberg Protokoll (@hbergprotokoll) on Twitter

The latest Tweets from Heinsberg Protokoll (@hbergprotokoll). Unter der Leitung von Prof. Dr. Streeck arbeiten Forscher*innen des UK Bonn an der Erforschung von Covid-19. #heinsbergprotokoll - documented by StoryMachine

twitter.com

 

[teuchter]

Some scientists from the University of Bonn did lots of tests in Heinsberg (biggest outbreak in Germany) and are just doing a press conference. Some of their conclusions: fatality rate is 0.06 %, 15 % in Heinsberg are already immune and quarantine restrictions should be started to be eased.

Heinsberg Protokoll (@hbergprotokoll) on Twitter

The latest Tweets from Heinsberg Protokoll (@hbergprotokoll). Unter der Leitung von Prof. Dr. Streeck arbeiten Forscher*innen des UK Bonn an der Erforschung von Covid-19. #heinsbergprotokoll - documented by StoryMachine

twitter.com

Fatality rate for those infected 0.37%, 0.15% in the total population studied, I think.

 

[Pingety Pong]

Fatality rate for those infected 0.37%, 0.15% in the total population studied, I think.

I just listened to it again - he says fatality rate for those infected 0.37 %, but 0.06 % for the total population studied.

 

[Boru]

I find it weird that so many of these trackers (and nearly all news reporting) insist on listing cases and deaths per country rather than per head of population. What is anyone supposed to conclude from the fact that the USA now has more deaths than Spain? Doesn't really mean anything without taking into account the size of each population - USA's is 7 times greater than Spain's.

There are problems with doing it by head of population too because in most countries the infections are not evenly spread across different areas within the country. But at least it's slightly more meaningful than the pointless "per country" figures.

That website has more info regarding cases, deaths, recoveries per population per million..but as has already been said these figures are not complete and change very fast.