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Depends what you'd class as 'panic buying'. If everyone just buys a few extra bits of food and an extra pack of bog roll on the off chance they have to isolate themselves, that would represent a big spike in demand and would probably result in empty shelves for some items, but it's not going to result in anyone going hungry.

Panic buying is a thing the press love to talk up but probably not something that actually happens very often. The perfectly normal pre-christmas stockpiling probably creates a bigger surge in demand than any 'panic buying' episode from the last twenty years, it's just that we don't notice that so much because the shops plan for it and bring in more stuff accordingly.
Agree, though as a side issue there will be profiteering. Just heard this morning of one person buying 70 lots of antibacterial gel from Aldi in Redcar and then somebody else coming in and taking the rest of the stock (about 100 bottles).
 
I've got fibromyalgia, which includes 'flu like' symptoms such as muscle aches, tiredness and fuzzy thinking. It's a bit like my body is playing a practical joke on my brain at the moment. :)
It's hard isn't it? I get panic attacks, which obviously affects my breathing.

So I get a bit hot or feel a bit dodgy, then my mind starts wandering and suddenly I've got flu-like symptoms with 'fever' and 'breathing difficulties' - perfect storm for a false positive.

It feels like if I did get Covid19, I would not know whether it was a panic attack or actual infection. But I imagine real pneumonia is nothing like the breathing problems I get when I'm panicking, and that's what I keep telling myself. I'll just know.
 
It's hard isn't it? I get panic attacks, which obviously affects my breathing.

So I get a bit hot or feel a bit dodgy, then my mind starts wandering and suddenly I've got flu-like symptoms with 'fever' and 'breathing difficulties' - perfect storm for a false positive.

It feels like if I did get Covid19, I would not know whether it was a panic attack or actual infection. But I imagine real pneumonia is nothing like the breathing problems I get when I'm panicking, and that's what I keep telling myself. I'll just know.
Liked, but not 'liked'. Yeah, that sounds familiar, I have a tendency to let 2+2=5 when thinking about my own health. Strangely enough, the corona thingy hasn't wormed its way into my consciousness yet, so I'm managing to keep things in perspective. Dunno, maybe there's something about being less concerned about external threats than the ones I generate in my mind.
 
Agree, though as a side issue there will be profiteering. Just heard this morning of one person buying 70 lots of antibacterial gel from Aldi in Redcar and then somebody else coming in and taking the rest of the stock (about 100 bottles).

Where do these profiteering cunts typically show up?
 
Johnson sounds alarmingly out of his depth in this press conference at the moment. Of course we all know he is anyway but he's really exposed on this.

'Em err... um... we're... err... doing stuff... and things... I've no doubt the British can do it'

As I’ve mentioned before my background is more in comms / academia though I have taught science communication, and tbh the whole thing looks comms-led to me. And pretty mediocre it is too in those terms. The government is clearly worried there could be a massive political downside to this; their vote may not have cared that the NHS was on the brink of collapse in December, or elected to blame it on the phantom of ‘health tourism’ - ‘Get Brexit Done’ - but if the system collapses under the weight of additional pressure it’s hard to see how the government can get off the hook.

At a political level, it’s worth bearing in mind Johnson has consistently ‘failed up’. He hasn’t been a success in orthodox terms in anything he’s done, other than win a majority at a general election (but demagoguery - which is his thing - doesn’t amount to the skillset you need in a crisis). As Mayor of London he wasted tonnes of money and engaged in scandalous behaviour with public finances that still hasn’t been appropriately examined. As Foreign Secretary he was disastrous (ask Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe). That’s before we get into his career as a journalist. More than this he hasn’t got successful executive experience.

A sufficient proportion of the public were prepared to put that to one side in December; they may be about to reap the whirlwind. It could be argued (with some justice) that Corbyn didn’t have successful executive experience either, and indeed that many Prime Ministers don’t (Blair’s first job in government was Prime Minister), but I suppose the difference with Johnson is he has had executive experience and been consistently disastrous in it. Telling people to get stuffed in Mayoral questions etc might make an amusing clip on the news (for some), but it isn’t what it takes in a major crisis.
 
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Can anyone point me at a source of the historical (day by day) number of cases in Hubei (or China generally) since the beginning of the year? Thanks.

There's been a big drop in reported cases in China recently. The big peak on this graph, was when the changed the method for reporting cases.

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Trump is giving daily press briefings and has remarked that they have 43 million 3M masks in storage with another 35 million per month (per month!) on order - just in case!

They are also in talks with other mask manufacturers for further supplies.

I wonder if our govt is also stockpiling masks?
Just because the cunt Trump says he's doing something, it doesn't mean he is...
 
There was a bit of a furore last week when a teacher went to work, despite being ill

The teacher visited a medical institution on Feb. 12 after feeling nauseous and she was diagnosed with a cold.

She continued to teach, but was hospitalized on Feb. 19 after her condition worsened. She tested positive for the coronavirus on Feb. 21.


Chiba school to suspend classes for 2 days after teacher infected : The Asahi Shimbun

Do US workers not get paid leave, isn't it? I can imagine some also going to work, so as not to lose pay. :(

A lot of American workers don't get paid leave. With pay levels being what they are, losing even one day of pay can be difficult.* Even if you do have leave, the company culture may frown on using it.

* I have a coworker who recently came to work with pneumonia and a diagnosis of C-diff. She was afraid to lose work because her husband had just lost his construction job a week before. She choose to feed her kids over taking care of herself.
 
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even if the numbers are correct thats a shit situation. 45 million masks to go around 320 million people. and the masks have to be replaced at least once a day to be effective.
 
A lot of American workers don't get paid leave. With pay levels being what they are, losing even one day of pay can be difficult. Even if you do have leave, the company culture may frown on using it.
I've got twelve days off starting tomorrow even though I'm not going anywhere just because I need to use some up. Vote Bernie.
 
Agree, though as a side issue there will be profiteering. Just heard this morning of one person buying 70 lots of antibacterial gel from Aldi in Redcar and then somebody else coming in and taking the rest of the stock (about 100 bottles).

I think I saw an example of corporate price-gouging. I had to fill a prescription last night and had to wait quite a while. I checked out the cold and flu remedy section and found prices had been raised to roughly double what they usually run. The odd thing is that they all had yellow sale cards claiming they were reduced from an even higher price. But, people will probably pay it. While I was waiting they had three people come in wanting flu shots, thinking that would help prevent the virus and they had a sign posted that said "We do not have masks".
 
While I was waiting they had three people come in wanting flu shots, thinking that would help prevent the virus.

Other possibilities exist too, some of them may not be misinformed about the flu vaccine. Because its still common for the public health advice now to include a recommendation to get flu vaccine, but not to stop covid-19. Rather its to reduce the burden of flu on the system, protect against being infected by both the flu and this coronavirus at the same time, etc.
 
Indian politician yesterday saying again cow urine (& being a good Hindu) might cure you. There’s going to be loads of this isn’t there.
 
I've just had a disagreement/row with someone that's convinced eating garlic makes you immune from the virus and can cure it if you have it. "Why else does India have no cases?" was their retort. Bonkers health stuff is going to skyrocket isn't it?

Has probably mixed up 'eating garlic' with 'being a vampire'.
 
Interesting, India will stop exporting the drugs they fear they may need for their own citizens.

The pharmacist I spoke to last night said they were already expecting shortages from the outbreak in China for fairly common drugs.
 
I've just had a disagreement/row with someone that's convinced eating garlic makes you immune from the virus and can cure it if you have it. "Why else does India have no cases?" was their retort. Bonkers health stuff is going to skyrocket isn't it?

I used to work with a Finnish? guy who used to eat garlic sandwiches every morning. I often had early morning meetings with him and made sure I kept at least a metre away from him at all times.
 
I've just had a disagreement/row with someone that's convinced eating garlic makes you immune from the virus and can cure it if you have it. "Why else does India have no cases?" was their retort. Bonkers health stuff is going to skyrocket isn't it?

Isn't avoiding 'smelly' foods like garlic and onions part of many diets in India? I think it's one of the things the Hare Krishnas borrowed from Jains.
 
Korea's 31 deaths have this breakdown
80+ 6
70-80 11
60-70 7
60 and under 7 of which 1 in 40s

A colleague of whistleblower doctor Li Wenliang died yesterday.

Apparently 2 of the isolation hospitals (for patients with symptoms) are on the verge of being emptied of patients
Hubei Health Commissioner says the plan is to gradually phase them out by transfering the serious patients to hospitals and discharging the cured.

Chongqing health department announced that someone had contracted the virus after sitting behind an infected passenger for a very short time on a public bus on 19 January.
 
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