Member Info for RayPointer

Morning all

Trump has the answer

https://chaser.com.au/world/trump-approves-1-billion-norton-anti-virus-fund-to-help-fight-corona/

C7

I think you will see different patterns in different countries.
The Scandinavian countries could be progressing to the dance phase

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/sweden/

New cases seem to have stabilised.
The same could be seen in Germany

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/germany/

Encouraging signs I think.

Italy is different since they are naturally such a gregarious set of people. They love to be together in high densities. It is much harder for their government to persuade the populace to stay away from each other.

Hopefully the message is getting across to the planet as a whole, albeit at different rates in different countries.

As I have said previously, South Korea is showing the way.

We already see South Korea and China in the dance phase.

The hammer
Use drastic measures bring the outbreak under control with an R value of much less than 1
The dance
Relax the measures but keep the R value less than 1

if this has been posted previously.

I find this a quite brilliant article that explains the "Hammer and Dance" strategy.

https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-the-hammer-and-the-dance-be9337092b56

Well worth a read IMO

Australian style

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-australia-41378190/man-clings-to-train-s-windscreen-wiper-in-australia

That's interesting Ivy, a peak for the 20-29 age group.
With low values for children.

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/south-korea/

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/uk/

I know we are behind the curve when compared with South Korea, but we already have more than twice the number of deaths.

Compare this
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51989700

to this
https://www.thenation.com/article/world/coronavirus-south-korea-america/

Fry your bat frequently for at least 20 seconds

So no booze trips to Calais. Very sad.

Talking of walls, builders are doing great business building extensions to house stockpiled toilets rolls.

I wonder if Lindy's team are continuing with lab work at Nottingham Uni.
This is the information about lab work for Nottingham Uni researchers i.e not Scancell.

https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/coronavirus/faqs.aspx

"Can I continue laboratory work?
The University remains open and lab work can continue at present, provided all safety requirements can be maintained. However, you should plan for the possibility for a rapid change in circumstances, as guided by your Faculty. "

Is it permitted to post about Scancell?

Inan

Thank you for your 9:03

"A team of Singapore-based scientists has uncovered the first glimmer of hope that the COVID-19 virus could be mutating into a less virulent strain after discovering key protein suspected to affect the virus’s transmission and severity has disappeared in some patients.

In an academic paper, still under peer review but provided to The Australian, the Duke National University of Singapore team reported the protein “deletion” discovered in eight Singapore ­patients between February 9 and March 2 was consistent with those found at the tail end of the 2003 SARS outbreak, and could signal a weakening of the disease."

This is good news and possibly great news.
It is also vaguely consistent with the link post by Tf yesterday

"Q: How do viruses jump from animals to humans?

[Professor John Oxford]: It’s not easy for a virus to spread from a bat to human (as we think COVID-19 did). It most probably spread from a bat, to a civet, to an anteater to a human- each jump being difficult. Viruses don’t want to jump species, they’re quite happy where they are- being in a bat is wonderful, they’re having a good time, causing no harm, and spreading easily. Jumping into humans will cause all sorts of issues for the virus, it will have to mutate… to evolve… bit by bit, and these mutations allow them to jump between species on the rare occasions where the conditions are just right – so – a civet cat may have been around a bat with the right mutated virus, the cat got infected, a human comes along… buys that cat, chops its head off… takes it home for dinner… that’s when they probably got infected… handling these animals. These are rare events, and that’s jolly fortunate."

Here's the link again
https://thoughteconomics.com/virus-pandemics/

Perhaps, we are seeing for the first time, that this protein deletion is signalling that the virus would much rather be back in its natural home (the bat).

I just have to pop into work dear, I won't be long.
Damn, the pub is shut.

Thanks for that C7

I'm lucky in that I work from home, and was actively encouraged to even before this crisis.

Stay safe everyone

You could always improve your cooking whilst self-isolating

https://www.thecreolemeltingpot.com/fruit-bat-curry-kari-sousouri/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DG4n0r8-UPA

If you look at the numbers put out by individual countries, the ratio of cases to deaths varies enormously.
This could be due to any number of factors

Relative quality of the health services
Miss-reporting the cause of death
The level of testing being carried out

to name but just 3

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-51235105

para "Coronavirus global cases, 18 March 2020"

Very interesting interview TF.
Many thanks for this.

Here's some quotes from the article

"What we are witnessing now is a lack of diagnostic tests, and political hurdles in China, the US and other nations. There is an unfortunate blend of a lack of diagnostics, and a lack of political will to rapidly curb epidemics."

"We’ve underestimated the power of viruses like these. SARS started-up, infected 8000 people, and died-out with a lot of effort, public-health intervention and pressure. MERS hasn’t died-away, but was a fairly small outbreak, and now we have this. We’re going to have to learn to develop some vaccines and anti-viral drugs, these outbreaks will continue to happen again, and again, we have to get ourselves sorted."

"We cannot accept our politicians in the UK praising the NHS when they have stripped it bare, driven away the European Doctors and Nurses we desperately need right now… Their solution? ‘oh, let’s bring the old-age pensioners back…’ – it’s preposterous, and makes me feel ashamed."

"Countries have- on an individual basis- generally reacted well, but what we’re lacking is global, coordinated action. I know it may feel idealistic but we have to get to the stage where if we see a virus emerging, instead of each country doing its own thing, we can have global coordinated action."

Worth reading the whole interview IMO